1000 Patacas gold proof, year of the dog. Chinese mythology tells of a day when Buddah summoned all animals to a meeting and promised that any of them whom paid him homage would be honoured by having a year named after them. Only 12 animals arrived at the meeting place and so each year of the twelve year cycle of the Chinese calender was named after an animal in the order they arrived at the meeting with Buddha. The rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cockerel, dog and pig.