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About Us

Hello, I am Linda Watson and I was born in Montoursville, Pa. I have had a passion for animals from a very young age. Growing up, we had a miniature poodle and a Siamese cat. I can always remember how I looked forward to get home from school just to be with them. In 1970, I was pursing an education in the medical field when I bought my first show dog, which was an Afghan Hound. A few years later I began to see a smaller breed of dog that was newly recognized by the American Kennel Club, the Tibetan Terrier. I got to meet several Tibetan Terriers at different shows and found every one of them to have a delightful personality and all were so full of love. In 1974 I purchased by first Tibetan Terrier who would come to be known as AM. CAN. CH. Keri-Luv's Gypsy Lady. We knew her as Gypsy; she was fun, loving, and very playful. Gypsy achieved the title of the #1 female in the country and held the title for two years. I had my first litter of Tibetan Terrier puppies in 1982 and out of that litter three puppies were shown to their Champion title. One in particular was CH. Teasia's Thomnie Turko who won Winner's Dog defeating fifty-four other males at my first Tibetan Terrier Club Of America National Specialty. Talk about Beginner's Luck! A decade later, I met my wonderful husband, Rip, who was serving his country in the USMC. Within a month after being married, Rip was transferred to Memphis, TN for Instructor's Duty. The next six years were wonderful as Rip did not have to go on long debts of six months to a year. He was home and we took advantage of this by going to dog show in different areas of the country we had never seen before. I loved nursing, however, I knew that my true calling involved animals and I changed careers. I worked for and attained my Master Groomer qualification. This allowed me to follow my passion for animals not only at home but also at work.

Not long after returning to North Carolina there was 9/11. Rip was on the USS Bataan, which was the first fleet headed to Afghanistan, there was little or to no communication with him for weeks. I remember clearly the dogs and I being glued to CNN News; those were very scary days for me. What brave and courageous men these were not knowing what was to happen. Better days did finally arrived finally arrived with the return of Rip. Both the dogs and I were elated to finally have him back home!

Rip and I have remained in N.C. after his retirement from the USMC, I have owned my own grooming shop for nearly eleven years and we are still sharing our home with our Tibetan Terriers and showing them. We usually have one to two litters of puppies a year. Together, to date, we have produced over forty Champions and have sold puppies all over the United States, Canada, Japan and Israel. I cannot tell you how many friends we have made for life through this very special breed; it has been a very rewarding experience for us.

 

Howdy, I am Rip Watson and I was born & raised in Pittsburgh, Pa.rip I am, always have been & will always be an avid Pittsburgh sports fan through the good, bad & even the ugly. Growing up in Catholic school I thought I was left handed but the good nuns convinced me (ouch!) that I was really right handed. Now, I am good with both. After high school I searched for my calling & joined the United States Marine Corps. I retired from the USMC just over 20 years later. Throughout my career I deployed overseas 9 times in every major combat operation our country was involved in & numerous humanitarian assistance efforts. I was lucky enough to visit 5 continents which gave me a great appreciation for the American way of life. I met Linda in 1993 returning from one of these deployments. I was at a friend’s home preparing to go on leave to visit my parents and was hugging & saying goodbye to everyone who had gathered to welcome me home, sitting there at the table was a stunning women I did not know. Not wanting to be rude & leave her out, but truly intimidated by her beauty, I simply looked into her Sparkling eyes & said “I will be back to marry you”. To my amazement we were married 8 months later & I was introduced to the playful & loving breed of dog called a Tibetan Terrier. Linda was the perfect military wife. She supported me through multiple deployments & transfers which include Memphis, Tn., Pensacola, Fl & Havelock (MCAS Cherry Point), NC. My greatest achievements in the Marine Corps were protecting the American way of life &trying to help those in other countries who needed our help to be happy & free. I was blessed to have Linda’s support & some great Marines working for me that enabled me to receive the honor of being given the NCO leadership award & being named the Aviation Marine of the Year. Moments I will never forget. After retirement it was difficult to sever the relationship & commitment to my brothers & sisters in arms. I still felt the need to support our country in some way. I was hired by a company to perform reliability studies on USMC & Navy aircraft components. I soon found myself supervising 11 other folks supporting our troops. A few years later I was hired to provide logistical support for the Navy H-60 helicopter which is similar to the Army Blackhawk. I am still doing this & am happy as can be because I am still doing my part to support the greatest nation in the world & have remained connected to the brave men & women who sacrifice to protect our way of life. I will continue to live, support & believe in the principles of God, Family, Country, Tibetan