Tibet

Tibetan Spaniels belong to a unique little group of dogs originally from the `roof of the world` the tablelands of Tibet.

Used to extreme altitudes, temperatures and conditions, the Tibetan Spaniel is a remarkably adaptable little companion that is fiercely independent and wilful. The other breeds in this little group include the Tibetan Terrier, the Lhasa Apso,the Shih-Tzu and the Tibetan Mastiff.

The Tibetan Spaniel was very sacred to the Buddhist monks and they believed that all dogs were re-incarnated people and they would never ever kill or harm a dog. Indeed his holiness the Dali Lama owned Tibetan Spaniels and one of their jobs was to turn the prayer wheel. They were also watch-dogs, bed-warmers but most of all companions to the monks.

The first Tibetan Spaniels were imported to the U.K. in the late l880`s and the first Tibetan Spaniel to be shown at Crufts was `Yezo` owned by Mrs.McLaren Morrison.

Until then the Pekingese and the Japanese Chin would have been the most popular small companion dogs in Britain but that was soon to change with the arrival of the Tibetan Spaniel. Nowadays the Tibetan Spaniel is much more popular in the U.k. than the Lhasa Apso.However in Ireland today the Tibby is relatively rare and unknown and this has helped preserve the type and quality of the Tibetan Spaniels we see today.