LOST VALLEY TIBETAN TERRIER BREED HISTORY

The origin of the Tibetan Terrier is not certain. Some people believes that the breed have existed for over 2000 years, record-keeping began in 1930s. It is believed that the Tibetan come from the regio called " THE LOST VALLEY"

This valley was isolated around the 1300 because of a most violent earthquake that destroyed all the road leading to the valley.Heads of Monasteries that visited the valley before the destruction, were given a Tibetan Terrier like a luck briger for the travel and in order to carry peace and prosperity to their monasteries.Tibetan terriers became highly pized and the dogs were never sold but only given as peace briger. Later on they began to appear also in Tibetans households and therefore they were appreciated and considered as children ... from here the origin of the nickname " LITTLE PEOPLE ".

The Tibetan Terrier then was introduced in the West thanks to the Dr. Agnes Greig, a British female sourgeron stationed in India. Dr. A.R.H. Greig met her first Tibetan Terrier 'Lily' while serving in Cawnpore (now called Kanpur) India as a doctor for the Women's Medical Service of India. Lily (who was in whelp at the time) was owned by a Tibetan family who had come to Dr. Greig for a medical operation for the wife. After the successful operation, Dr. Greig was given the choice of a puppy from Lily's litter of 2 males and 2 females (born October 3, 1922) as a token of the family's gratitude. She chose 'Bunti' also called 'Bunty' a gold and white female.The woman told her that the breed was known only in Tibet and she was very lucky to have a tt becouse it was the first time that a tt went outside from Tibet.

A short time later friends or Dr. Greig's acquired a second Tibetan born Tibetan Terrier; a male named 'Rajah'.

Dr. Greig who already showed to dogs and horses in India, try to contact the Kennel Indian Club to know how show Bunti.

They told her to registered the dog like a Lhasa Terrier, a breed approved . In this way the judges could see Bunti and say if she was a Lhasa Terrier or not. When the judges saw the dog at the show of Dehli they told that it was the first time they see that breed .They suggested to the Greig to breed Bunti with a similar dog to see if the puppy had the same caracters of the parents .Then the Greig had to show to the judges 3 generations of these dogs to see if they caracters can be trasmitted or not.

A short time later friends or Dr. Greig's acquired a second Tibetan born Tibetan Terrier; a male named 'Rajah' and in the Christmas of 1924, in India, born the first litter from Bunti and Rajah. Dr. Greig show the litter at the age of 3 months to the Indian Kennel Club and they chose a female puppy to breed with Rajah.So the 25 July of 1925 asecond litter born.

Dr. Greig took a leave of absence from her work in India and arrived back in England with 3 Tibetan Terriers; Bunti, Chota Turka (a bitch from the first litter in 1924) and a dog (Ja-Haz) from the second litter born in 1925.The 3 Tibetan Terriers brought to England by Dr. Greig were accredited for registration as 'Lhasa Terriers' (their classification in India) under the kennel name suffix (Ladkok) of Dr. Greig's mother, Mrs. A. Renton, ( She was a cocker spaniel and chin breeder).

Bunti was bred to her son Ja-Haz in England. A litter of 3 Tibetan Terriers were born; 'Burrah Sahib', 'Mr. Binks' and 'Bodmash' all 'of Ladkok'. Mr. Binks returned to India with Dr. Greig and became the first Tibetan Terrier Champion in the world, winning 4 Challenge Certificates in India.

Upon her return to India in 1928, Dr. Greig acquired her next native bred Tibetan Terrier from the Buddiman Lama of Tibet. The dogs name was 'Thoombay'. He was a white dog. He was returned to England to join the other Tibetan Terriers at Roydon with Dr. Greig's mother.

A second native bred bitch 'Gyantse of Lamleh' was obtained by Dr. Greig. She was black and fawn, and completely unrelated to the other TT stock owned by the Greig's.

A panel of Indian judges agrees that Dr. Greig's dogs are a distinct breed to become known as Tibetan Terriers. In the summer of 1930 the India Kennel Club amended their registrations and the Indian Kennel Gazette published a description and standard of points for the Tibetan Terrier.

In 1930 Dr. Greig and her colleague Miss Nye obtained 2 more native bred Tibetan Terriers from the Tikbir Daja Lama. The bitch was named 'Yukshee of Lamleh' and was owned by Dr. Greig. The male was named 'Miggo of Gomba' and was owned by Miss Nye.

In the early 1930's Dr. Greig and Miss Nye move back to England with their Tibetan Terriers, to Woodlands, Grouville on the island of Jersey.The British Kennel Club followed the lead of the India Kennel Club and in February 1931 the first register of Tibetan Terriers appeared in the Kennel Gazette Breed Records.

The Tibetan Breeds Association was formed in England and efforts were made to encourage breeding within a 'fixed' standard of points for all 'small' Tibetan breeds. These were published in 1934.