Dawn Handle, age 9, of Haggerstown, Md., for her question:

HOW MUCH DOES A PEKINGESE DOG WEIGH?

A Pekingese is a small dog with long hair, a broad fiat face and a tail that curls over its back. In size, the dog ranges from six to 10 pounds.

The Pekingese is one of the three Chinese breeds of dogs with curled tails. The others are the chow chow and the pug.

The Pekingese has short legs, a long body and a large head with long fringed ears. Its front legs are bowed and its tail is plumed. Its eyes are quite prominent. When the dog trots, it sways from side to side. It may be almost any color, but is usually tan or brown with light shadings.

The Pekingese was the royal dog of China and at one time only people of royal blood could own the animal. It was raised in China for hundreds of years but the outside world did not know of the dog until 1860 when the British Army seized Peking and Admiral Lord Hayes took two Pekingese to England.

One kind of Pekingese, the sleeve Pekingese, was so named because ladies of the Chinese court carried the dogs in their balloon like sleeves.