History of the Lhasa Apso

Two thousand years ago, it is said, the Lhasa apso took the first part of its name from the holy city of Lhasa in Tibet. The second part of its name came from rapso, the Tibetan word for goat due to the resemblance of the breeds coat to that of the goats kept by Tibetan herders. This is the holy goat theory of its name. An opposing theory maintains that the Lhasa apso's role as a watchdog in sacred places prompted ancient Tibetans to refer to it as "bark lion sentinel dog," or, apso seng kye, from which we derive its Westernized name. Dog, goat or lion, the Lhasa apso has an astonishing pedigree.

Given to royal dignitaries by the Dali Lamah himself the royal court Lhasa's always stood proud by his side, as protectors of the inside of the temples in Tibet the Lhasa's nature is that of kindness, ruthfulness, and cunning. They are intelligent yet stubborn. They are born protectors.

History of the Shih Tzu

The Shih Tzu is one of many types of "Lion Dog" whose ancestors developed in Asia at least as long ago as the year 1000. The ancestors of the modern Shih Tzu may have been introduced to China from Tibet or central Asia.

After the fall of the Manchu Dynasty in 1911 the Shih Tzu continued to be bred outside the Imperial Palace

The first Shih Tzu's were taken from China to the west in the late 1920's. The breed is believed to have disappeared in China after the communists came to power in 1949. All of today's Shih Tzus are descended from thirteen dogs exported to England.