There have been several reports over the years confirming that Shih Tzu were bred in Tibet, but until recently I had no first hand knowledge of this. Of course Shih Tzu were not referred to by that name, in either Tibet or China, as all these small dogs were lumped together under varying names such as - in China they were called Lhasa Terrier, Shock-dog, Tribute Dog, Tibetan Poodle, Shih Tzu Kou which means Lion Dog, Ha-pa'rh Kou meaning pet dog, etc.; in Tibet the small dogs were all called Apso, which means a hairy dog.

I have recently had very interesting talks with Mr. and Mrs. Ato, or to give him his correct title, The Venerable Ato Rimpoche, who escaped from Tibet in 1956 during the Chinese invasion. As Mr. Ato's father bred many dogs in Tibet, it is very different from hearing handed down or secondhand reports or even eye witness accounts from an unknowledgeable casual observer, who could be excused from mistaking a mediocre specimen of either breed for the other.

The Venerable Ato Rimpoche, after his escape from Tibet, lived for seven years in Northern India, and then came to England where he has remained; he is at present living and working in Cambridge. He was given a Shih Tzu puppy from one of a litter bred in the Tibetan Centre in Scotland, of English stock, and has since acquired a bitch puppy from a litter of five. He chose the puppy at eight weeks for its outgoing adventurous personality, which means so much to Mr. Ato.

In the Atos' home in Eastern Tibet his father kept and bred many dogs of different breeds; Mastiffs, Spaniels, Terriers, Apsos and also the Shih Tzu. These breeds were all recognised as being different. The Shih Tzu type were more abundant in Eastern Tibet than other parts, in some parts there were none at all. In Lhasa they were mostly of the Apso type.

There was considerable inbreeding, as breeding took place within their own homes and circle of dogs. Puppies were given away to favoured people as special gifts, but one in the litter was usually kept. Sometimes a gift of a puppy would be given from a distant area, and it was only this way that any fresh blood was obtained. It was considered to be due to this inbreeding that so many puppies were lost or had some hereditary or congenital abnormality.

Size was not of the greatest importance, it varied considerably from very small to larger than our show standard. The very tiny ones, although highly valued and treasured, were never purposely bred for, but were very occasionally thrown in normal litters. They were not bred from, as it had been found in the past to be unsatisfactory, either they could not conceive or their treasured pet died whelping, and if there was a puppy it never lived, something was always seriously the matter with it. In Mr. Ato's time these tiny ones were considered far too precious to risk breeding from them. His father had a very tiny one, which was treasured as a well loved pet.

The character of the Shih Tzu was of the greatest importance, far more important than size and colour. The colours were solid black, sometimes with a tiny white bib, and grey socks (this marking is frequently' thrown by my Mr. Bumble) but solid gold - or sandy, as the Ato's referred to it - was considered Apso type. There were no parti-coloured white/golds. White/grey was fairly uncommon, but there were many black/whites and also some pure whites, but white was not a good colour for the snow, as anything whites caused reflection which was so very strong it could cause blindness. Even the white fall of the topknot, although it gave protection from the sun, reflected the snow to the eyes and 'blueing' took place early in life. Because of this reflection of the snow, dogs showing the white cornea of the eye were frowned on, and white fur round the eyes, particularly with pink eye rims, was most undesirable, as these eyes were always weak. The Tibetans paid great attention to the eyes which they like round and dark but not protruding.

Mr. Ato has a great sense of humour. He had heard the story of the Shih Tzu turning a prayer wheel; this gave him some amusement, and he could not. think how such a story got about. He said the dogs were kept as companions and guards, though the mastiffs were the real guards, as they were fierce, but the Shih Tzu were expected to know the difference between friends and strangers, and should never welcome a stranger, but always bark at them, and even bite if it became necessary. To their own family they were devoted and faithful. When a journey was undertaken the Shih Tzu would be carried in baskets on the backs of the horses whilst the other dogs walked.

The action of the Shih Tzu and its arrogant carriage were both typical and important. The head and tail were held well up, balancing each other. The body was broad and did not narrow behind, neither did it have a waist. The legs were straight. Mr. and Mrs. Ato liked a long coat, and groomed theirs well, but this was not so with all in Tibet, some were ungroomed and had their coats cut back in the summer.

We also heard a little about his other breeds in Tibet, but this is not the place to write about them, besides there are many more questions I want answered.

Audrey Dadds.
Taken from Shih Tzu News February 1975