| Character: | Openly affectionate, alert, craves attention, playful and agile, eager to please; slightly reserved with strangers initially, but friendly and sweet natured once introduced. |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| Conformation Group: | Toy |
| Utility: | Companion |
| Height: | Ideal height at the withers: 9-11 inches |
| Weight: | 10-15 pounds |
| Color: | White or champagne with colored markings of black, gray or gold. |
| Coat Type: | Long and soft or silky, with a slight wave or curl |
| Cropping or Docking: | None |
| Average Life Expectancy: | Mid-teens |
| Professional Grooming: | Optional |
| Home Grooming: | Brushing twice a week; bathing once a month; nail trimming; ear cleaning |
| Home Environment: | House, apartment or condo |
| Exercise Level: | Moderate |
| Watchdog: | Yes - Indoor |
| Good With Children: | Yes |
| Good with Other Pets: | Yes |
| Parent Club for the Breed: | American Lamalese Association of North America |
| National/International Registries: | International All Breed Canine Association (IABCA), Rarities, Inc. National Canine Association ((NCA), Canine Kennel Club (CKC), Federation of International Canines (FIC) |
The American Lamalese is a newly-recognized name for a breed that actually traces its roots back to the early 1950's in the San Francisco Bay Area. The original contributing ancestors to this charming, lovable breed are the Lhasa Apso and the Maltese. A breeder of small companion dogs in San Jose, California, acquired a pair of Lhasa/Maltese crosses from a family in San Francisco and took an interest in them perhaps because of the noticeable differences resulting in the cross from either of its ancestors.
The appeal of the "small shaggy dog" was no doubt part of the
attraction, as well as the fact that the muzzle was slightly longer than a Lhasa's (1:2 instead of 1:3) which provided more adequate space for the dentition and a more efficient nasal cavity as well as dark, expressive eyes that were less prominent and therefore less vulnerable to injury. To further develop the breed, a small black and white Lhasa Apso male was purchased and he was followed a short time later by a golden and white Lhasa/ Maltese male.
As she bred and linebred the original pair and their progeny with these new additions to her kennel, the dogs began to attract local attention and were known in the San Francisco Bay Area as the “Lhasa/Maltese Shaggy”. By the late 1960's, she had established a preferred type which averaged from approximately 14 to 18 pounds, had a very sweet temperament, a parti-colored coat usually black and white in color, but occasional gold and white and solid color ones were produced, and a double coat which was soft to the touch but not quite as dense or long as the Lhasa Apso. A few other people in the area became interested in the breed, usually after they purchased one and realized how easy they were to live with and how well they got along with children and other family pets.
When the original breeder in San Jose closed her kennel in 1969, her breeding stock was purchased by some of the more active breeders, thus insuring that her nearly 20 years of development efforts would be continued. Because of the popularity of the Lhasa/Maltese crosses in the Bay Area, there were several breeders of small companion dogs who remained interested in developing the the cross. One particular family strain from the original line maintained a strictly enforced program of tight family inbreeding while other breeders continued to linebreed and occasionally brought in a purebred Lhasa Apso or Maltese to further strengthen the attributes of the original cross.
In the early 1980’s, one breeder who had been carefully linebreeding since the early 1970’s decided the time was right for an infusion of fresh blood and added a gold and white ShihTzu/Maltese cross to her line. Through Wo-Nan Beemer, she introduced the only direct influence of this third breed into the pedigree. One of his progeny, a female named Wo-Nan Ki-Mi, was bred to Lin-Kai Na-Gei-Ko, a direct descendent of the original Lhasa/Maltese Shaggy line, and together they produced a total of twelve offspring. Minerva of Mt. Olympus was one of these progeny. In 1991 she produced her first litter
To prevent a rare breed from becoming an endangered species, making sure that the gene pool remains viable is crucial. In 1995, a litter of three puppies was produced through artificial insemination. This technology makes it possible to place a dog in a perfectly wonderful home where it is known that it may never be shown or bred, but still allow him to contribute to the gene pool if appropriate.
Between the age of 12-15 months, a male can be evaluated by its breeder and if he has matured to the criteria of the breed standard and is eligible for the CERF and OFA Patellar Luxation registries, semen collections can be taken and frozen for future use. In keeping with our commitment to encourage responsible pet ownership, this allows for the dog to be neutered without sacrificing the necessary expansion of the gene pool.
The American Lamalese is bred specifically as a sturdy family companion and is as much at home on a lap as it is chasing shore birds back out to sea at the beach. They are openly affectionate and because they are eager to please, they train easily with a gentle touch and lots of praise. Play is very important and they are as eager to chase toys when they are 8 years old as when they are youngsters. They are quite adept at picking up and holding toys with their front feet and are naturally agile with an amusing ability to move backwards as quickly as they move forwards.
Shedding is minimal and most of the hair will come out in the brush with one or two good brushings a week, depending on the time of year. They are not prone to skin diseases, and a well-balanced diet and regular grooming will keep their skin and coat healthy, shiny and odor free. The Lamalese needs to live indoors with its human pack, of course, and although they do not bark without good reason, their keen hearing and alertness will provide the household with a very reliable "inside alarm" system.
The American Lamalese breed is now shown through several registries throughout the United States. ALANA's constitution and bylaws are very clear about the goals established for the future generations of these sturdy companion dogs. A strong code of ethics provides for CERF and OFA screening of every dog and bitch in the breeding program and because of the small size of the gene pool, we are working with experts in canine genetics to ensure that all future breedings will be planned judiciously with continued improvements as the criteria. A medical tracking program has also
sired by Kyi of Pa-Ri, a pure Lhasa/Maltese male going back three generations on his sire’s side and at least five generations on his dam’s side, but unrelated to the Mt. Olympus line.
In 1992 the Tar-Lam kennel on the East Coast produced its first litter. The Tar-Lam foundation stock included a full sister to Minerva of Mt. Olympus by the name of Medea of Mt. Olympus, a young male named Kei-Mar’s Jai-Son, and a first-generation bitch from the Pa-Ri line named Pyi-Ka of Pa-Ri. The dogs from the Pa-Ri and Tar-Lam lines and their offspring became the building blocks of the American Lamalese breed and in October 1995, 49 dogs were granted full recognition.