Today, the occidental specialists, in the Lhasa Apso field, claim the breed virtually extinct. In 1966, Dorothy Cohen, purchaser of the entire world-famous Hamilton Farm Kennel of Suydam Cutting, (the introducer of the breed in America), wrote: "Many are interested in breeding and preserving from extinction, possibly one of the oldest breeds to Man, known a few years ago as Tibetan Lhasa Apso, rare then and rare now. Since the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese, the monasteries, where these had been raised for centuries, have been looted, many destroyed. The dogs cannot be duplicated or replaced from Lhasa or all of Tibet. What we have of Tibetan origin now, is all we are destined to ever have. Breeders are needed that will continue and preserve this line for posterity. ANOTHER KARMA???... IMPOSSIBLE!!!... But a reasonable facsimile, if you are lucky." Dorothy Cohen passed away in 1977, still convinced that she had the right answer to her question.

In 1980, after some personal, unexpected and more than lucky experience, I strongly believed otherwise. I also felt that, only a further visit to some of the 110,000 Tibetan Refugees, scattered in 58 major camps in India, Nepal and Bhutan, could give the definite answer to the question of late Mrs. Cohen. From our Sub-Himalayan Expedition of 1982 & 1983, this is in resume, my special report on the Tibetan Lhasa Apso.

Earlier than 350,000 years ago, the period when the Himalayas started growing at the rate of an inch or more every year, Tibet was flat and low and easily accessible. Homo Erectus, the ancestor of mankind had already been patrolling this area for at least half a million years. Some 200,000 years ago, the Earth got colder and all existing fauna migrated South towards the Equator, while some of it got stopped by the ever-growing Himalayas, which were by then about half of their present height. In Southern Tibet all the species shared the misfortune of being stranded in the cold for the next 150,000 years. But, Nature does things well and, after a while, it granted some of the existing fauna with the profuse coat essential to their survival. The Tibetan wolf, yak, sheep, goat, and Apsos, all possessing a similar wooly coat are good examples of survivors from the Ice Ages.

Possessing already the knowledge of fire, Tibetan Homo Erectus managed to survive from the products of his hunts, while Tibetan Canis Lupus, alias "wild Apso", was roaming and scavenging around the camps. There are in the animal kingdom a variety of examples of true symbiotic relationships, and scavenging is a good one. While one species receives food, the other, benefits from the removal of waste products and food debris. Over 100,000 years or so they would have lived in vicinity of each other, which finally somehow ended up in a friendly relationship. Probably on that eventful day, some 100,000 years ago, there was the dual metamorphosis of Tibetan Homo Erectus and small Tibetan Canis Lupus which respectively became Homo Sapiens or Modern Man and Canis Familiaris or friendly Apso.

It is evident that the Apso is not the only Canis Lupus to have undergone domestication. Many other species have become domesticated, subsequently, in different locations of the world. But, the small Lhasa Apso, due to its size was the first domesticated animal. During the next 50,000 years, Homo Sapiens will share their food and shelter with these Apsos, and inbreed them to keep the friendly characteristics and their progress towards helping the hunting community. Larger ones were bred for the purpose of hunting and gathering game, while smaller ones were kept around the shelters as guardians; a tradition which has basically remained the same, until now.

Tibetan Homo Sapiens acquired during the severe isolation in Southern Tibet, the use of new tools, weapons and hunting techniques, some of which involving Apsos. Finally, feeling secure, some 35, 000 years ago, Homo Sapiens emerged from the plateau of Tibet to begin their migration on the five continents, bringing along their best friends, small and large Apsos. It will be the first appearance of modern man on the new continents.

Upon their arrival in Europe, these Tibetans of origin, later classified as Asiatic hunters or Monogoloids or Men of Cro-Magnon, subjugated the Men of Neanderthal, which had been dominating this part of the world during the 150,000 previous years. Being a Bear-Worshipper, Neanderthal, seeing the Tibetans of Cro-Magnon, chasing him with his long-haired bear-like animals, did not resist much, due to a severe case of frightness, caused by the confrontation with his own gods. This theory could explain the sudden mysterious disappearance of the Neanderthalian civilization.

