The Kyi-Leo (pronounced "ki" as in " kite ") is a small yet sturdy rare dog breed originating from the crossing of a Maltese and a Lhasa Apso. It is also known as a Maltese Lion dog, and is often confused with the lhasa -maltese hybrids or Lhatese. While the Kyi-Leo is officially classified as a particular breed or brand, the Lhatese remains a hybrid to cover mixes of the two other breeds.
History
It was first introduced in the 1950s in the San Francisco Bay area by the accidental crossing of a Maltese and a Lhasa Apso, which caught the attention of several individuals. The most notable was Mrs. Harriet Linn, who acquired several of these dogs in 1965 and later acquired several more from the San Jose kennel in 1969; from then on she began to seriously breed them. In 1972 there was enough interest among owners and breeders to come together and formally recognize this breed. It was at this meeting that they formally decided on calling it a Kyi-Leo. The name comes from the Tibetan and Latin languages. “Kyi” is the Tibetan word for dog ; this acknowledges the Lhasa Apso breed which first came from Tibet.
