| Far away in Tibet, a country with a recorded | | | | the drawings and statues of the symbolic |
| history going back almost 1,500 years is | | | | lions or if the artists created their 'lions' |
| where our Shih Tzu began. The country was | | | | in the likeness of the little dogs (ancestors |
| noted for its devotion to Buddhism. Some of | | | | to our Shih Tzu). The snow lion was called |
| the tallest mountains in the world edge the | | | | Gang Seng and was considered to be so |
| country of Tibet. Winters in Tibet are severe | | | | powerful that he could cause seven dragons to |
| with temperatures to 14 degrees F in | | | | fall out of the sky with one roar. The |
| December. The winds in Tibet are strong and | | | | symbolic lion was believed to have the |
| biting with hard frosts. Snowfall is light. | | | | ability to walk in the clouds. He could also |
| In the summer, daylight temperatures reach a | | | | speak with the voice of truth and |
| maximum of 75 degrees F with a sharp drop in | | | | fearlessness. Tibet was a difficult place to |
| temperature at night. Throughout most of the | | | | get to. China was a neighbor to Tibet. Gifts |
| year there is sunshine and the air is dry and | | | | from Tibet to China were sent as tribute to |
| pure. The people of this remote and rather | | | | the Chinese emperors, among which were |
| mysterious land of Tibet were like so many | | | | Tibetan Lion Dogs (ancestor to our Shih Tzu). |
| other cultures in our world. They kept dogs | | | | These little dogs traveled with the caravans |
| in a domestic environment. There were large | | | | on long journeys from one country to the |
| dogs used for guarding and small, shaggy dogs | | | | other. A small army of eunuchs took care of |
| used as companions and as watch-dogs to alert | | | | the little dogs. The little Tibetan Lion Dogs |
| the larger dogs. These small dogs were the | | | | (ancestors to our Shih Tzu) adapted well as |
| ancestors of our Shih Tzu. The history of the | | | | they have continued to do wherever they have |
| Shih Tzu, however, is steeped in myth and | | | | gone to live through the centuries. In China, |
| legends, which makes it difficult to sort the | | | | everything must have been very different from |
| true facts of our Shih Tzu. One tale in | | | | Tibet. The summers in Peking were warm and |
| particular, which I find interesting, is that | | | | humid with a lot of rain. The winters were |
| of the small Lion Dogs were trained to turn | | | | very cold, somewhat like Tibet, with |
| the prayer wheels as part of the daily ritual | | | | temperatures as low as 0 degrees F in |
| in the monasteries. There was a belief that | | | | January. It is recorded that the little |
| those monks whose life had been less than | | | | Tibetan Lion Dogs settled in and became great |
| exemplary, would in accordance with the | | | | favorites of the Manchu emperors. Most likely |
| Buddhist theory of reincarnation, be reborn | | | | they were interbred with the short-faced |
| as one of the temple dogs. Buddhism in Tibet | | | | Chinese breeds - the Chinese Pug and the |
| recognized a large number of divine beings. | | | | Pekinese, which is probably what gives the |
| Each being symbolized an aspect of life. One | | | | Shih Tzu the characteristics that |
| was Buddha Manjusri, the God of Learning. The | | | | differentiate them from the Tibetan Lion Dogs |
| God of Learning was said to travel with a | | | | that later became the Lhasa Apsos. This |
| small Lion Dog (ancestor to our Shih Tzu) | | | | article is FREE to publish with resource box. |
| that could turn into a full-sized lion and | | | | |
| carry him vast distances on his back. Oddly | | | | Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She |
| enough, there were no actual lions in Tibet, | | | | publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A |
| only artistic works of the animal, which were | | | | professional newsletter with a focus upon |
| often somewhat fantastical. We cannot be sure | | | | health and wellness for you and your pets. |
| whether the Lion Dogs were bred to resemble | | | | Discounts are offered to subscribers. |