Riikka
Recently we decided to bring a canine into our survey environment. Dogs make great companions and with frequent ventures into the Humboldt wilderness, another set of eyes and ears is a good thing. We decided on the Finnish Lapphund breed and have not been disappointed one bit. We named our girl “Riikka”, a Scandinavian nickname for Fredrika. She was born March 7, 2005, and you will see her in many of the photos on this website.
One of the dog breeds that is native to Finland, the Finnish Lapphund is a hardy, muscular, medium-sized spitz-type dog with a friendly disposition and is very keen to learn. It is one of the dogs that the nomadic people of Northern Scandinavia employed to hunt and herd reindeers., The Finnish Lapphund in particular is used by the Saami people to assist them in herding reindeers. The Finnish Lapphund is an old breed. It was believed that they were originally a guarding/hunting breed, able to protect the reindeer herd and same time hunt for food. With further domestication, the Saami found that these Arctic dogs are quite intelligent and trainable that they can be used to assist in reindeer herding. Around 1940, in Finland, interest in saving the breed began to grow. Dogs belonging to the original Sami people were collected with the intent of establishing a breeding program. The first breed standard was accepted by the Finnish Kennel Club in 1945, with the breed being called the Lapponian Shepherd Dog.
Although the breeds official recognition is quite recent, they are becoming quite popular as herding dogs and family pets in Finland and in other European countries. Here in North America, the breed is steadily being known, through the efforts of various individuals who been taking on the task of showing and promoting the breed in various venues and dog competitions. As of 2006, there are around 300 registered Finnish Lapphunds here in North America.
The Finnish Lapphund is neither shy nor aggresive, quite intelligent, friendly toward people and other dogs at the same time possessess an independent streak. Mild mannered and eager to please, it exhibits a strong sense of loyalty to its family.
Finnish Lapphund Club of America
Finnish Laphund Club of Canada
http://lapikas.net/varisivut/index.htm
Viksalan Kennel (Finnish website)
Riikka at 17 weeks.
Riikka and Evan.
