Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas: a Personal Journey

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150 years ago Tibetan mastiffs were first imported into England: only 30 years ago into North America. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution these remarkable high altitude livestock guardian dogs were nearly annihilated, but they have recovered and now are in high demand. Today, thousands of these dogs are found around the world, promoted by breeders, raised as pets, guardians and faithful companions, and recently as show dogs. Several have scored highly at international dog shows. This is a book of discovery into the exotic and breeds from Tibet and the Himalayas: the Tibetan mastiff, the rare KyiApso, the Himalayan mountain dog, and the least known, Tibetan hunting dog, the Sha-kyi. Research on Tibetan dogs is contentious. Marco Polo wrote about them in the 13th century, but did he ever see one. Did he go to Tibet? And is the translation of his description of dogs as big as donkeys accurate, or mere hyperbole? This book challenges some of the conventional wisdom about the big dogs with evidence to show how some dog fanciers have got it wrong. It questions the notion that there were gigantic ancestor dogs in the past, an idea that has inspired some modern breeders to breed giants, mistakenly evoking a mythical past. It also questions the idea that the shaggy KyiApso is a separate breed.