Marten, sable and ermine fur was the only valid currency in the harsh areas of the northern parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula for centuries, but when the price of fur declined drastically after WWII, so did interest in the dog that had so successfully hunted the animals for hundreds of years. In fact, because there had been no registrations for the Norrbottenspets for many years, the breed was declared extinct by the Swedish Kennel Club in 1948. To our great relief, however, the Norrbottenspets hadn’t been abandoned entirely. Farmers and “every” men continued to have the dogs as workers and companions in rural areas and homesteads in the inland North Bothnia, and because of them, enthusiasts seeking to resurrect the breed were able to save it from “forever extinction” by starting a successful breeding program between the 1950s and early 1960s. The FCI confirmed a standard in 1967, and the official name of the breed was confirmed as the Norrbottenspets. The breed has been recorded in the AKC’s Foundation Stock Service since November 2007 and when the breed gains full recognition, it will be put in the Hound Group.
Photo of Finnish import, Joutsenvaaran Karina, by Rayan Horswill Tees
Not sure why this image is on Pintrest.
It is owned by Manjusha.
Please credit the photo to Rayan Horswill Tees.
We’re delighted to hear from you, Tammy, and will absolutely credit the picture. Thank you for passing it along to us! Do you know the name of the dog?
Thank you! This is our dog dog, Joutsenvaaran Karina. We imported her from Finland. She is older now, but was a stunning example of the breed.
My girl Pirate is the Nob you will see at the Open Show on Friday if you’re there! She will also be showing on Sunday, and will be hanging out at Meet the Breeds with a few friends. If anyone is there and would like to meet her, by all means come up and say hi!
Gabi, we will absolutely seek you out next month, and if you’re game, we’d love to do a live stream interview with you and “Pirate the Nob!”
We would love to!
Norbottenspets are neat little dogs. I’ve had the pleasure to hang out with some and help show them as well.
We’re really looking forward to meeting one next month, Karen, and will endeavor to live stream an interview!
To the best of my knowkedge there will be a few there. Try as wekl to meet Pirate, who will be there with Link the Icelandic Sheepdog and their owner, Gabi. Link will be in NOHS, dock diving, obedience and breed. Pirate herself is just getting started, earning her CGC and novice trick title this month.