Lily – Our Beloved Tibetan Terrier

The Story of Lily's Arrival

On a walk one day, I told Nicholas I'd like a puppy and I'd like to call it Lily. I don’t know where it came from; it just seemed to pop into my head, and that was that. We started to look on rescue sites for a girl pup that we knew wouldn't grow too big, but to no avail.

We had been looking after a friend's Tibetan Terrier for a week, which was lovely. We are familiar with the breed and wondered if it would be good for us. We looked online and amazingly found a lovely family who recently had a litter of puppies. Their dogs are family pets, but Linda also took them to shows. Amazingly, they had three pups left, two boys and one girl. I saw a photo of the girl; her registered name was Blue Velvet, and she looked so gorgeous.

Upon arrival, Linda got all the puppies out of their pen one by one; they were all clean and fluffy as they had just had their first bath! She told us they all had registered names, but her grandchildren had given them pet names. One was called Chico, one was called Messy, one was called Van Percy....and my one was called Lily....

I did actually think I had misheard Linda at first, and I kind of looked at Nicholas as if to say...did she just say Lily?? After a while cuddling all of the pups who were running everywhere, playing, rolling around, wanting to be cuddled, I double-checked her name. "Is she called Lily?" "Yes," said Linda, "my granddaughter named her." I can't get over the coincidence, and I felt it was meant to be! She was born in July 2013 and has been with us ever since.

Lily's Puppy Days

This was the very first photo we ever took of Lily – just six weeks old, at the breeder’s house. I fell in love with her the second I saw her.

That tiny face, the white chin, the little glint in her eye… she was ours from that moment on.

Lily's Playful Spirit

It’s hard to believe how tiny Lily was when she first came home. Here she is next to her blue teddy (which was almost bigger than she was at the time).

She might have been small, but she already had plenty of attitude… and a bark that didn’t quite match her size!

Lily and the Plant Pot

This was Lily’s first proper day out playing in the garden – and naturally, she found a plant pot to wrestle with. She was only tiny, but already full of character.

From that day on, no flowerpot was ever truly safe again.

Lily Aged 8 Weeks

This was Lily as a pup, squeezing herself between my slipper boots while I stood at the kitchen sink. Nicholas caught the moment perfectly.

Look at that little face peeking out, determined to stay close but looking out for danger. She hasn't changed much; I do have to be careful not to trip over her half the time!

Lily Having a Cuddle

This photo was taken on the first day with us at eight weeks old. She was tiny when she arrived, a little bundle of joy. She was quite nervous as, of course, she had been taken from her safe environment with her mum and siblings, but she soon started to follow me around.

Here you can see she cuddled with me for a nap. Absolutely adorable.

Lily with her Rosettes

When Lily was younger, we took her to dog training classes for several years. She worked her way through the Kennel Club’s Good Citizen Dog Scheme – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – and passed them all with flying colors. She also earned a few extra rosettes through our local dog club along the way.

She’s always been clever and eager to please... when it suits her... and she absolutely loved the training sessions. As you can see, she’s very proud of her achievements – and we are too!

Like a Little Snow Yeti with a Nose

Lily gives us endless laughs – she’s full of personality and always up to something. We try to catch her in the act whenever we can, especially during her more comical moments.

This photo was taken after she’d been rooting around in the snow. She came back inside looking like this, completely unfazed, ready for her next adventure.

Lily in the Bath

Lily puts up with a bath; she doesn’t love it, but she doesn't absolutely hate it. Tibetan Terriers have a double coat, which means a soft undercoat and a longer outer one. It’s beautiful, but it holds water like a sponge. So after her bath, we use a high-velocity blaster to dry her properly. Again... she puts up with it! It gets through that thick coat and looks lovely when dry.

She goes to the groomer every eight weeks for a full trim and tidy. When she comes back, she looks spotless and smells like she’s just stepped out of a very fancy salon. It lasts about... 2 hours!!

Lily Sniffing Chickens

This was taken a few years ago when we had Buff Orpingtons – including our big old rooster. Lily loved spending time in the garden with them. She was always gentle, but every now and then she couldn’t resist herding them up, just to show she was in charge.

The chickens didn’t seem to mind, and she always kept a respectful distance from the boss rooster. They got on surprisingly well!

Lily in Bows

Lily was given these festive bows and a red polka dot bandana by a friend one Christmas, and she looked absolutely gorgeous. That said, they didn’t stay on for long – she’s a professional at getting accessories off in record time. Still, for the few moments they lasted, she was the picture of holiday cheer.

Perfect for special occasions… they don't last long on her though!