| Far away in Tibet, a country with a recorded | | | | the Shih Tzu, however, is steeped in myth and |
| history going back almost 1,500 years is | | | | legends, which makes it difficult to sort the |
| where our Shih Tzu began. The country was | | | | true facts of our Shih Tzu.One tale in |
| noted for its devotion to Buddhism.Some of | | | | particular, which I find interesting, is that |
| the tallest mountains in the world edge the | | | | of the small Lion Dogs were trained to turn |
| country of Tibet. Winters in Tibet are | | | | the prayer wheels as part of the daily ritual |
| severe with temperatures to 14 degrees F in | | | | in the monasteries. There was a belief that |
| December. The winds in Tibet are strong and | | | | those monks whose life had been less than |
| biting with hard frosts. Snowfall is light. | | | | exemplary, would in accordance with the |
| In the summer, daylight temperatures reach a | | | | Buddhist theory of reincarnation, be reborn |
| maximum of 75 degrees F with a sharp drop in | | | | as one of the temple dogs.Buddhism in Tibet |
| temperature at night. Throughout most of the | | | | recognized a large number of divine beings. |
| year there is sunshine and the air is dry and | | | | Each being symbolized an aspect of life. One |
| pure.The people of this remote and rather | | | | was Buddha Manjusri, the God of Learning. |
| mysterious land of Tibet were like so many | | | | The God of Learning was said to travel with a |
| other cultures in our world. They kept dogs | | | | small Lion Dog (ancestor to our Shih Tzu) |
| in a domestic environment. There were large | | | | that could turn into a full-sized lion and |
| dogs used for guarding and small, shaggy dogs | | | | carry him vast distances on his back.Oddly |
| used as companions and as watch-dogs to alert | | | | enough, there were no actual lions in Tibet, |
| the larger dogs. These small dogs were the | | | | only artistic works of the animal, which were |
| ancestors of our Shih Tzu. The history of | | | | often somewhat fantastical. |