THESE black tongued, fluffy little lion dogs are a rare sight for most of us.

But their adorable teddy bear features are commonplace for a St Arvans man who has been breeding the unusual chow chows for the past 30 years.

David Finlay, 69, of Rogerstone Grange, has bred 45 chow chows over the years and is the only Kennel Club registered breeder in South Wales.

It all started when his late wife, Freda, wanted to buy a dog with a difference.

Mr Finlay said: “My wife wanted a dog, but we didn’t want the same as everyone else. Chows can be a bit standoffish in a way – I say they are a 'one-man' dog and very loyal.

“They are great with my grandchildren – but I would never leave any dog with a child alone. I always say it’s not the dog, it’s the way they’ve been brought up by the owner.

“We started in 1980 when me and my wife bought our first chow Inka. He was a black dog – we showed him at six months and then got the bug.

“We’ve had about 15 dogs that we kept. All our dogs’ names have begun with F – Finchow Florence, Finchow Frederick, Finchow Farrah and Finchow Flynn. I think my wife wanted it to go with Finlay.”

The rare breed originated in China and there are currently around 300 registered with the Kennel Club in the UK.

Renowned for its blue/black tongue and thick fluffy coat, it has straight back legs and comes in a variety of colours.

“Chows are not a common breed. I get a lot of interest in them – phone calls every week asking for puppies and about 130 emails,” said Mr Finlay, who has been treasurer of The Chow Chow Club of Wales for the last 25 years.

The club, founded in 1926, hosts two chow chow competitions a year. At its last contest at Monmouth Leisure Centre on November 2, Mr Finlay’s dog Florence won the puppy/bitch category.

He said: “We had 54 entries for the show out of 300 chows in the UK – that’s not bad. People come from all over for dog shows.”

Mr Finlay currently has three chows Flynn, 8, Farrah 4, and Florence, 11 months. The breed’s life expectancy is around 10 years and it produces smaller litters than most dogs. Visit chowchowclubofwales.com