Databases and Pedigrees
NSC records…meaning the yearly update of litters produced, % of Gompa dog heritage, achievements including performance titles.
The GLAPP Database, an internal registry, with a comprehensive set of health and physical characteristics categories, is designed for analysis and study. It tracks the dogs through the course of their lives and contains the records of each dog participating in the Program, including those directly imported from the Himalayas. The dogs are registered externally with the United Kennel Club, founded in 1898, the second oldest and second largest all-breed registry in the USA. Pedigrees can be accessed by selecting the Lhasa Apso by name. Database cut and paste from google via word typically extends back to the dog’s Himalayan foundation. DNA profiling, microchip identification and proof of purebred status are some of the Program’s database requirements.
The Gompa Lhasa Apso Preservation Program, a small population management program, seeks to perpetuate the genetic lineage of the Gompa Lhasa Apso. This Program, made up of volunteers who each give freely of their time and talent, is a labor of science, love and hope. Science is the underpinning of the Program and the foundation of all the activities to perpetuate the lineage, love is what got the dogs this far on their very long journey, and hope is what keeps those involved in the Program together and moving forward.
Gompa is the Tibetan word for a monastery’s main meditation hall, and Apso is Tibetan for hairy dog. Lhasa, of course, is the capital of Tibet, and the name “Lhasa Apso” came into use by Westerners when these little dogs became popular in the West.
These charming little “monastery dogs” are direct descendants of the Apsos at the Drepung Monastery in Tibet. Like messengers from the past, they connect today’s Apsos with the shaggy little dogs that once ran freely through the great halls and passageways as part of Tibetan monastery life. Although genetically equivalent to the Lhasa Apsos in current breeding programs, the Gompa dogs have not been bred towards a written standard of perfection; they have not been bred to type. They are reminiscent of dogs one would have seen in Tibet prior to the 1950s – their coats, for example, are the same as those shown in pre-1950 photos of Apsos taken in Tibet.
The importance of this program cannot be overstated: here, in the Gompa dogs, lies the origin of the Lhasa Apso as we know it today. Descended from ancestors in a country whose spiritual traditions are its culture, the Gompa dogs stand as a legacy from Tibet, where thousands of monasteries (and their Apsos) have been systematically destroyed since the 1950s. They speak not only for their ancestors but for their ancient purposes in monastery life, whether running to sound an alarm or settling peacefully beside the monks for companionship.
The mission of the Gompa Lhasa Apso Preservation Program is to preserve the genetic lineage of the Gompa Lhasa Apso. Today, there are in the United States only about 80 Gompa Lhasa Apsos – approximately 35 can participate in the breeding program – creating an excitingly unique opportunity to document many aspects of the dogs for the sake of preserving their lineage and keeping them in good health and closely aligned with the genetics of their forefathers. This is the focus of the program.
~ to increase the population of the Gompa Lhasa Apsos to a sustainable number while maintaining or improving their current robust health characteristics.
~ to maintain a database that meets the American Kennel Club requirements for a domestic registry.
~ to explore the theory that by having as many members of the population contribute to the gene pool, future members will maintain the strong health characteristics of the ancestors.
~ to determine if this method of breeding produces healthier dogs and would, therefore, offer a viable alternative to current breeding practices.
~ to retain natural breeding practices as much as possible because, as a landrace breed, the Lhasa Apso has benefited from contributions by its environment and Tibetan culture. Retaining these contributions is consistent with the Preservation Program’s intention to remain true to the Gompa Lhasa Apso’s heritage.
~ to share all knowledge that is acquired with the appropriate and interested communities.
~ make breeding decisions based on the most currently available scientific information regarding the management of small population genetics.
~ place all members of the lineage such that they live happy and healthy lives.
~ track all dogs through the course of their lives.
~ develop a comprehensive set of health and physical characteristics data for future study and analysis.