 The
Fu Dog
by Ann Trump
The white dog took ownership of me gradually. Coming from the woods in the
back yard, he first befriended my large Lab/Shepard named Maggie.
I would look out the back window and see them playing, maybe tugging on a
stick, but the little dog would run off if I opened the door. Throughout the
spring, he started to come everyday. I began watching for him and eventually
befriended him. I found out that he lived three houses away and his name was
Willi.
Willi would stay for hours on end and by June he was coming into the house
with Maggie. Late August, his real family called me and said they were going on
a beach vacation and asked me if I would keep him for ten days. No problem, I
thought, he is here all the time anyway. Over the course of those ten days,
Willi became part of the family and I fell in love. When the trip was over and
they came back to claim him, I sat in the living room, with Maggie moping at my
feet, and cried. Wasted tears they were, because before the hour was up, Willi
was at my back door scratching to get in. He had made his choice.
I started calling Willi’s family and asking if he could spend the night. I
found out he didn’t have his shots and off to the vet we went. He quickly
learned our routines and became part of them. Maggie would sulk if he went home.
Winter passed and he would show up at my door cold and frozen. The following
spring, the family moved and asked me if I wanted him permanently and I said
yes, with gratitude and relief.
He was a strange little dog, some kind of a terrier mix. The kids thought he
looked like the flying dragon in “The Neverending Story.” Willi did not like
children or men and would snap if either reached to pet him, although he
lovingly made an exception for my two children. I tolerated his temperament,
understood his history, researched the terrier breed and loved him beyond words.
Where Maggie was friendly, gentle and playful (my sister once called her
“tender”), Willi was a little rough around the edges and very protective of me.
I joked he was my little guard, my little Fu Dog.
Fu Dogs, which are actually Chinese lion statues, made their first appearance
in the Chinese Han Dynasty in 206BC which lasted until 220AD. They apparently
went out of fashion for a few hundred years and then made a strong reappearance
during the T’ang Dynasty in 618AD and have remained popular to this day.
Originally, they were a symbol of wealth and status and would protect the
entrances of Imperial palaces, temples, and the homes of the elite. Once carved
only from stone, later cast in bronze, today they are available in a variety of
resin and inexpensive materials and range in size from large to tiny.
I have seen two different spellings, Fu and Foo and it is my understanding
that they are interchangeable. Fu is the Chinese word for happiness and Foo is
the Chinese word for Buddha. Fu Dogs are also known as Imperial Guardian Lions,
The Lions of Buddha, Celestial Dogs or Happiness Dogs. It is believed that the
chow chow dog breed was the inspiration for the model of the Fu Dog.
Keeping with the balance of yin and yang, the lions come in pairs, one male
and one female. The male balances a globe or ball under his paw, while the
female protects a cub under hers. There is proper placement, as well. Looking at
a door from the outside, the male will be placed on the right side, while the
female will be on the left.
Fu Dogs are guardians of the home or business and Feng Shui symbols of
protection. They are never to be placed on the inside and are intended for the
outside entrance. It is believed they will protect the home or business from
evil and intruders. No one with negative intentions will be able to enter with a
pair of properly placed Fu Dogs at the door, for the dogs, like evil eye
amulets, are known to have the ability to see the intentions of all who cross
their paths. It is interesting to note that the male is attributed with guarding
the outside and the structure itself, while the female protects the inhabitants
and the inside.
I lost Maggie four years ago, but Willi is still with me, eleven years later,
always guarding. He has mellowed quite a bit with age and will suspiciously
tolerate children and males, but still, he takes his Fu Dog job seriously.
Outside my front entrance are two well placed Fu Dog statues. They are small,
but so is Willi. As with real dogs, it is not the size of the statues that
matters, but the inherent trait within. There is a quote of Franz Kaftka’s that
reads "All knowledge, the totality of all questions and answers, is contained in
the dog." Perhaps this also applies to the Fu Dog.
Learn about the Feng Shui services available from
The Nanta Bagg.
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