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Himalaya's Chi Shen
Dec 13, 1996 - Feb 22, 2007
"The angels must have heard you."
It is difficult to write the story of my first Tibetan Mastiff without writing a bit about the magic of Fate and my first dog, a Great Pyrenees named Sadr. The lives of both dogs were intertwined right from the start and I can't help but think that the one led me to the other.
Although I pestered them incessantly during my childhood for a dog, my parents thought it unwise and unfair to own one since we lived in an apartment. So it wasn't until I was married and expecting my first child that I was able to choose and welcome a dog into my life. After a bit of research I decided to bring home a Great Pyrenees and because I was excited at the prospect of having an uncommon breed for my area I couldn't wait to learn as much as possible about the dogs. I purchased a book that addressed the early history of the breed but, much to my surprise, it wasn't so much the various pictures of the Great Pyrenees that fascinated me. Instead, I was thunderstruck by the photo of a majestic black dog that was identified with the tag "Tibetan Mastiff, Bhotean, London, 1912. The book went on to say that the Tibetan Mastiff was probably the forefather of the Great Pyrenees and many other breeds.
When I inquired about the Tibetan Mastiff a few breeders related that they had always been told that it was an ancient breed and that it was thought to be extinct now. While I assured the breeder of my dog that I would love Sadr with every ounce of my being, a part of me was saddened that I would never have the privilege of knowing the magnificence of the Tibetan Mastiff. I filed that picture away in the curious cabinet that is Memory.
The story can now fast forward to the year 1996. Sadr was with us until the spring of that year and it wasn't until my children urged me to seek out a family companion that I began the search for another dog. I was very leery of comparing any newcomer to Sadr and so I decided to investigate other breeds. I was adamant, however, that this new family pet fit into our lifestyle and perfectly suit my personality. Flipping through the first pages of the newest Dogs in Canada annual I was suddenly spellbound. That memory drawer flew open. I had encountered a beautiful headshot of a black/tan Tibetan Mastiff.
They say that when one finally stumbles upon and takes the correct path, situations and events quickly lead a person where she needs to go. After only a month had passed, after some travel and phone calls, I was led to speak with Susan Ochsenbein of Himalaya TMs. She sent me a videocassette of her A and B litters and some footage of her adult dogs. I was mesmerized by what I saw. Promising Susan that I would be thrilled with a black/tan puppy I did express my preference for a blue/tan. I had, quite simply, fallen in love with the look. Susan told me that there was, indeed, a chance for blue/tan puppies in her coming litter but I was to understand that the law of genetics doesn't always arrange itself so conveniently to serve our purposes.
I can still remember the 8:00 phone call on the morning of Friday December 13, 1996 when Kigh's breeder simply told me that "the angels must have heard you" as she related that two blue/tan boys were born that day to ATMA/ ARBA/ FIC/ DFUSA Champion and Group Winner Shay Ri Gentle Ben v.d Zegse Heide and ARBA/ ATMA/ FIC/ DFUSA Champion Shang'hai's Padma Sabrina. The wait for Kigh seemed interminable and it wasn't until the very day that he was sent did I know which boy I was getting. Both brothers were so similar in type, size and bone that the decision was a difficult one for Susan. But my Kigh-man finally arrived on Canadian soil in February of 1997. His new family greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm and happiness.
The TM with a heart of oak
Kigh's character seemed set in stone right from the beginning. He didn't play much past puppyhood but, instead, set his course on becoming the epitome of strength and decorum. He grew to be a powerful and impressive dog with an expressive wrinkled "old Tibetan man" face. Although he was aloof and imposing with strangers, it became apparent to me that all who met him were impressed with his quiet and deliberate force. Our occasional walks into town were never dull and, with Kigh, I learned early about the realities of being out with a celebrity. As a baby puppy he once caused a sidewalk traffic jam as we were both literally surrounded by a circle of people exclaiming over him. As he grew older, blue-haired ladies ran out of their stores to excitedly wonder over his teddy bear appearance and once, a child who had been severely traumatized by a dog bite overcame her fear for a moment just for a chance to touch Kigh. There were even those times when people pulled their cars over on the side of the road wanting to know what kind of dog he was. Kigh took it all in stride and, through it all, conducted himself with dignity and represented himself only as a true ambassador for the breed. Words will never serve to describe the spirit of the "true TM Guardian Angel" that resided within that good boy. He was a gentle giant of steadfast and unwavering loyalty. He simply had a "heart of oak".
Breeding History
It was Kigh's character that sealed my fate and I knew that I simply had to have more than one Tibetan Mastiff in my life. It started out simple enough but it wasn't long before I was importing a girl from Holland and was considering dedicating part of my life to breeding TMs. In a roundabout way I also named my kennel in Kigh's honour. My initial thought was to go with the name of Blue Angel because of him but decided instead to join it to our family's last name of Stormont. Thus the Storm-n-Angel prefix came to be. Kigh went on to sire the "A" litter at StormnAngels Tibetan Mastiffs. Put to Himalaya's G-yu Seng Dkar Mo (call name: Shyama), the litter, born on January 5, 2001, consisted of 1 dog/2 bitches.
The Most Glorious of Gifts
The space behind my computer chair is empty now and I struggle to accustom myself to his loss. Upon reflection, the story of Kigh, who he was and what he meant to me goes far beyond the fact that he was merely my dog. He opened up my world and gave me the most glorious of gifts. Kigh brought me friendships with other Tibetan Mastiff breeders and owners and the miraculous opportunity to travel to distant lands to meet them and their TMs. He showed me the way to learn and explore this thing that is the unexplainable passion for the Tibetan Mastiff breed. And I will always remember the feeling of bringing him into my life, that feeling of receiving a blessed treasure. Kigh was unquestionably the first link in the chain of events that, quite literally, changed my life and gave it deeper meaning.
If you would like to view larger pictures at a higher resolution please click the link below that opens up into a separate window.
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