It is impossible to state emphatically where and when the first Chinese Crested dog appeared on this earth. It is agreed by many who may oppose eachother on other facts that the Chinese crested dog definitely evolved in a tropical or semi tropical area. Science tells us that there is usually a reason for change in a species. It is documented that when Christopher Columbus came to the new world that the new world Indians had many dogs in every family and that there was a great infestation of fleas and ticks. It is very possible that the gene mutated to hairless to more easily fight off the flies and ticks. It is very unlikely that the Chinese crested dog came from china as is often stated. There is no documentation or zoological findings to support that theory. No importation documents exist of any hairless dog from china. The immigrants that were here from china during the gold rush were just surviving. It would be very unlikely for them to have an exotic dog to feed much less the time or luxury to breed them.

Another myth is that they were bred to kill rodents carrying the black plague on ships. This is inaccurate for several reasons. There are several breeds bred for that purpose but it would be very important to have strong teeth and insulating coat against the bite of the rats. Louis Pasteur did not discover the Germ Theory of Disease until 1865 so at the time of the black plague, rats were not known as the culprets. The rats did carry fleas which carried the black plague but no one knew that fleas were the cause of it. It is most likely that the hairless dog originated in Central and South America where the most credible evidence exists with enough numbers to constitute an individual breed.

According to Amy Fernandez & Kelly Rhae, authors of “Hairless Dogs – The Naked Truth” :

All of the archaeological evidence available today and a little investigation reveals not only the true birthplace of the hairless canine species as Mexico and Central America, but also explains its subsequent dispersal to other continents. This region has long provided a wealth of information on the species. In addition to an abundance of well-preserved artifacts, the art and history of Mesoamerica is a virtual treasure trove of hairless dog lore. The preponderance of these hairless dog artifacts uncovered in early Mesoamerican archaeological sites and the fact that feral specimens are still prevalent throughout this region today convincingly attests to this area as being the true birthplace of the hairless dog.

The oldest know likeness of a dog discovered on the North American continent was found in an area northwest of Mexico City. Referred to as the tlatico Dog, carbon dating gives the estimated age of the artifact on the bottom left to be ~3,700 years old and the one on the bottom right ~3,000 years old. (photos in “Hairless Dogs – The Naked Truth,” page 26)

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