This article first appeared in the December 2010 Newsletter of the Finnish Spitz Club (UK). However, as mentioned below it is based on articles published in various editions of "Pystykorva" magazine and written by Anna Shmeleva and Heidi Lahtinen.
Introduction (by Irene Slater)
What follows is based on a number of articles originally published in Finnish in “Pystykorva” magazine. However, before presenting those I think it would be useful to explain some of the background for English-speakers unfamiliar with the region of Karelia and its importance in both Finnish and Russian history. Karelia is an area running along the Eastern side of Finland. Part is in present-day Finland and part in the Russian Federation (Republic of Karelia and the Leningrad Province). Karelia has very strong linguistic and cultural ties to Finland although the present-day population within Russia is largely Russian speaking.
In November 1939, Soviet troops pushed into Finnish territory on a number of fronts, in particular the strategically important and most populated area to the north-west of Leningrad (sometimes called the Karelian Isthmus) which included the large Finnish city of Viipuri (now Vyborg). They occupied the region amid fierce fighting. This conflict became known as the “Winter War”. It ended in March 1940 with a ceasefire which was broken in June 1941 - the period from then through until September 1944 was known as the “Continuation War”. At the start of the Winter War, large scale evacuation of civilians (over 400,000) took place from Karelia to various areas in central Finland. Some returned to their homes but had to be evacuated again when the ceasefire broke down. This evacuation included the families of both my parents. My father’s family was from Sortavala and my mother’s family lived in a small village just a few kilometres from the then Soviet border - much closer to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) than to Helsinki.
For a useful discussion of "What is Karelia?" and a map showing boundaries at various points in history please click this link:
http://www.conflicts.rem33.com/images/Finland/wat_is_karjala.htm
The text and map is by Andrew Andersen. The dotted red line was the pre-1939 border. The vertical thick red line is the post-WW2 border. The horizontal red-brown line is the boundary of the Russian Republic of Karelia.
The 2006 Combined Breed Agreement
In the August 2006 (4/2006 edition) “Pystykorva” magazine, a number of articles commented on the historic agreement between Russian and Finnish Kennel Clubs to consider the Karelo-Finnish Laika (KFL) and the Finnish Spitz (FS) as a single breed to be known as the Finnish Spitz. This agreement is reproduced below. Antti Aarnio (then Chairman of the Spitz Society of Finland or SPJ) argued that this was very important for widening the gene pool and health of FS in the future. However, he acknowledged that not everyone in either Finland or Russia would agree with it for a variety of reasons.
Four years on, the June 2010
(3/2010 edition) “Pystykorva” magazine has two lengthy articles on the
historical and present-day implications of this agreement.
In the first of these, Anna Shmeleva discusses the history of the breed within the Soviet Union and Russia. It has always been considered first and foremost as a hunting dog there but she also argues for its diversity, versatility, and quick learning skills in addition to those paramount hunting skills.
In the second, Heidi Lahtinen writes about closer ties between Russian and Finnish enthusiasts including a visit by a Finnish group to a specialist dog show in Moscow in March 2010 and a proposed return visit by a Russian group to Finland in Autumn 2010.
Laika-Spitz in Russia (by Anna Shmeleva)
The Russian word “Laika” originates from the verb “to bark” and so simply means a dog that barks.
There are perhaps two ways of looking at the characteristics of the KFL. On the one hand, you could think that over the last 70 years it has been a FS with a fairly loosely defined breed standard. From another other point of view, the KFL can be seen as a separate breed with its own good features.
In reality we can possibly get closer to the real KFL by familiarising ourselves with both of these points of view and comparing them. The vanity of two peoples and the patriotism of two nations have certainly had a huge impact on the breed’s history. Yet it is important to not disparage either of these viewpoints and I am trying not to do so.
