About the Breeder

Anu's April 2009 litter of 8 and I, June 17, 2009

Welcome to our website

My name is Anna and I live with my husband Steve and my teenaged son in Restoule , Ontario . I moved to Canada as a child from Finland . Growing up, the only breed we owned as a family was Karelian Bear Dogs. As I got older and I got a family of my own, my longing for the breed grew, so when I was able to leave the big city of Toronto for a quieter life in the country we got Pitsi, our beloved Karelian Bear Dog and then a few years later, thanks to Wuokko & Gord, we got Pitsi's sister, Anu.

As I started researching the breed here in North America, I was shocked to see what most breeders here were trying to pass off as purebreds looked nothing like Pitsi or any of the Karelians I had owned as a child. That is me on the right, in the 70's, as a 10 year old with our Karelian Bear Dog, Benni.
Upon further research, I found out that most breeders in North America are breeding a mix between RELs (Russo European Laikas) and Karelian Bear Dogs. This explained everything.

Finns are very proud of the Karelian Bear Dog and fiercely protect this national breed from being crossbred, and warn breeders there of being careful who they sell there dogs to in other countries.

I love this loyal, gentle, although stubborn, breed and now that I have the time, it is a passion of mine to try and educate potential dog owners, in North America , of this situation.

Thank you for visiting us and we hope you enjoy the website,

Anna & family and of course, Pitsi & Anu