If only more countries did this.

In Finland, there is a museum that collects, preserves and exhibits online items related to native Finnish dog breeds and canine culture from the 19th century onwards. The museum is based on the history of the Finnish Kennel Club, and the work the Club has done with the Finnish canine culture. As of 2018,  the museum continues to operate under the Finnish Kennel Foundation.

Different collections at the Finnish Canine Museum deal with native dog breeds, Dog hobbies, Working dogs, Dog care, Dog in art, and breeding and health.  A digital collection of the Museum shares old photographs, images of items and works of art. The first online exhibition discussed the Finnish Spitz, and introduced the stages of this old, native breed. It also offers the chance to see the publications from the early days of the Finnish Kennel Club.

The AKC’s Museum of the Dog, currently in St. Louis, Missouri for the past thirty years, is moving to New York City in 2019, may come to mind as American version of what the Finns have done, but the AKC’s fabulous museum is of canine-related artwork (you can follow the progress of its move to the Big Apple on its Facebook page).

Image from one of the exhibits at the Finnish Canine Museum