In Lascaux, France, Cro-Magnon, proving his cultural superiority, painted on caves walls, some famous hunting scenes, in which, next to the hunters themselves, some rough canine-like forms are recognizable, attesting of the long-haired breeds, already domesticated then; the Apsos of course.

These Asiatic hunters would have set their foot on Australia, at about the same period, by crossing over a passage existing then, between South-East Asia and the Dingo continent. Similarly, they would have crossed the Berring Straight passage (also existing then) to America, bringing their dogs on both occasions.

Attesting of these migrations are; the Dingo of Australia, an ancestral breed with an obscure past, which would be of oriental origin; the working dogs of the Malhermuit Indians, which can be traced some 3,000 years, even though these could have been outcrossed with already existing northern canis lupus; many of the northern dogs have characteristics belonging to oriental breeds (ex. Samoyeds, Spitz, Siberian Husky, Norwegian Elkhound, Canadian Eskimo Dog, etc...) It definitely seems that these Asistic hunters brought the large Apsos with them and also the smaller ones, since the Toltecs, in South-America, in the ninth century had some long haired dog, the ancestry of the present day Techichi and Chihuahua, which disappeared during the Aztecs' Conquest.

Many of the breeds mentioned have been attributed the title of indigenous breeds, but I tend to believe in a Darwinistic fashion, and I suspect most of the domesticated breeds, somehow related to some common domesticated ancestor(s), so all these breeds originated from somewhere else. Where? Follow the track of the Asiatic hunters. Let me give you some hints: It seems that evolution happens quicker in the cold. The Inuit or even the Fuegans (Terra del Fuego) were or still are practically immune to cold, similarly to the Apso. The Amerindians ancestors were Mongoloids. They were considered hunter-collectors. They traveled together through the cold following the big herds. With time their occupations became somehow pastoral.

The Apso, also made other subsequent appearances in Europe, after the Europe-Orient trade route was open, some 2,500 years ago. The sudden appearance of a long-haired toy breed in Mediterranean climate. The well known Maltese breed, already well established, around 200 B.C., is a good example of these imports. The Puli and Komondor breeds could be other examples of these later immigrants.

Since the middle of the 18th century, Tibet, being part of the Celestial Empire, paid tribute to the Emperor, by presenting the Tibetan lion-dogs, which were the small Apsos. Their blood can be found in Shih-Tzus, a breed, which will be later confused, with Apsos, for a long time.

The Lhasa Apso also made several other appearances in different parts of the world, but none were recorded until the beginning of the 20th century.

There are, yet, lots to be discovered about Lhasa Apsos and other ancestral breeds of dogs, but since their ancestor, the Tomarctus originated in South-Central Asia, it would seem plausible that many of the early breeds also evolved in the same area or in the vicinity. It is said that humans have not changed much in the last 60,000 years, from which I tend to believe that some ancestral breeds, probably also did not change neither that much.

It is only in 1928 that the breed will have a temporary revival, in England, due to the return of Colonel Eric Bailey and wife, bringing five descendants of their original foundation stock, Sangtru and Apso, obtained in 1921, from Tsarong Shape, Commander in Chief of the Tibetan Army and Head Minister (Shape) in the Tibetan Cabinet (Kashag). Tsarong, besides being the hero and favorite of the 13th Dalai Lama, at the time, was also the head of a, well-known to foreigners, aristocratic family of Lhasa. Col. Bailey, British Minister for Tibet from 1921-28, also introduced the breed to Suydam Cutting of U.S.A., when this latter visited Tibet, with the younger brother of Roosevelt, in 1926.

In the early 30's also brought back from China to England and U.S.A., there were some Shih-Tzus which were classified under the same breed as the Lhasa Apso, then called Lhasa Terriers. In 1934, the British Kennel Club, ruled the Shih-Tzus were not Apsos and allowed the misclassified Shih-Tzus to be properly reclassified as Shih-Tzus. But some breeders did not reclassify their Shih-Tzus and many were exported to the U.S.A. as Lhasa Apso foundation stock, until the practice was terminated around 1950.

