THE “ABBA” LITTER. FINNISH LAPPHUND PUPPIES BRED BY BEARSPAW KENNEL (puppy pix ©2012 Bearspaw Kennel)
My dear friends, I have some wonderful news I am FINALLY ready to share with you all, even though Steve and I have been keeping this under our hats for a couple of months. As you all know, this year started off very rough with losing our Mz. Gracie so suddenly. It literally took the wind out of our sails. Steve, Lillian and I have had quite the journey these past months working through the greif and healing and we knew we wanted another dog to add to our lives
To make a very long story shorter, we were not necessarily looking for a chow per se….we needed a new friend for our sad Lillian and a second companion for myself. Being down to only one dog is somewhere I never want to be again!!! After weeks of research, looking at a number of options, both in the USA and abroad, and with Gracie directing me with her magic stick from the Rainbow Bridge, we found exactly the right match for us at this point in time.
A FINNISH LAPPHUND or Suomenlapinkoira This rare breed was only recognized into the AKC Herding Group in 2011
A BIT OF BREED HISTORY FROM THE AKC WEBSITE
The original Finnish Lapphunds were the helper dogs of a tribe of semi-nomadic people, the Sami, in Lapland (the northern region of Finland, Sweden, and, in part, Russia). Over hundreds of years, the Sami culture evolved into a more sedentary existence, which revolved around the keeping of reindeer herds. At the same time, the dogs evolved from hunters into herding dogs that helped maintain the reindeer.
The litter we are getting a puppy from was beautifully bred by Bearspaw Kennel and I can’t thank the breeder Leeza enough for her mentorship, encouragement, and support in this new adventure! There is no doubt that chows will always be our heart and soul…we will always have one or more under our roof, but the “Lappie” as they are affectionately called, have wormed their way into our hearts very quickly as well. We are certain will be a perfect match for our home and for sweet Lil…..she is so lonely for another dog since Gracie left us.I can’t wait to see her face when she meets Onni for the first time!!.
So drum roll please………we would like to introduce you to our little man “Onni” (which means “luck and fortune” in Finnish). The litter theme is ABBA SONGS which was fun to work with, so we chose “BEARSPAW TAKE A CHANCE ON ME”…so appropriate given what a very new experience the Finnish Lapphund is going to be for us. The pick girl is “BEARSPAW DANCING QUEEN”..how sweet is that?
We will be going on a road trip to bring Onni home at the end of June! We are so excited to finally meet the breeders in person…, the puppies, adult Lappies, etc. Having all of these photos Leeza has sent over the course of the past 6 weeks has been a godsend….my mind is occupied with happy puppy thoughts and finally, I think Gracie can quit worrying about me so much. She needs to think of happier times as well.
These last 3 photos and the group shot were all taken this past weekend so are very current. Onni is such a doll I can hardly stand it. All of the babies are so beautiful and a true product of their well thought out pedigree with GREAT emphasis on working with original Finnish pedigrees, holding strongly to instinct and herding ability alongside correct breed type. This means a lot to Steve and I in any breed.
ABOVE- I DO BELIEVE THIS IS ONNI ROLLING HIS EYES (AGAIN) IN THE UPPER LEFT AT THE TUNNEL SITUATION
To add icing to the cake…, the socializing they do at Bearspaw is outstanding….exactly what we did with our chows and MORE!! Lappies are a bit busier than chows being a herding breed and are “problem solvers” so they are kept occupied with so many fun obstacles and puzzles. These babies get tunnels, teeter-totters…a regular jungle gym of puppy playtime fun.
I was going to put more in this blog post but I think this is plenty for now. Heaven knows once Onni arrives home my camera will be clicking off shots as fast as his little legs can run. I will be starting a Facebook page for Onni soon so you can follow along with his development from puppyhood to shows to fun things like clicker training etc. Are herding trials in the future????? Hey, anything is possible…LOL! Watch out neighborhood squirrels. You may become my practice herd!
Below find photos and links about both of the parents’ Molly and Usko!
More updates and info about Finnish Lapphunds to come!
Mother of the litter – Can Ch Sugarok Good Golly, HIC aka “Molly”
#1 BITCH IN 2009 (CANADIAN KENNEL CLUB)
Photos of Molly by Cathy French
Sire of the litter – FIDELIS DUURI, aka “Usko”
International Champion, Crufts Winner 2011
Luxembourg Champion, Belgian Champion
Dutch Champion, German champion
Rheinlandsieger 2011, Belgian Winner 2010
Dutch Winner 2010, 2011
Europasieger 2010, Dutch Youth Champion
Photo of Usko by Jordie Holtman
ABOVE IS A VINTAGE PHOTO OF THE NORDIC SAMI PEOPLE AND THEIR HERDING DOGS. I LOVE THIS HISTORY!
Sandra Darling , please post this beautiful news also on our Chow Chow e Dintorni page… They will all be sooooo happy to read this page…. even if our english is not the best will try to understand….
