Tibetan Terrier

The Tibetan Terrier is a half-misnomer, as it did indeed originate in Tibet but is not a terrier. The breed dates back thousands of years, originally serving at Buddhist monasteries. The Tibetan Terrier found work as a watchdog, companion, herder, and livestock guard. The dogs would even be tasked with fetching objects that fell down mountainsides. Tibetan Terriers were seen as good luck and were never sold, but rather passed around exclusively through gift-giving. In fact, the first Tibetan Terrier found its way to Europe in 1922 after Dr. A.R.H. Greig of England performed an operation on a patient in Tibet and was gifted one of the small dogs. She then started a kennel and began breeding the dogs herself. The "terrier" in the breed's name comes from a westerner mistake that somehow stuck.