Lhasa Apso In Exile: June 2013

Lhasa Apso, the little longhaired cute and snow-lion like domestic dog is one of the most popular dog species in India and Western Countries. These days, Lhasa apsos are regular participants and fetch awards at every dog show held. But most of the apso owners or lovers hardly think of how this rare Lhasa dog reached every corner of the world. The origin of Lhasa Apso dates back to thousands of years in Lhasa, Tibet. But no one knows much of its origins or has made any efforts to trace it. On the other hand most of us also do not know how the Lhasa Apso traveled from Tibet to India and the western countries. It is believed that in 1904 H.H.The Thirteenth Dalai Lama presented a Lhasa Apso to Col. Younghusband Leader of the British Expedition to Tibet. Col. Younghusband left Lhasa the Capital of Tibet September 23rd 1904 and took this Lhasa Apso with him to England. Later in the year 1928, The first breeding of Lhasa Apso started and the breed of Apsos were accepted by the foremost clubs accepted the first breeding of Lhasa Apsos, and the breeding of Apsos started all over the world. Later when the communist China invaded Tibet in 1959, thousands of Tibetans had fled along with their Leader His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to India. Together with these Tibetan refugees, a good number of Lhasa Apsos came into exile. Now the Lhasa Apsos have to take refugee in India with their kind owners and have started breeding in exile. (Now the Lhasa Apsos have to take refugee in India with their kind owners and started breeding in exile.) Initially Lhasa Apsos were confined to Tibetan Refugee Settlements in various parts of India. The first Lhasa Apsos Kennel in Tibetan Refugee self Help Center, Darjeeling was started in 1960. Slowly and steadily foreign and local tourists were attracted towards this little exiled dog of Lhasa. According to the Hungarian Ambassador who visited Darjeeling in April 1992, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of the Hungarian tibetologist Alexander Csoma de Koreas who died in Darjeeling, there is a breed of dog, which is very similar to the Tibetan Lhasa Apso in his country. Hungarians have always claimed that their roots came from the Orient, particularly Tibet, so, Csoma had travelled all the way to Darjeeling hoping to go to Tibet, but unfortunately, he died in Darjeeling after getting Malaria. Nowadays Lhasa Apsos have become very popular as a rare and exotic breed seen at all dog shows. They are greatly loved, admired and fetch exorbitant prices even in exile. As such every animal lover aspires to own a little snow-lion like dog of Lhasa. Unfortunately Lhasa Apsos are losing their originality and purity. At the same time this rare and lovely little dog may head for extinction. For example in 1960 Chinese invaders of Tibet began mass killings of dogs including the beautiful little dog Apso. Nowadays Dho-Khe (Tibetan Mastiff) both with and without thick hair is a rare species in Tibet also. Therefore, all environmentalists and conservationist are requested and called upon to make some effort in conserving purity of these rare species of animals in exile. Writen by :: Jampa Tenzin,(Lhasa wa) address : jampa tenzin tibetan refugee self help centre darjeeling 65 gandhi road cell phone number : 9434195453 8116965138