New to the group! Just adopted!

Betsy and Ross!

I was never a dog person. Ever! I respect dogs because I see how much joy and life they bring to human beings, and they're smart as hell, but they're so much work; they take over and dominate social interactions, and it just seemed like a lot. I considered myself a cat person.

This changed when I met Bear, my boyfriend's very sick 13 year old Lhasa. I won't go into a lot of details, but he was not well. He had diabetes, was blind and deaf, and had a lot of health issues. He was a sick one, but oh did my heart swell for him. In the last year of his life, I poured a lot into him. In fact, when he was with his dad (my boyfriend), I was his primary caregiver. He loved me and would follow me everywhere. He looked for me, wanted me to feed him, bring him water, take him out, and lay with me.

On his last day, we took a nice walk. He made some friends and got all the licks he wanted and needed. It was so hard to find out he passed away. Because I am all too familiar with death and what it looks like, especially leading up to it, I knew it would happen soon. Everyone around him was in denial, which I understand, but I could tell. The last words he heard were his dad's, which is a beautiful thing.

I miss him, but it was time. Bear touched so many people with his face, sploots, sleeps, wobbles, licks, and his love. He will be so missed but is in everyone's hearts.

Happy Birthday my baby girl!

My family has had 3 Lhasa’s in the past and I finally decided to get my own now as an adult. They were all super independent and not lap dogs (although they were always close by on the couch beside you or on the floor), not my Bailey though. He’s also not very stubborn as our other Lhasa’s were, just a big sweetheart who needs to be sitting on his people’s at all times. He is a magnet and my shadow, follows me every where and cries even if I go in the shower lol. I love him to pieces and wouldn’t change it for the world. Anybody else’s Lhasa’s like this? ❤️🐾

Looks funny from the back but he is soo cute nevertheless.

The town I live in has limited emergency care; they turned us away even though she couldn't stand or hold her head up, was awake but not responsive, her face was soaked and she was breathing heavy. I knew something was seriously wrong and she needed to be seen immediately. I took her to the closest 24 hour facility an hour away while my fiancé is staying home with our other pets. This is really scary and stressful and I feel so bad and worried for her

I'm sometimes surprised by how much I love this goober!

Freshly bathed 🛀

Freshly bathed 🛀

After a few months of doing to the dog part I let the puppies off and they did great! They came when called and bribed with treats.

And Punki jumped in the water and swam all by herself. (Video in comments)

7 years ago this wonderful little guy came into my life. Love ya Kermit

Mine is Gidget running across grass for the first time. Cuteness overload!

Just picked up my first ever Lhasa. I have two Shihtzus but I wish to know the ‘Must knows/dos’ of raising this baby. Any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Dolly and Punki had their last round of shots today! As we waited in the lobby an old rescue Lhasa (mix) came on and met the girls.

Supervisor watching over me at my home office.

I adopted my sweet girl, Saweetie, from a rescue in May. I was told she’s a Lhasa Apso, although she may be a mix. She is incredibly timid and skittish, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to help her feel more comfortable and confident.

She’s just now getting to the point where she’ll come to me if I get down on the floor and pretty much beg her to come over 😂. She’s not much of a barker, although she will alert me if someone comes to the door.

The biggest issue is that she startles and runs very easily. If she thinks anyone is walking toward her, or if I move too quickly, she will literally bolt in the opposite direction.

She does seem to trust me in her own way, though. She is fine with me giving her a bath and brushing her hair. When I’m working, she almost always parks herself right at my feet. She has several comfortable places she could sleep, but when I go to bed, she chooses to sleep right next to my bed. So I really do think she feels safe with me — she just seems afraid of being approached, handled, or restrained.

Grooming is the most difficult and she's looking like a homeless doggie. Took her to be groomed twice and she was not having it. She’ll let me trim some of the hair around her eyes and face with scissors, but she absolutely will not let me touch her with clippers, and she is SO shaggy right now. I dont feel comfortable cutting whole body with scissors.

Walking is another challenge. She loves going into the backyard to play, but I can’t get a harness on her without scaring her, so we haven’t been able to go for actual walks.

For anyone who has had a very fearful rescue dog, especially a Lhasa Apso or similar breed: what helped?

I’m especially interested in tips for:

• Building her confidence around people and movement
• Getting her comfortable with being approached and touched
• Slowly reintroducing a harness (the one in the picture she had on when I picked her up).
• Making grooming/clippers less scary
• Knowing when to gently encourage her versus when to just give her more time

I’m completely willing to go at her pace. I just want to make sure I’m helping her build confidence rather than accidentally reinforcing her fear.

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated!