'Panda dogs' becoming a favorite in China

They’re black and white and huge in China – but they’re dogs not Panda.

It is panda-monium in pet shops in China as dogs that look like the country's unique and rare bears become a rage.

But the fluffy, high-maintenance "panda dogs" appear to be gaining in popularity, according to video from geobeats.

Panda ‘lookalikes’ are hit in China pet shops with the new middle class as pet shop owner says ‘ten years ago we’d have eaten them’.

The Chows undergo two hours of cosmetic primping to look like pandas and need a touch-up every six weeks, but residents don't seem to mind because pet shops are having an incredibly hard time keeping up with the demand.

Pet-shop owner Hsin Ch'en says he is responsible for creating the makeshift breed and has perfected grooming and coloring technique.

"Ten years ago the natural instinct of a Chinese person was to eat a dog. Now we are like Westerners and want one as a companion," he said. "The cute breeds like French bulldogs and Labradors were the favorites, but now it is the panda dog."

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