Sam is a Tibetan Terrier.



A few years ago my wife decided she wanted a dog. To say I was less than thrilled is putting it mildly. After all, I was in my fifties and my wife was about to turn the same corner. We were both making a comfortable living and had few, if any, responsibilities (we had no children). I wanted our life together to go on as it was. Adding to my unease was the fact our building had banned animals a few years back, which meant we would have to sneak the dog in and out for the first three months (after this time, as long as no one in the building complained, city ordinance allowed pets to legally reside with their owners). But my wife was relentless and eventually, ultimately (alas!) I gave in.



Because my wife suffers from allergies she wanted a dog that didn’t shed. So, she went on the Internet and found what she thought was the perfect dog. I had never heard of a Tibetan Terrier. But she showed me pictures and immediately I was hooked. Our first trip to see Sam in New Jersey at the home of the breeder, Valerie Barber, is documented in the first photo in this book.



Often called the “Holy Dog of Tibet,” the Tibetan Terrier evolved over hundreds of years of harsh conditions, tempered by the care of monks in the high Himalayas (“terrier” is a misnomer, as these dogs do not share any of the common traits of a true terrier). The monks and the families who owned these highly prized animals treated them like children. They were not hunters, but may have been herders (legend has it that because of their powerful legs they were able to jump onto the backs of yaks, “herding” them with their paws pressed into the flesh beneath them). Above all they were highly intelligent companions. Sure-footed and reliable, they would be sent to accompany an esteemed traveler on a treacherous mountain journey. The dogs were considered good luck and no one would dare sell them, as they believed it would bring bad luck to the family or even the entire village. While not sold they were given as gifts, perhaps in appreciation of a highly valued deed. It has been reported that the first of the breed to leave Tibet reached Europe with an English doctor who was given a “Tibetan” in return for saving someone’s life.



Today, in the Manhattan neighborhood where we live there are five other Tibetans - all female (three from the same breeder), one of them Sam’s full sister, Sadie. A popular breed, it seems - at least in our spur of the island. But as dogs go they are not a laid back bunch. A mischievous streak runs through all of them. Sam, for instance, has a paper and sock fetish and he will go to great lengths to snatch either from under your eyes. Many a time have I gone to put on my shoes in the morning only to look up and see Sam staring at me with one of my socks drooping from his mouth. Unfortunately I was too busy chasing after him (and laughing) to take any photos of these “digressions.”



Needless to say, no one in our building has complained about Sam. In fact, they pretty much all love him and he has become a mascot of sorts. He is now approaching his third year and we couldn’t have made a better choice with whom to share our lives. I really can’t imagine life without him.



New York, New York, March 2009