Watch out for Puppy mills posing as legitimate breeders on the internet
 The breeders on this page are all vetted and recommended by the author as ethical people breeding to produce the best quality Lhasa Apsos.  However there are many self-styled breeders on the internet who pass themselves off as breeders of quality animals but are, in fact, puppy mills - commercial producers of dogs which bear little resemblance to the real Lhasa Apso.  These individuals raise their dogs just like chickens: as a cash crop.  Little or no attention is paid to the maintenance of breed characteristics, genetics, or soundness of the animals, only how many pups each animal can produce to sell.

Some of these people have even managed to join  organizations like the American Lhasa Apso Club (AlAC) to lend legitimacy to their enterprises.  So be aware and compare.

You can recognize these "breeders" by the following:

1. They advertise that they are "USDA licensed".  Only high volume kennels need licenses from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  While many legitimate breeders also have quite a few dogs and have local or State kennel licenses, they do not advertise it.

2. They take credit cards.  Credit card transactions require merchant accounts and cost money,  You need a relatively high cash flow in order to have a merchant account - a commercial business in other words.

3.  Their dogs often deviate markedly in color and conformation from the dogs you will see on this site.

4. They do not usually show pictures of adults currently in long coat.  All their females are in cages, pumping out puppies every 6 months.

5.  Some of these folks will sell you the same dog without "papers" as a "pet" for one price, and the SAME dog as a "showdog"  with "papers" for a higher price.  This practice is a violation of AKC and ALAC rules. If you find one of these outfits advertising ALAC membership, that does this, please report it to ALAC.  You can send your complaints to me at kailasha@lhasa-apso.org and I will forward them.  We would very much like to rid ourselves of these parasites.

There is another type of dangerous "breeder" out in cyberspace, - the "backyard breeder" with a website.  Typically, this person has a fancy website touting his/her long experience as a breeder,  and  showing and winning with her dogs.  But when you look for any show records on her dogs you don't find any.  She produces puppies by mating very close relatives, and many of these puppies have severe physical and developmental problems as a result of the incestuous breeding.  Before you purchase a dog on the internet,  make sure you see a copy of the pedigree, and photographs of the puppies in that litter and both parents.  You should always request references from a recognized organization - almost all legitimate breeders belong to at least one dog club.  Your best bet is to only buy from breeders recognized by organizations like ALAC and vouched for by the organization.