In a country where sprout hairpins and facekinis are a thing, a new accessory is popping up: toy brown poodles.
Known as “taidi,” a play on the English word “teddy,” the breed is adored by the Chinese for its intelligence and cute appearance, along with being low maintenance.
“I regard her as one of my family,” Xu Chen, from Beijing, told The New York Times, about her toy poodle Ceicei,. “She’s very beautiful and smart.”
Another benefit of this breed is they have hair, not fur. Because of this, they shed very little and there are fewer issues with allergies (less dander).
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The color brown was chosen because it hides dirt better and sets the dog apart from other poodles that sport black and white coats, according to the outlet.
The breed makes up 125,000 of the 950,000 dogs in Beijing, or 13 percent, the Times found. The toy poodle beat out other well-liked breeds, including the bichon frise and golden retriever.
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Pet ownership overall has been on the rise. The number of pets registered to Beijing Public Safety Bureau nearly doubled from 2006 to 2011. In 2015, 100 million pets were registered in China, equating to approximately 1 in 13 people owning a pet.
Let’s hope this must-have dog is here to stay and just not a passing trend. For a bit, Asians fell for the Tibetan Mastiff, a huge, woolly breed that wasn’t intended for the steamy, crowded cities in China. Once going for upwards of $250,000, last year owners and breeders were unloading the breed for $5 to be slaughtered for imitation leather and other products.
In terms of toy poodles, Japan has also seen a surge in the breed a few years back and now that the craze is over, there are too many unwanted dogs.
Related: Just Like Other Fads, the Chinese Are Ditching Tibetan Mastiffs