2 dogs with owners at the Laika show in Moscow (photo by Heidi Lahtinen)
Back to HistoryAll Russian sources mention the fact that the national red Laika of North-Western Russia was first described at the end of the 19th century. The dogs were mentioned in the “Northern Dogs, Laikas” picture album which was compiled by A.A. Shirinski-Shichmatov in1895. This was only a couple of years later than the first written breed description of the ‘Finnish barking bird-dog’ (FS).
In Russia there is a good 40 years gap in history after this - up to the year 1936 when the first KFLs were imported to the Leningrad region. In the year 1939 a temporary breed standard was written, where the breed was called Finno-Karelian Laika. The introduction to this breed standard says that the breed is a small, jackal-like Laika which is a mixture of Karelian Laika, Finnish Spitz, and Nordic (Norrbotten) Spitz. So even at this point the breed was described as a FS cross-breed.
Everything changed soon after this as the Second World War broke out. On the 8th of September 1941 German troops surrounded Leningrad and blocked all access into and out of the city. This siege lasted 872 days. The intention was to destroy the city and its inhabitants and 1.5 million people died – around 97% of them because of malnutrition. Obviously few dogs survived these horrendous conditions either. At that time these types of dogs were mainly in the Leningrad region. After the war, a rabies epidemic broke out. However, there are some differences of opinion between Finnish and Russian sources. Some Russian breeders maintained that their original bloodlines survived.
On to the 1980s
After the war, quite a few FS were imported to Russia and were used for breeding. A famous Russian judge V V Grigoriev researched how much FS blood there was among the KFL population in different parts of the Soviet Union. In the Leningrad region, which is the homeland of the original Laika breed, out of a sample of 23 KFL in 1984, 12 were fully FS and another 10 were between half and three-quarters. At the same time, KFL in the Moscow region were 80-90% FS. One dog Aljo-Peni was imported from Finland and sired over 50 litters. In other areas of the country FS were also the basis of much of the breeding and those dogs were the most successful in hunting trials and shows.
Karelo-Finnish Laika and Finnish Spitz in Russia Today
Mrs Farafonova estimates that out of around 500 KFL born between 1990 and 2003, the percentage of FS bloodlines in several major areas of Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg areas, Russian Karelia, Kirov, and Udmurtia) was over 75% and in some areas it was up to 90%.
In Soviet times all the local hunting societies were joined together under a centralised organisation. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this central system crumbled into separate local hunting clubs. Some people remained staunchly defensive of the KFL as a distinct separate breed. Others pushed for a single breed combined with the FS.
Combined breed standard or not, there are in Russia today around 400 to 500 dogs or possibly more that are worthy of attention. The number depends on which ones can be truly regarded as FS. Only those registered with the Russian Kennel Club are eligible to take part in hunting trials or shows outside Russia, but larger numbers are still registered as KFL with local hunting societies and clubs. Those dogs are not eligible for international competition. At least we can say that the KFL is a Russian version of the FS with the following features:
· Lighter body-build and tightly curled tail - this is not necessarily bad if not exaggerated as it makes the dogs very quick and it is easier for them to move around in thick forest and snow while hunting.
· A different kind of coat - some Russian dogs have shorter fur but it is still very compact, warm, and water-resistant.
· Measurements and head shape are slightly different. The KFL is slightly taller and is not so square. The skull is slightly longer, the ears are quite pointed and closer together. Having said that, these characteristics cannot be generalised and some KFL are in fact very similar to FS.
· White patches are quite common. Finnish breeders had this characteristic originally and have largely bred it out.
I admire the diversity of the KFL/FS - they can do what people want them to do. I think one of their most important features is that they can also learn other skills than hunting. For example, my dog Alayza has taken part in many agility competitions. However, there is no doubt that in Russia, as in Finland, they remain primarily as working hunting dogs in the forest where their handler has a large and important role to play.
This is a shortened version of an article by Anna Shmeleva published in the June 2010 edition of “Pystykorva” magazine.
Moscow welcomes Finnish guests! (by Heidi Lahtinen)
In March 2010 a small group of people from the Spitz Club of Finland (SPJ) travelled to Moscow for the Laika Show 2010.Exhibits at this show for all Laika breeds included 45 FS (or KFL as many in Russia still like to call them).
