Westie-Laso

The Westie-Laso doesn't have a particularly clear history but both of its parent breeds have established themselves in a greater capacity. The West Highland White Terrier, like many other Scottish-based Terriers, has been traced as far back as the 17th century but a majority of its known history and what is widely-known today stems from the late 19th century refinements of Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm, who purposely bred pure white dogs to prevent mistaking them for foxes while on foxhunts -- one of the purposes they were originally bred for. Despite their size, they were bred to be brave, rugged little dogs with the ability to help hunt aggressive prey such as badgers and foxes, hence their propensity to get caught up in both digging and barking. Towards the early 20th century when they were first introduced in America, they gained significant popularity and also doubled as companion dogs with exceptional skills in hunting, tracking, and agility. The Lhasa Apso reaches much further back into history and is widely-known to be one of the most ancient companion breeds. Thought to originate from a small mountain wolf thousands of years ago, the Lhasa Apso was revered by Tibetan monks who kept them isolated from other breeds and used them as guardians of their temples for centuries. In the early 1900s, they made their way to England and eventually to America in 1933 as a gift from the 13th Dalai Lama to Mr. (and Mrs.) Suydam Cutting (New Jersey), a globetrotter and the first white Christian to enter the forbidden city of Lhasa. A couple years later in 1935 the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club and their popularity in the United States started on a steady rise.