Ancient Treasure …

Long a native of the Tibetan Plateau — some say thousands of years — the Apso is a relative newcomer to the Western Hemisphere.  The first Apsos arrived in the United States in 1933, a gift to C. Suydam and Helen Cutting of Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, New Jersey from the 13th Dalai Lama,Thubten Gyatso.  As part of the Newark Museum’s “Centennial Celebration of the Tibet Collection,” Nancy Plunkett of Tabu Lhasa Apsos was recently invited to the to speak on the history of the Lhasa Apso with special emphasis on the Cuttings’ contribution to the breed through Hamilton Farm.  C. Suydam Cutting of Hamilton Farm provided many of the artifacts to the museum’s extensive “Tibet Collection;” Helen Cutting was a trustee of the museum until her death in 1961.  Today’s offering explores early breed history and its foundation under the “Hamilton” prefix.  [“Prefix” denotes a specific line of dogs bred under a certain kennel name.]

Clicking on the graphic below will take you to a .pdf file of the Newark Museum presentation which can be navigated by clicking on your computer’s right arrow button (>).  If you do not have a .pdf viewer, one can be downloaded (free) at this link … Adobe Reader.

Our thanks to Nancy for sharing this rich and visually beautiful presentation.  Her historical research punctuated by the detailed photos and artwork captures the heart and soul of the breed.  Only by appreciating the past can we carry the breed forward into the future …

Lhasa Apso ... Bearded Lion Dog of Tibet