The group consisted of judge Reino Korpela, Irina Viljas who acted as interpreter and organised the trip, and Heidi Lahtinen editor of “Pystkorva” magazine.FS were judged by Tatjana Farafonova from the Udmurt Republic and she welcomed the Finnish judge to join her in the ring. Mrs. Farafonova is also a celebrated breeder, vice-chair of the Karelo-Finnish Laika Society (Arsik), and a hunting trial judge.
Introduction of the judges at the Moscow Laika Show. Interpreter Irina Viljas with the megaphone, Finnish judge Reino Korpela next to her on the right, and Russian judge Tatjana Farafonova slightly to the left behind him. (photo by Heidi Lahtinen)
Blood samples were taken from 25 dogs which were then brought back to Finland for analysis. This showed only a 5% difference in genetic make-up between those and a sample of a similar number of Finnish dogs.
Vet Marina Volgina taking a blood sample at the Moscow Laika Show. (photo by Reino Korpela)
Eager for Information
Arsik had told breeders about the Finnish visitors so many were very interested to find out what the Finnish judge would say about their dogs. The FS in Russia is a mainly hunting dog but also show dog and used for hunting trials. Hunting trials with bird barking do not differ very much from the Finnish ones but there are some slight differences.
Dogs and owners gathered at the Laika Show 2010 in Moscow (photo by Heidi Lahtinen)
Teeth and dark eyes
The Finnish Judge Reino Korpela was very pleased with the dogs he saw. There was a varied range of dogs. However, they could be recognised as FS without problem. Very few dogs seemed to have light eyes and nearly all the dogs shown had all their teeth – only a couple had a few missing.It caught his eye that male dogs were particularly light-bodied although a couple of them were far too thin. There were one or two excellent males. “I didn’t pay much attention to patches of white at the moment, but was more interested in the local types of dog. Some had a lot of white but that is very easy to get rid of by breeding” said Mr. Korpela.
Several dogs at the Moscow Laika Show
Russian hospitality
The show day was very long, lasting from early morning until dusk.Arsik had prepared better than the other societies because only by the FS ring was there a ‘service point’. Here they barbecued chicken breasts non-stop and served them with pickled forest mushrooms. They certainly hadn’t forgotten traditional Russian drinks either!
A banner for the "Arsik" Karelo-Finnish Laika Club
To Finland in Autumn 2010
Tatjana Farafonova was extremely happy that she could meet Mr. Korpela with whom she was able to discuss the merits and faults of dogs shown in the ring and some others that she had brought photographs of. She is a little worried about teeth deficiencies of some FS dogs in Finland. However, she believes it is good that the SPJ has asked judges to pay more attention to this problem. At the show in Moscow, there was a preliminary proposal for a Russian delegation to visit Finland in the coming autumn. One of the purposes of this visit is to familiarise them with Finnish bird-barking trials and to prove that Finnish dogs are good working dogs in the forest. Mrs. Farafonova said that meeting the group from Finland had opened up new opportunities for her in her hobby. Now she hopes to get experience and further training to be able to judge FS in its home country.She laughs and says “Before I had a feeling that I couldn’t learn anything more about this breed but now it’s a very different situation and I think I am just dreaming!”
2 dogs embrace at the Laika show in Moscow (photo by Heidi Lahtinen)
This has been adapted from an article written by Heidi Lahtinen in the June 2010 edition of “Pystykorva” magazine.
Other Sources:
Vladimir Beregovoy book “Hunting Laika Breeds of Russia” 2001
Vladimir Beregovoy website www.laikabreeds.multiservers.com/
Karelo-Finnish Laika Society (Arsik) www.arsik.ru (text in Russian but with photos)
Suomen Club www.karel-fin-layka.ru (text in Russian but with photos and video)
Translated by Irene Slater (Valokki) with grateful thanks to Heidi Lahtinen, editor of “Pystykorva” magazine for her help and advice.