I am so happy…
Love you tons, Shirin and Helene
Sandra, little Onni is adorable. His mom is beautiful and his dad is truly extraordinary! Usko is one of the most gorgeous dogs I’ve ever seen. I see that Onni has some of his markings and coloring. I’m so happy you’ve found him. Lillian will be ecstatic when you bring him home.
Made me tear up after reading all this and talking about Gracie. So exciting for you and Steve and Miss Lil of course too.
Can;t wait to meet the littl eone.
See you made my cry and I couldn’t type correctly.
Happy tears of course!!!
He’s absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!
Shirin and Helene, Valerie and Maiya, and Sandra…thank you so much for your sweet words. It was actually a little bittersweet to write this post even thought I was bursting at the seams to announce Mr. Onni to everyone. He's something else!! But like you say Valerie, even talking about Gracie is still extremely hard and I couldn't mention Onni without thinking of Mz. Gracie. I'm so incredibly blessed with friends and family and customers with HUGE hearts who understand this whole "dog thing"…you all "get it". Thank you for being there when I needed it the most. I'm really looking forward to sharing this new puppy with everyone over the next months and years to come!!!!! BIGGGGG HUGS!!!!!!
Omni sounds incredible, his sire is one of the prettiest breeds I have seen. I am sure you are excited to go and get him, I am also sure that Ms Gracie is encouraging you from her place in the Rainbow Meadow, she knows you need another little one to love, after all the heartache of losing her so unexpectedly. I can’t wait to see what you share with us about your new pup. hugs to you darling. patty~
Hi Sandra,
That is a delightful blog! Thanks so much for sharing with your readers!
Cheers,
Leeza
Thank you so very much Patty….and Leeza it was pure pleasure to finally write about such a wonderful experience in waiting for our new boy to arrive. Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication to this breed.
Sandy, I’m so excited for you all to adopt this new puppy, and what a beautiful one he is! It will be fun to have a different breed in the house. Lillian will be so busy now! Thank you for sharing and writing such a beautiful blog post about your journey. I still miss Gracie and I never even got to meet her. She is a very special spirit. Love and blessings to you all!
Congratulations! I saw an article on these guys a few months back and thought they were pretty neat dogs. I’m always thinking… if not a chow then what and these guys were definitely on the yes list.
He looks gorgeous and fuzzy and full of wonderful puppy breath. I’m so happy for you!
Mary-Susan
so now i see the inspiration for the new piece of artwork on facebook!!! i kinda wondered what brought that on..hehehe. and you are getting a MAN puppy!!! wow!!! been awhile!!!! Im so happy for you though. when we were down to only Desi, we got him another breed puppy for a pet for him…..our Raziel, a Shar Pei (never ever was gonna get one of them!!!) and it was the best thing for him and for us. Although she died young from a rare disease in Peis, she was as delightful a dog as we could have ever wanted. she perked up the whole house with her energy and actions and it was the best six years of our lives. if i could have another like her i would not hesitate. she was as healthy as could be til she developed this auto immune disease. i wish you the best luck, and i know you will have fun. Im starting to think about clicker training seriously now. you are doing it at the right time, with Lil, before the new little guy arrives. they can learn together. How exciting!!!! congratulations on this new venture ….Im sure he will change your lives but also add so much more!!!!!
I have to smile thinking about the new boy he looks like he is going to be adorable those eyes should be interesting to see how Lil reacts to him how soon will you get him is he being shipped to you ? you did say you were going to pick him up so maybe another trip that would be awesome to see his parents and siblings these herding breeds are very intelligent and full of energy a big change from a Chow’s personality it will be a learning experience for the family I can invision Lil’s look when Omni tries herding her talk about a look of disdain Mz.Lil can give those LOOKS ha ha so very happy for you in fact I was talking about you and Omni and Mz.Gracie to my vet today mentioned what happened to her also asked him if he had any laaphunds as patients Gracies smell has to be every where so Omni will know of dear Gracie I wish you the best of luck with your boy you and Steve so deserve it you are so good to your babies,Lots and lots of love and many hugs and purple kisses to all,
Thank you Kristin, MS, Kathe and Danette!! Yes Kristin…there was something beyond unique about Gracie that even Steve and I couldn’t pinpoint. She was like the Red Skelton of funny chows with that quiet dignity and sweetness coupled with a hellish sense of humor. Oh how we miss that girl!!!!!
Mary Susan I bet you would love this breed. They are definately more active than the average chow but have some of the same qualities we love so much.
Kathe, yes, the artwork was really very “inspired” by this new puppy and took me a long time of doing a tiny bit, then putting it away..then coming back to the art to see what I really did..lol! I was determined to get that happy upbeat expression right no matter how the rest of the drawing turned out. So much a part of the essence of the breed…and a BOY…you know only too well how long that has been!!
Danette I just scrubbed the indoor puppy pen and put it into the kitchen Lil was upset at first…then I found the problem. I had Gracies baby collar attached to one of the rungs. It was the collar Diana had on Gracie when I picked her up….”green girl” Sigh
Yes we are taking a road trip…about a 15 hour drive to pick up Onni. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to meet Leeza and Team Bearspaw and hopefully the mostof the litter will still be there for us to cuddle too. We are so excited!!!!!