In 1933 Mr.Suydam Cutting during his second visit to Tibet received from the 13th. Dalai Lama his first pair of Apsos: Tsarong (male) & Bidgy (female). After the death of H.H. Dalai Lama, shortly before his departure from Tibet Mr. S. Cutting received another pair of dogs: Taring (male) and Tsin-Tu (female) from the Regent Reting. Tsin-Tu died, but Suydam succeeded in registering Tsarong, Taring and Bidgy. In order to accelerate his kennel's production S. Cutting got two bitches in 1935 (Shih-Tzus) from Shangai China and mixed his bloodlines at their early beginnings.

The Second World War again decimated the breed in England. Only two lines which had any connection with the original Bailey's stock managed to survive, but both were mixed with dogs of questionable backgrounds.

By that time, S. Cutting realizing his own mistake, made a last attempt to get some true Lhasas, which he finally received in 1948 from the 14th. Dalai Lama, who is still alive today. They were Le (male) and Pehma (female). Le sired a number of puppies, but unfortunately Pehma never had a litter.

Mr. Cutting remained quite silent about Pehma's infertility, as well as never making much publicity about the inter-mixture of his own bloodlines. All the breeders of the breed throughout the world, believed for a long time that Hamilton Farm Kennels produced pure Apsos - at least some of them. The truth was finally revealed in 1977, after the death of Dorothy Cohen, purchaser of the entire kennel of S. Cutting, back in 1961. Due to some suspicions, Mrs. Cohen did some intensive research into the American Kennel Club's records - the results of which were later revealed with the consent of the repository of Mrs. Cohen's document. According to these documents, the imported foundation stock in the U.S.A. consisted of finally, one producing female Lhasa Apso against 16 Shih-Tzu females and of 4 males Apsos against 5 Shih-Tzu males.

To worsen the situation, Tibet was invaded by communist China, beginning in 1950 and the Lhasa Apsos just like other breeds and species, were considered to be useless, luxury items and were exterminated for "the benefit of a modern communist society". If it had not been for some Lhasa Apsos that were hidden in some outlying areas and were brought into neighbouring countries, before and shortly after the 1959 Tibetan Uprising in Lhasa which ended with the exile of the 14th. Dalai Lama and 80,000 followers who established themselves as exiles mainly in the neighboring countries of India and Nepal, the breed known as Lhasa Apso would be virtually extinct. It seems that this last important fact has been underlooked.

In 1947, Colonel Ronald Cardew Duncan, of the British Army received Tomu, a beautiful specimen of the breed from Chinya Lama at the Bodnath Temple in Nepal - a most famous Tibetan Buddhist Stupa or "shrine", around which an authentic Tibetan village has sprung up in the course of the last centuries. There is even mention of an existing stock of Lhasa Apsos in 1964, when Colonel McLain obtained two Lhasa Apso females at the "Temple of the Eyes of the World", in Nepal. This Temple is in fact, the same Boudhanath Temple, previously visited by Col. Duncan. But Col. McLain mentioned that the Tibetan Lamas told him that their stock was rapidly being depleted due to distemper.

In 1980 in the vicinity of Boudhanath, I had the opportunity of buying three Lhasa Apsos with the idea of bringing them back to Canada, as gifts to my father. I was later forced to leave them in India, since I was not ready for Quarantine in Canada. But a good remembrance of these beautiful little hairy dogs, inspired my interest toward the breed. Upon my return home to Canada I tried to locate similar specimens, but I soon realized that our Canadian Lhasa Apsos are different than the ones I previously owned in the East.

In 1982 I had another opportunity to purchase more puppies from the same location - a small and poor Tibetan Refugee Camp in the vicinity of Boudhanath. This time though, being ready for Quarantine I imported into Canada six specimens of the breed - four of which will later be considered to be of pure descent. Only a few months later, after an attempt to register the dogs with the Canadian Kennel Club was made and refused, due to the absence of proper documentation, I started seriously researching the Lhasa Apso breed.

Luckily, with the help of Mrs. Barbara Ratledge of Calgary, Alberta, I was soon well informed about many interesting facts relating to the breed and its history, the most valuable being:
a) There are no perfect Lhasa Apso among the modern registered ones in the Occidental Kennel Clubs.
b) All the original dogs which were imported from Tibet or Nepal had no documents either.
c) My dogs seem to fit the 1934 British Standard for the Lhasa Apso.

However, my Lhasas still needed to be proven authentic and in order to achieve this I believed that the best solution would be to go back to India and Nepal to locate someone who could identify my dogs, as true Apsos.