Sparky • Avenger • Buzzy • Inimitable • Intrepid • Imp • Alamo • Big Mac • Sammy • Easy

"Sparky" - Ch. Everglo´s Spark Of Gold ROM

Sparky - 10 years old

The story of Sparky is the story of Orlane!

* pedigree *

Sparky was the first Lhasa Apso that Dorothy Joan Kendall ever owned. A gold lhasa with no black tipping. Sparky did have ink black pigment, which he threw consistently to his offspring. He was even test-bred to a liver nosed bitch, and produced a litter of five black pigmented puppies.This indicates that he didn't have a gene for liver, or self color, but was totally dominant for black pigment.

Sparky at 4 months and 8 years

Sparky was 10 1/2 inches tall, and 14 1/2 inches long- from point of shoulder to ischium (back point of pelvis). He weighed about 16 or 17 pounds, and was a soild, chunky little dog- not barrel ribbed, and possessed straight front legs. He was a bit steep in shoulder and lacked angulation behind...but an excellent mover with a "heads up"attitude. He loved the show ring, and would stand in front of me , and bounce straight up to waist level to get a treat of liver...actually, he would do anything for a piece of liver!

Here is Sparky winning his first Best In Show with Joe Bouske handling him and winning the breed with Dorothy Joan Kendall.

The Shih Tzu controversy

Look down at his pedigree. Those dogs with an * were brought in from England, by Mrs. De Gray in Southern California. Although listed as Shih Tzu on their import pedigrees, Mrs. De Gray told AKC that for all intent and purposes. Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apsos were one and the same. Since Shih Tzu were not AKC registerable at that time, AKC went ahead and incoporated these dogs into AKC status. There was a huge outcry from the English Shih Tzu breeders, as well as Mrs. McFadden in the U.S. and finally Mr. Neff of the AKC agreed to no longer register any of the "Shih Tzu" from England. AKC did not revoke registration on those doge already registered in the US, on the grounds that too many had been incorporated into breeding programs by that time.
No one knows why Mrs. De Gray did this, but I suspect that since the Hamilton Farms Lhasas were difficult to get at that time, she may have felt this was the only way to bring in new bloodlines. Not exactly an ethical means to an end! It's fortunate for the breed, however, that she did this as the "Clown" line brought in many good qualities, including excellent temperament, good hips, and a general lack of inherited defects.
Sparky did not look like the Shih Tzu of my day regardless of the source of the breeding stock behind those English imports, I'm sure they looked more like Lhasas than the Shih Tzus I was used to seeing. I later visited England and saw their Shih Tzus, and was quite amazed to see how much they resembled Lhasas, rather than the Shih Tzu that I had seen in the US. They were larger, longer nosed, and longer in body predominantly gray, without the well-defined white markings. The Shih tzus I was used to seeing were short legged with bent pasterns, big round rib cages, big wide skulls with rather protuberant eyes and nose set well up on head between the eyes.
Sparky had a very clean, narrow skull and a 1 1/2 inch muzzle. he did have more stop than desired, and a rounder eye but beyound the head, he was up on leg with medium bone and substance, and excellent coat texture. The ratio of height to length was exactly what our interpretation of the Standard calls for today, and while "short bodied in comparison to many of the Hamilton and Karma Lhasas in the Show ring of the 60's he was certainly "longer than tall". Our current standard does not say how much longer than tall, that is an individual choice among breeder; however, Lhasas should retain good balance in type without becoming over long. Some breeders pefer the "long" look, I have no argument with them. I just prefer a more "balanced" outline.

Sparky was a delightful little Lhasa-stubborn and proud, he would never give kisses! The most he would do was give a little nose-push when he was particularly happy to see me. He welcomed strangers in a calm, aloof manner waiting until they sat down before he would approach. He would never tolerate strangers taking him out of an ex-pen!