Hi, I think mart is right, it looks more like bronze to me too!. This one is not a "Foo dog", that is why it has no ball under his foot. It is a Kirin (in Japanese) or Qilin ( in Chinese). You can see that because of the antler on his head. I am not totally sure, but all Japanese Kirin I have seen have hooves instead of the paws that your piece shows. In China most Qilins seem to have hooves too, but I have seen some that look like yours. In China there exist figural censers too, actually I think the Japanese took the idea from there. So I would think yours is Chinese?
As to how old it is, I would think it is not older than late 19th century, and likely newer, but maybe someone else who is more experienced with Chinese bronzes will see your post...
Mat