Our Finnish Lapphund, Tuukka, was a cherished member of our family, bringing laughter, love, and a touch of mischief into our home.

His intelligence was unmatched; he even figured out how to open the treat drawer, a skill he used more often than we might have expected.

Snowy walks were a highlight for us, watching Tuukka bounce and play, his joy contagious, making those cold days feel warmer. These moments were some of our happiest, filled with laughter and the simple pleasure of being together.

Tuukka's presence was a constant comfort, especially during times of separation due to military duty. He was not just a pet but a companion and friend to Tania, offering solace and companionship that became invaluable.

Their bond was deep, providing strength and comfort through every challenge.Having Tuukka in our lives made our family feel whole. His absence has left a noticeable void, but we're grateful for the love and joy he brought us.

While it's hard to say goodbye, we cherish the memories and the impact he had on our lives. Tuukka will forever be a part of our family, missed dearly but always loved.

You can see some more photos of him here

I can’t believe it’s almost 10 years since we first met Simon, Louise and the Lumikoira pups.

We had the most amazing welcome when we first visited the whole pack, meeting the wonderful (and sadly missed Kiva and Mylo), and quickly became a part of the Lumikoira family.

We met Teemu (though we didn't know then that he would be ours) and the other Bake Off owners to be, when the litter was 4 weeks old.

We welcomed Teemu in the Autumn of 2014 and he has been the most exceptional dog - friendly, loving, lively and a great member of our family.

When he first arrived as a pup, he bonded quickly with our two older feisty Bengal cats, and since then has mellowed with age, and loves being with our daughter’s dogs.

Even approaching 10, he still finds the energy to chase around with a 7 month old Cocker Spaniel puppy.

What can we say about our welcome and support from Simon and Lou?

Just wonderful, and it continues today, welcoming Mr T to stay with them and the latest Lappy pack when we go away. Teemu has his own section in our gallery and you can see photos of him here

Sura is Amy's fluffy best friend. Their bond is incredibly strong. She is very affectionate, gentle and devoted to her family.

Another natural therapy dog, she has been a beautiful assistance dog buddy for her big sister Sassi in the care of our children and us!

Like Sassi, Sura has also worked for many years as a stooge dog in canine behaviour sessions, excelling particularly for clients who need a dog to stay incredibly calm even around very anxious or agitated dogs.

She has been a safe, friendly and fun member of our family her whole life. 

On walks she has some instincts for herding and chasing but though she can run very fast ahead she always returns with the biggest grin on her face, fully elated with herself!

In December 2020 Sura gave birth to her first and only litter of 5 magnificent puppies; 4 boys and a girl. She was the most fantastic, natural Mummy and we were and are so proud of her - we actually kept one of her puppies, a beautiful black-tri girl that we named Xena, you can read about Xena here

Some more photos of Sura can be seen here

Ziggy is doing very well. He’s booked in for a woodland photoshoot in a few weeks to mark his 10th year, so I’ll forward a photo from that if they turn out well. I’ve attached a couple of him from last summer that I like. 

He’s good as gold in the house, you wouldn’t know we had a dog, except for the mud from his daily runs on the racecourse. Still likes to have a good bark at squirrels when he’s out.

We’ve moved to a house with a huge garden which he loves, even nearer the racecourse. Izzi now doing Law at Newcastle and he goes crazy when she comes home.

You can see a few more photos of Ziggy here

No two days are ever the same when living with Meeko. He will always find a new way to entertain us, whether it's lying in a new awkward position or doing something silly with a cardboard box or toy.

He loves going out for a walk and really comes alive when he can run around free and play chase with another dog.

However, he can also manage a degree of calm and control when we are in the show ring working together. 

Not only has he provided us with successes in showing (winning his class under a Finnish judge at the FLCGB club show; several group placings and gaining his stud book number), he has also successfully sired a litter of puppies. Each one of them so like him in personality. 

He was born a free spirit and has remained that way his whole life. I aspire to be more like Meeko. I wouldn't change a single thing about him. My life has been infinitely better by having him in it. The best part of my day is always coming back home to his excited cuddles. 

Our Lappy journey has transformed our lives - meeting Simon and Lou when they were manning the Discover Dogs booth in 2011 meant we would become part of the Lappy family.   We were looking for something like a border terrier but fell in love with the beauty, character and loyalty of a Lappy.

The following year Simon told us that a black-tri Honeybears puppy needed a home and 8 weeks later Harri came to live with us.  He is literally like a brother to our son who had just started school at the time.

Harri is wise, independent, loves his toys and his food and has never harmed a fly.  What a wonderful dog he is - aged 11.5 yrs old he is still full of life and up to some of his tricks!

We never imagined getting another one but Simon suggested it one meeting at Oxford Services (as you do!). And so with great excitement we waited for our Lumikoira pup and on Feb 3rd 2018 he was born, one of 2 pups to Lola.  

Emma and Rob were drawn to Kimi and we were drawn to the cream - who we named Sebbe, short for Sebastian, not Finnish (note to Pip, don't tell all the famous Finnish people called Sebbe that) but just loved the name!

Sebbe has been and continues to be our  baby and is affectionately known as the prince. He is so soppy and loving.

  He is actually better on recall than Harri, gallops through the woods with such agility and like many a Lappy has a fascination with squirrels - apologies to all on Wimbledon Common! 

What has been wonderful to watch is his love from day one for Harri - they absolutely adore each other and love to sleep together and play Lappy wrestling on an evening.  

