Looty, 1865

During the Second Opium War, in 1860, the Old Summer Palace in Beijing was occupied by British and French troops. An elderly aunt of emperor Xiangfeng committed suicide and was found with her five Pekingese mourning her death. One of the dogs ultimately ended up in the possession of Queen Victoria, who named it Looty. The events introduced the previously unknown breed, which for centuries could be owned by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace only, to the Western World.