~ The Bake Off Litter ~
As we wouldn't be breeding on from Kiva's 2011 litter we decided to do a repeat mating with LapinLumon Karvajalka of Honeybears (Heikki) as their previous mating had brought about some lovely puppies.
After a couple of progesterone tests Louise headed back to Suffolk to spend a couple of days with Carol.
As with the first mating back the two of them got down to business a couple of times before Lou and Kiva returned home.
Kiva was scanned at 4 1/2 weeks and we were advised that Kiva was pregnant and carrying 4 puppies, even though I was convinced that there were 5.
Knowing your bitch is pregnant is, of course great news, however it also means that there will be lots of work coming over the next couple of months.
We upped Kiva's diet, well she was eating for 5 now, and began to get everything together to kit out the whelping room (sounds posh but in reality it was just the spare bedroom) in readiness for the October arrivals.
Lou and I were fans of the BBC programme "The Great British Bake Off" and we thought it might be fun to name the pups after some popular baked produce and we came up with the names; Biscuit, Brownie, Cookie, Dumpling and Muffin - we also thought it a good idea to give the litter a name and decided upon The Great Finnish Bake Off, however when the time came to register the litter with the Kennel Club they all included Tähti in their name, the Finnish word for Star.
If you've read about Kiva's other litters you will know that she rarely goes full term - this litter would be no different and Kiva began showing signs of the litter coming a couple of days before her due date. We had got everything ready for her in the whelping room on the Saturday and on the Sunday settled her into the whelping box and just after lunch Kiva went into labour.
A brief introduction of each of the litter can be seen below - more information and photos of them can be found on the Facebook page we set up for the litter here
~ Lumikoira TähtiSade ~
At 14.20 Biscuit entered the world and is now named Lola. She lives with Simon and Bec, their 2 daughters plus their cats and chickens in Bromsgrove.
We met them several years before the litter was even considered, they loved the breed but weren't yet then in a position to give a dog a home, however they used to visit us to get their regular Lappy fix.
Just after we had mated Kiva Simon made contact with us saying that they were now in a position to seriously consider having a pup join their family - well timed really, so they visited us again and we talked things through and Lou and I agreed that we were more than happy to place a pup with them
At that time were hoping to have a Kiva clone (they were somewhat besotted with her) however when they visited us when the litter was 4 weeks old they asked if they could have Biscuit instead because they were worried that they would always be comparing a black tri to Kiva ...
Lola was first shown at 6 months and 6 days at the FLCGB Championship Show where she won her Minor Puppy Bitch Class, was awarded best Puppy Bitch and then went on to win Best Puppy in Show - proud? Us? You bet we were.
Consequently she was shown at Crufts in 2016 and was placed third in her class thus qualifying for Crufts 2017.
Lola continues to be shown occasionally and invariably is placed in the top three of her class. First and foremost though Lola is a well loved family member.
In 2016 Simon and Bec agreed to us trying to have a litter from Lola - we did, our Trikolori litter, for which we will be forever grateful as it was from that litter that Ohra was born.
In 2018 Lola had a second litter, in the main it was to try and get a pup for Bec's childhood friend Emma and her husband Rob. Lola agreed and as a result our Two Tone litter of two boys was born and one of them, Kimi, is now a member of Emma and Rob's family. You can see some more photos of Lola here.
~ Lumikoira TähtiTaivas ~
Muffin was the second born and popped out after a quarter of an hour.
Now named Mäyrä (Badger), she went to live with Michelle and Gavin, their daughter Harriet, plus a house full of vivariums containing all sorts of reptiles, subsequently joined by son, John, and Tommo their Akita.
They live quite close to us and we had the opportunity to see Mäyrä quite often - she has grown up into a wonderful example of the breed and is pretty much the Kiva clone that Simon and Bec were originally hoping for, until they saw Lola. I think you'll agree that there is indeed strong resemblance between mother and daughter.
Mäyrä isn't shown often, to do so is quite a palaver with a young family, however she qualified for Crufts in 2016 and was placed in the top 5 of her class.
Mäyrä would go on to have a litter for us in 2014, and we, and the owners of the pups from that litter The Spice Girls are eternally grateful to Michelle and Gavin for agreeing to this.
We were hoping for a second litter from her but unfortunately timings, family life and geography got in the way and there was no Mäyrä 2 litter.
