A Chow is a medium sized dog with enough hair to be a GIANT dog. Looks kind of like a round teddy bear. A Pekinese looks like someone left a chow in the dryer WAY too long, then smashed it's face with a frying pan... Mostly a tiny version of the same. Yappy little beasts. Cute as all get out, but the yapping could drive a saint to distraction. Both breeds are distinguished, IIRC, but the blue tongues they have. If you've ever seen a "Foo Dog" or "Foo Lion" statue, the Chow was the original model.