It may well seem unlikely that just one, very young female dog aged only seven and a half months from Tibet, could arouse such interest that it needed special mention, if we consider the total number of dogs at BDTS. And that’s not actually the case. Or rather, her phenotypic traits capture our attention, but much in the same way as do all of the dogs we’ve imported and selected to date.

In this case, the interest is not therefore specifically in relation to her appearance, which is still immature, nor even her character, which reflects the traits of all the large Tibetan dogs in her surroundings. 

What is worthy of special mention is her origins and various ancestral habits that these origins have fostered.

Born in a burrow dug out of the earth, without the option of persuading the Mother to give birth in a closed environment (despite the adverse temperatures), this female has lived with no containment structures since the day she was born, except for the discretionary perimeter of the host facility. Having had almost immediate contact with all of the adult residents, she soon learned to feel she was part of a large pack, and from the age of seven months onwards proceeded, with persistence as stubborn as it was unrealistic, to move up the ranks.

Over time she has become adept at obtaining food for herself, developing incredibly effective hunting techniques when encountering the wild animals that dare to breach the perimeter in the presence of free-roaming dogs i.e. birds and small land animals. Since she was around six months old, we have been finding one or more animal carcasses every morning, which she ardently defends. Even though she is well-fed with raw food, and lives within a restricted area, it would seem that this female is in the ideal conditions for feeding herself. With notable difference compared with feral or stray dogs, and even different types of wild dogs which may be attracted to dead animals or have scavenging tendencies, she successfully preys on birds or animals by wisely moving around specific runs on the premises where, for example, it is harder for birds to fly off. 

Her relationship with the outside world, viewed for the moment from within her territory, has fleetingly moved on from sizing up her targets by tentatively studying situations, to reacting more decisively and blatantly, albeit with due consideration.

Even though in our experience she’s not the first dog to be born outside in a burrow, to date she’s the only one to have remained completely free from that point on, and to still be totally unaware of even the most basic forms of containment or restriction. Basically none of her ancestral instincts are in any way inhibited.

This female will no longer be mentioned publicly until the completion of her – slow – development, but obviously members will be able to follow her progress via the organisation’s private channels.