A couple of years ago they relocated to Lincolnshire which means we don't see them as often as we did, but we do get regular Mäyrä updates. There are a few photos of her here.
~ Lumikoira TähtiMimmi ~
At 14.56 just 20 after Muffin out popped number 3, another black, tan and white bitch who we named Cookie and is now called Sura.
Sura lives in Buckinghamshire with Amy and Callum, their 2 sons, Maximus and Tristan, two cats and Sassi, Sura's sister from our Phonetic litter, and from 2020 her daughter Xena.
Along with the rest of the litter mates Sura qualified for Crufts 2016 but, against strong competition, wasn't placed - Amy isn't a huge fan of the politics of showing and it was agreed to retire Sura from the ring so that she can concentrate on what she does best - being a wonderful pet to the family.
And mum - because in 2020 Amy asked if Sura could have a litter of her own as she and Callum would like a third Lappy. Sura went on to have her Lumipoikue litter comprising four boys and a girl, Xena.
Amy loves photography, especially when it involves taking photos of her Lappies and you will see countless photos of her dogs in the gallery and on our Facebook pages here
When I decided to reformat and update this site I also asked Amy if she could contribute some words and photos of Sura so that we could add a dedicated page to this site, and what she sent in can be read here she also has her own photo gallery here
~ Lumikoira TähtiPöly ~
Dumpling entered the world just 6 minutes later. Ziggy, as he was named, lives in Yorkshire with James and Ann, their daughter Izzy and a couple of cats.
The family had set their hearts on a dog with clearly defined markings, and they may have been a little disappointed when we let them know that they would be a pup with the least flash markings (despite that Ziggy Stardust flash on his snout).
Louise and I did our upmost to convince them that his markings would develop, and they did - he really is a striking dog now as I'm sure you'll agree.
Like his litter mates Ziggy qualified for Crufts at his first show and his third place in his class means he would have been able to compete at Crufts again in 2017.
Ziggy spends his time being loved by his family and enjoying walks in and around York and the surrounding countryside.
His family think that he's pretty special, as do Louise and I.
Unfortunately because of the distances involved we don't see him or his hufamily very often but when we do, oh boy, are we proud to have made him! You can see just how stunning he looks here.
~ Lumikoira TähtiLaatu ~
It didn't take long before my suspicions of there being 5 pups were confirmed because 15 minutes after Dumpling was born out popped number five. That's just over 90 minutes for a litter of five healthy puppies to be born - mum Kiva had done so well.
If we're talking baking and a brown pup then there just he just has to be called Brownie, and that's how he was called until his owners, Simon, Sarah and Lucy Theobold agreed on the name Teemu.
Teemu headed off to live in Nottingham and, like his siblings, shared his home with humans and cats.
However he is a regular visitor to us as Sarah and Simon do like their holidays and when he does come to see us he is a joy to have in the home.
He's quite a head turner when we take him out too as his striking looks and amazing tail really are a sight to behold.
A few years ago we introduced Teemu to a lovely Lappy girl called Elsa who lived with local friends and their older male, Kanto who was one of Kiva's litter mates.
Unfortunately Elsa didn't fall pregnant - a huge shame as they would have produced some wonderful pups I'm sure.
Proud Parent Moment
Copied from an entry I made onto the Great Finish Bake Off Facebook page on April 11th 2015.
Just back from a fabulous day at the Finnish Lapphund Club of Great Britain's Championship show - probably my best ever experience at a show. So proud of the Lumikoira Finnish Lapphund pups, who at 6 months 6 days were the youngest pups at the show and were being shown for the first time.
So proud of Teemu who won Minor Puppy Dog and Best Puppy Dog. Ziggy came third to his brother which means that they have both now qualified for Crufts 2016.
His sister Lola then emulated his achievements, winning Minor Puppy Bitch, (Mayra and Sura were unplaced) and then Best Puppy Bitch
Unbelievably Sassi also did us proud taking VHC (5th) in Limit Bitch and again in Post Graduate Bitch - this being only her second time she has been shown and amazing for a dog that 18 months ago couldn't walk more than 25 yards.
The day concluded with Teemu and Lola challenging for Best Puppy in Show - with Lola pipping her brother.
Louise and I would like to thank all of the Lumikoira gang for bringing their pups to the show - we hope you all enjoyed your first taste of showing.
It was a truly fabulous day and it was great to spend time with some lovely people - you know who you are.
Thank you all for making the day so special.