Stolen from Chinese palaces by eunuchs and smuggled to England by ship: How the Pekingese dog found its way to Oxton

Balls of fur, symbols of imperialism: the Wirral connection to the world’s weirdest dog

Dear members — you might believe the crowning glory of Birkenhead’s history to be ship-building. But perish the thought: Birkenhead is also responsible for the British lineage of Pekingese dogs. Here at the Post, we have a weakness for Pekingese dogs, since they look like if a blonde cloud had four legs. So we were excited to get to delve into the bizarre origin stories of the breed’s life in England, via raids of royal Chinese palaces, eunuchs and racing pony dealers. Once the sole preserve of Chinese emperors, the Pekingese dog became the toy dog of its day, a fad and status symbol, and it was all thanks to one Wirral couple.

But before we dig in: Steve Rotheram vs. trains; Breaking Bad: the Aintree edition and why West Kirby is so spectacular in our news roundup.