Purebred or not?

**Casper** · 02-02-2009, 05:48 PM

Sala, our newest addition, was said to be a Lhasa Apso.
She is around 11" tall at the shoulders and 19 lbs (Psst...don't tell her, but she is a bit on the chubby side).
My sister swears Sal is not purebred.
To be frank, I am not too familiar with purebred dogs, and I have never seen a Lhasa in person.

Anyway, I just wanted some opinions. It does not matter to me if she is a mutt or 100% Lhasa, she will always be my favorite little ball of fluff. One can't help but be curious, though. ;-)

Thanks for your opinions!

**Alysser** · 02-02-2009, 05:55 PM

I for one am certainly no expert on Sala's breed, but to me she looks purebred. She's also 100% cute

**Freedom** · 02-02-2009, 06:19 PM

You can compare to the breed standard, listed here:
http://www.lhasaapso.org/

Of course, if the main reason you think she is not a purebred is size, well, that is just a "fault." Bichons are supposed to be 9 to 11 inches at the shoulder, but there ARE both larger and smaller purebreds; they just aren't able to go into show.

They work quite well for love!

**nel's_rock's_mommy** · 02-02-2009, 06:30 PM

I am no expert on purebreds. And, you're right, it doesn't matter if she's one hundred percent purebred, as long as you love her and she loves you!

**shepgirl** · 02-02-2009, 08:26 PM

Not too familiar with those small dogs but she does look purebred to me from her looks. Doesn't really matter does it, she's cute as a button anyway, purebred won't make her any cuter.

**sasvermont** · 02-03-2009, 02:19 PM

Although I didn't see the dog as a puppy, I did see it full grown and it looked just like yours. It wasn't tiny at all, but did have quite a bit of hair, like yours!

I would say yes, it's purebred. And if the dog is not, that's ok too! I sometimes think a "not so purebred" is much more likely to have a healthy, long life, compared to the oh so fancy purebreds. It's the gene pool that's important!

Your doggie looks like a barrel of fun as well as a cuddle bug. Fritz, my friend's doggie was both of those things to his family. He lived a long and happy life. We all miss him.

**Kewll0ser** · 02-03-2009, 04:35 PM

I had a Lhasa Apso before, and that looks like him! I'll try to post pics soon, but he looked just liked that, just a darker color. They're so full of spunk and personality but are sweethearts too.

However, he had a underbite and black spots on his tongue.

Congrats on your new girl, shes adorable ! I can't wait to see her grow up on the forum.

**Casper** · 02-03-2009, 07:21 PM

Thanks for the responses, you all.

Originally Posted by Freedom

You can compare to the breed standard, listed here:
http://www.lhasaapso.org/

Thanks for the link! She seems to fit the breed standard fairly well. I guess I originally had it in my mind that Lhasas had more of a squished face. The site says they should have a "muzzle of medium length", which is exactly what our little girl has.

Originally Posted by sasvermont

Your doggie looks like a barrel of fun as well as a cuddle bug.

You just described her perfectly.

It sounds like Fritz was an amazing little guy, and very much missed. I can only hope that Sala has that kind of impact on everyone she meets.

Again, everyone, thanks for your opinions!

**Twisterdog** · 02-09-2009, 08:57 PM

Looks like a purebred Lhasa to me.

**My_Babyz16** · 02-21-2009, 11:04 PM

Yes, she very much is a PureBred. I'm an expert on those breeds. I almost got one but I decided to go with my Toy Shih-Tzu, Bella. Extremely cute dog you have! Adorable..