Is that a polar fox? Mostly I get puzzled looks when I respond to people what breed Jari is. And really, I heard everything. People told me they had a golden Retriever looking exactly the same (I mean, come on!), they even thought he was a husky, partly fox, wolfdog, Samoyed and many more.
But enough of that, how did I end up with a finnish Lapphund?
I wanted a dog as long as I can remember, but I had to wait for 27 years until I got one. My parents wouldn’t allow me to get a dog when I was in school. They told my brother and me that they loved dogs but we couldn’t get one because both my parents worked full time and my brother and I went to school. They said it wouldn’t be fair to get a dog if he has to be alone all day. I totally get why they didn’t let me get a dog when I was younger but it was hard and back then I wouldn’t understand it.
When I had the possibility to get a dog I didn’t need to think long about it, but what kind of dog should I get? A rescue dog or a dog from a reputable breeder? As a future first time dog mom I took the decision to get a dog from a reputable breeder. Always make adoption an option but if you want to get a dog from a breeder, that’s fine too. I don’t like that nowadays people are shaming each other for getting a mutt or getting a purebred. Do some research and think about your decision because a dog is a commitment!
After many hours of research on the Internet I asked myself what kind of dog I want. At first I had a Husky or an Australian Shepherd in mind but I wasn’t convinced that my lifestyle would fit these breeds. I always loved northern breeds and so I spent many hours on the internet researching all kinds of dogbreeds. I wrote down everything I looked for in a dog. Medium sized, long fur, gentle, adventurous, kind…
Then I started to look through almost every dog breed I could find. I wrote down the dogs that interested me and then did some research on their characters and common diseases in that breed. I also researched possible breeders.
After a very long time I found the perfect breed for me: The finnish Lapphund. But where can I meet a finnish Lapphund? This breed isn’t well known where I’m from and I wanted to meet one in real life. On the paper the breed looked perfect to fit my lifestyle but I wanted to meet one in real life to be 100% sure. I contacted a breeder and asked him some general questions, told him about my lifestyle, asked him if he thinks a finnish Lapphund would suit my lifestyle and if I could visit his kennel. I had to drive 600km (370 miles) to meet this breed. I met all of the dogs and some puppies that were born 5 weeks earlier. I fell so in love and I instantly knew – I need a finnish Lapphund.
I was added to a waiting list and on November 15th 2017 Jari was born. On December 23rd I met him for the first time and on January 15th he came home.
So this was the story how I ended up with this sweet fluffy cloud. He’s the sweetest boy I know and I enjoy every day with him. Do you have a dog? A rescue dog or a purebred? How did you chose your dog? I would love to read your stories.
Jari the finnish Lapphund 