Thomas Romero, age 9, of Cleveland, Ohio, for his question:

WHERE DID THE PEKINGESE COME FROM?

Pekingese is a breed of small dog with long hair, a broad flat face and a tail that curls over its back. It i s one of three Chinese breeds of dogs with curled tails. The other two are the chow chow and the pug.

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

In spite of Yts small size, the dog i s bold and brave. It i s also a very intelligent, mischievous animal.

A Pekingese can be almost any color, but is usually tan or brown with light shading. It weighs between six and 10 pounds. Its eyes are quite prominent and its front legs are bowed.