Year of the Dog

People born in the years below are considered born in the year of the Dog and they are often called Dogs. Dogs in different years may have different characters because they have various elements from metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

As Chinese zodiac is based on the Chinese lunar calendar, people who born in January or February maybe were not born in the year of the Dog in the lunar calendar. Want to confirm your real zodiac sign? Just check the chart below or fill your birthdays in “Find your Chinese Zodiac”.

Legend has it that when the God of Heaven Jade Emperor was choosing the twelve zodiac animals, he set a rule: any animal that was helpful to humans could be included in the zodiac. So each animal was eager to show its strengths to the Jade Emperor to prove that it was a reliable helper for humans.

Both cat and dog were close companions of human beings, but they didn't get along well. The cat thought the dog ate a lot but just lounged in front of the door. While the dog believed that the cat could do nothing but scare rat and made no contribution to human beings. They argued endlessly and at last came to the Heavenly Palace to ask the Jade Emperor to make a judgment.

The Jade Emperor asked them, “What do you do every day, and how much do you eat per meal?” The dog answered honestly, “I guard humans' houses every day and eat a basin of food per meal.” The cat thought for a while and replied, “I catch rat and only eat a small bowl of food per meal.” The cat cleverly told the Jade Emperor that it could help humans solve the rat problem and eat less. After hearing what the cat and the dog said, the Jade Emperor thought the cat ate less but did more, making greater contributions than the dog. The dog was very angry when it heard the result and considered that the cat won by lying, so it chased and bit the cat while cursing. The cat knew it was in the wrong and kept running without stopping. Even when it went home, it hid and didn't dare to come out.

However, when it actually was selecting the twelve zodiac animals, the officials in charge didn't follow the Jade Emperor's original order. Instead, they changed the rule to “the first twelve animals to arrive would become the twelve zodiac signs”.

When the dog learned about it, it went to the Heavenly Palace with the rooster to queue up to be one of the zodiac animals. The rooster flew and ran quickly, and got ahead of the dog. The cat, which had been hiding for a long time and didn't see the dog, came out and found that the dog had gone ahead to queue up to be a zodiac animal. It hurriedly ran to the Heavenly Palace and queued up behind the pig. At this time, there were exactly twelve animals. But the little rat played a trick and suddenly appeared to be the first zodiac animal. So the cat was in the thirteenth position and lost the chance to be a zodiac animal.

As for why the dog was ranked eleventh among the Chinese zodiac signs, a commonly recognized explanation is closely related to the traditional Chinese timekeeping method. In the twelve time slots cycle, the eleventh period “Xu” from 19:00 to 21:00, is when night falls and all is quiet. During this period, dog is the most alert, guarding his master and home, always ready to deal with potential dangers. Therefore, this period is represented by the dog. When ranking the Chinese zodiac signs, the dog naturally takes the eleventh place.

Dog's fortune in 2025 is at a medium level in every aspect. They could get the help of benefactors who are able to take them out of trouble at work. Businessmen are lucky to meet ideal partners who would help a lot for their business expansion. "Dogs" are also advised to improve job skills for more achievements. For financial stability, controlling expenses and increasing income may be essential. Besides, it is recommended to learn fundamental financial management knowledge and start a side business. Married people seem to be not lucky in their love and relationships. They may need to mend fences with partners through patient communication. Health conditions are expected to be good. Be sure to follow traffic rules when going out to avoid accidents.