Both boys love going to stay with Simon and Lou.  Interestingly Harri has bonded with Kassi and Sebbe adores his half sister Ohra - so they have connected with the dogs that look like them!  So thank you Simon and Lou we are forever grateful!

More photos of Sebbe can be seen here

I couldn't have found a better first dog than Inki. Intelligent, affectionate and easy to train – with a slight stubborn streak and humorous personality – she arrived full of confidence, already toilet trained and settled quickly into her new home.

She's quite content relaxing at home – with or without her humans – but she really comes alive outdoors. She's a great hiking companion and she loves joining me for canicross (a fantastic sport for anyone who loves running with their dog). I've recently tried her nose at mantrailing and also taken her paddleboarding.

There aren't many things (aside from swimming) that Inki won't do.

I came across Finnish Lapphunds when looking to welcome a dog in to my life and this stunning breed mesmerised me from the get go!

Finding Lumikoira and meeting Simon & Louise and their spirited dogs ignited a love for the Lappy breed that will never be extinguished.

I am so very grateful to have a Lappy of my own, which has enhanced my life for the better in so many ways, as living with a Lappy there is never a dull moment!

Welcoming Poppy nearly 6 years ago from Lumikoira was the best decision I ever made!

 Poppy is a wonderful dog with a delightful, charming and sometimes goofy temperament. Pops is my loyal companion and she is always a happy girlie with her beautiful grin and friendly loving nature!

If she was a human and I had to describe her personality, she would be kind, loyal, protective, thoughtful, generous, entertaining, intelligent, eager to please and a tad greedy! Poppy loves people and they love her! She has a way of persuading even the most nervous humans or those who aren’t particularly fond of dogs to adore her! She’s a very smart little dog and knows how to adapt to a human audience!

She adores other dogs too and is social butterfly! especially running about playing - her herding instinct sometimes kicks in and she loves to run rings round around a group of dogs often barking at first!

She loves all breeds both great and small, and as I live on site at a kennels, she gets to make plenty of friends throughout the year where she thrives playing in a group and this is often the highlight of her day.

She loves her independence too, and having a lovely sniffy mooching walk independently. She’s not such a fan of water and prefers to avoid muddy puddles which is an excellent trait in wetter weather too!

Her best friend is Belle my Maine Coon cat whom she is very protective of and loyal towards also, other than at feeding time where if she can steal a morsel of her fresh fish she will certainly try!

I have also seen her on a few occasions helping her fellow fluffy friend hunt mice where she can, either flushing them out of a hidey hole or blocking an exit for Belle to excel in the thrill of the hunt.

She likes to be by my side whenever possible and she picks up if I am worried or stressed and is very intuitive to human emotions - she will put her paw against me or try to get my attention to reassure me she is right there for me as my faithful friend.

I’ve always been a dog lover, but Henki is my first dog as an adult, and he is more than a dream come true.

He is my bestest friend in the world, always excited to see me after work and to join me on my next walking exploring adventure.

He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body, always smiling, friendly and keen to meet everyone and gentle with children. My son has grown up alongside him, always hugging and kissing him, and getting lots of licks and patience in return. He is my shadow at home, always following me from room to room.

Lappies are super intelligent and quickly learn new things, Henki has been known to open doors, cupboards and even turn keys to unlock doors!

He learns routines easily. And on intelligence, he puts his own head through his harness and turns himself side to side to have the clips done up, he can also unravel himself from going the wrong side of a lamppost.

He loves to play tug with toys and plays with me everyday just running and chasing him or jumping towards him, which gets him so excited he has to bark with joy.

That’s the only time he tends to bark, when he’s playing and having fun.

He likes to rearrange my quilt at any opportunity by digging and moving it, digging is fun! He digs in the garden and in the sand at the beach.

When you want to sit quietly he will sit with you for hours, but if you stop stroking him, he will quickly remind you by nudging you to keep going.

He loves to be brushed, sitting there proud as punch every grooming session, however, his tail is his pride and joy, and can only be touched on special occasions.

A single negative, he’s always wanted to be friends with the cat, but hasn’t managed to crack her yet, she still hisses him away, but that's maybe the cat rather than Henki.

Xena is Amy's husband Callum's best friend. They are completely devoted to each other. She has a beautiful, charismatic personality; full of life and energy and she LOVES people.

She is very emotionally sensitive to her people and knows when anyone is in need of a hug, kiss, a laugh or just some soothing presence.

All our dogs have lived with and been amazing with our cats, but Xena in particular is incredibly fond of them; so gentle and affectionate.

As a very young puppy Xena immediately took to life as a therapy dog, taking after her mummy and auntie, and has always been brilliant with our Max.

On walks she is a natural hunter and a bit of a herder which has been ... entertaining at times to say the least!

But she is very fun and she loves playing with her friends and especially loves a good wrestle with her mummy Sura and auntie Sassi.

There are some more photos of Xena, including some with Sura and Sassi, here

Isla is our first dog and we are just so overjoyed with being blessed with Isla.

She is so beautiful, she gets stopped all the time and showered with compliments, our families are in complete awe of her but nobody loves her as much as we do.

She has such a great temperament, really playful but so soft, obedient although she still has some sort of obsession with tissue paper, so loving and showers you with affection every day and honestly just the sweetest.  She has made us very happy and our home complete.

Sharon and Jay

You can see some more photos of Isla here