In the annals of dog history, there are many “come back” stories of breeds on the brink, and one of more dramatic belongs to the Norwegian Lundehund. The breed declined in numbers when new methods to hunt puffins were invented which essentially replaced reliance on the dogs, and a dog tax only created another reason not to own a Lundehund. By 1900, only the isolated village of Mostad had any Lundehunds left. The breed, already in trouble, was so devastated by two consecutive outbreaks of distemper that the number of purebred Lundehunds in Norway was reduced to six by 1962 –  five of them from the same mother. Excruciatingly careful breeding held to strict guidelines restored the breed to an estimated 1,400 dogs in the world by 2010.

Image found on a plethora of Pinterest boards with no credit given to the artist. We’d love to credit this person and if you know it, pass it along to us?