Both the revision of rules for elk hunting trials and the implementation of Hirvenhaukut trials, an annual national elk hunting championship competition, were significant milestones for the development of the Karelian Bear Dog. The use of the breed for elk hunting and attendance in trials increased, even though registration numbers hit a low point in the mid 1960's. Individuals that showed exemplary working traits, such as Pete and Murri from Sweden, broke preconceptions about the breed being bad at elk work.
The executive committee for the Finnish Spitz Association, Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö, decided in 1958 to revise the rules for elk hunting trials to facilitate breeding of working dogs as well as to increase activity regarding trials, with the goal of obtaining much needed information for selective breeding. Ahto Virrankoski was appointed to take responsibility over this task and the work was completed in time for it to be approved by the annual general meeting in 1957. Rikhard Sotamaa made a proposal to the Finnish Kennel Club’s council on 13th April 1956 to implement a national Hirvenhaukut championship trial for Karelian Bear Dogs. The proposal was however tabled. Heikki Kirra kept promoting the cause in a form of a written proposal, that applied to all Nordic elkhound breeds, to the 1957 annual general meeting of the Finnish Spitz Association. The proposal was approved with reservations and the executive committee was assigned with further development.
Under leadership of Jaakko Simonlinna, the chair of the Finnish Spitz Association, Kirra’s proposal was revised to apply on the Karelian Bear Dog and development of a domestic elkhound. Antti Tanttu and Rikhard Sotamaa marked out the goals and execution of this competition to be strongly for breeding purposes. The Finnish Kennel Club’s council approved the rules for the Hirvenhaukut championship trial for Karelian Bear Dogs on 11th May 1957. The first championship trial was held later that same year, on 10th and 11th November in Huittinen. Panu (5031 A), owner Heikki Kirra, was crowned as the first Hirvikuningas. The title literally translates to Elk King.
The Karelian Bear Dog’s ability to bark at elk and its heritability – Tanttu’s data evidence
In order to create a base for development of elk barking traits, Professor Antti Tanttu researched in 1945–1958 all bear dogs awarded at elk hunting trials, their trial performances, and pedigrees. The aim of the research was to establish, based on this data, whether it is possible to make impartial conclusions about the ability to bark at elk and the heritability of this trait.
During 1945–1958, bear dogs had gained 119 results entitling for a prize in elk hunting trials. These dogs included 63 different individuals, of which 23 had gained several different prizes. 30 dogs had gained a demanding first prize. With this statistical analysis, Tanttu stated to have simply overturned the common idea that a bear dog cannot hunt elk. To establish the heritability of elk barking traits, Tanttu also drew up pedigrees for all 63 prize-winning dogs. In the summary of his study, Tanttu stated that only eight prize-winning dogs did not have the influence of Antti Herrala’s progenitor Jeppe present in their pedigrees. Of course, Jeppe did not have any results from trials, but the fact that Jeppe was sentenced to death by the court because of his good elk barking skills can be considered as strong evidence of this trait. The court found that it was endangering the “state’s cattle”.
In addition to progenitor Jeppe, other males that have had an influence on elk barking skills include Jeppe’s son, model dog Töpö, as well as Töpö’s sons Kiho-Tuisku, Kiho-Myrsky, Kiho-Hiisi, Herjan Teppo, and Herjan Nalle, or some of the sons of Töpö’s full brother Möttö. In most pedigrees, these dogs appear several times since strong inbreeding had to be done when breeding from a very small number of dogs. Viljo Kivikko’s Selki appeared in the pedigree of 44 awarded dogs, Tuusik in 36, the first double champion Kyttä in 24, and the completely black Mischa from southern Olonets in 14. Prokko (11104/X), son of Selki and Saida, was, despite his young age, in the pedigrees of more than 10 prize-winning dogs, including Santtu (4386/56 J, owner A. Ahola).
Due to the irregular distribution of data, Tanttu found that he could not reach the goal of his study, in other words make any impartial conclusions about the heritability of elk barking skills. He did however state the following:
“We have been able to maintain the will and ability to bark at elk, passed down from ancient times, in Karelian Bear Dogs. The newcomers of the 1940’s have been mated to the old population. These matings have fit the purpose and resulted in hunting traits to commonly appear in the progeny.”
From the results, it could be seen that six of Selki’s, four of Kyttä’s, three of Prokko’s, and two of Tuusik’s first-generation offspring had already been included in the list of prize-winning dogs.
Pete – a dog that could work all day long
At Hirvenhaukut championships held in Oulu, Vallinkorva forestry school in 1959, the two-year-old, tricolour male Pete (1190/57) turned up to the trials. Its handler was a hunter of large game, Heimo Rautava from Ilomantsi. At its first try, Pete barked its way to victory and gained the title of Hirvikuningas. Pete cleared its path to the championship trials altogether five times. It barked a first-prize result altogether 13 times and countered allegations about Karelian Bear Dogs not being able to bark all day long.
At the Vallinkorva trials in 1959, where Pete achieved the title of Hirvikuningas, the day was however cut short upon judge’s decision. Pete was seeking for one hour and 5 minutes, until it found elk at 9.25. At first, the bark was partly steady, partly moving. Helge Saarikoski, chief judge of the trial, came within sight from the elk at 9.59 together with the dog’s owner, and saw Pete luring the elk towards the group. It advanced backwards leading the elk and barked calmly at the elk’s muzzle. The pair came as close as 40 metres from the group and Pete held the elk at bay with a steady bark. Visuri, who served as a guide at the trial, asked for permission to make a shot. However, the chief judge found that a shot would be relevant only after the dog had held the elk at bay for two hours. At 11.30, he gave permission, and a shot was fired but missed the elk. The elk ran away in full speed and Pete ran after it. The group tracked the pair for six kilometres without noticing any blood tracks on the way. Pete reported to the group at 13.15 and was put on lead upon judge’s decision, and the trial was ended.
Pete was an excellent hunting dog, and, thanks to its pushy temperament, it also barked at bear. It passed down its working traits well to its offspring. This can be proven by the fact that by 1968, four of Pete’s sons from different regional districts had participated in the Hirvenhaukut championships. Usvan Sissi (3146/61, owner Veikko Mielonen) from the eastern district became a two-time winner of Hirvenhaukut championships. Other Pete’s offspring to have participated include Töpö Syti from the eastern district, Usvan Peku from the southern district, and Prikku from the western district.
Murri from Sweden – the most expensive dog in the Finnish Karelian Bear Dog history
Heikki Jeronen from Karijoki had a bobtailed male name Murri (2617/55 H, sire Jeppe) that showed promise already at a young age. It made its first two kills at the age of seven months. The man’s trust in his dog is well described by the fact that when Jeronen took Murri to its first trials in Laihia, he announced that Murri would take results in both open and winner class on the same day. This would also have been the case if the rules only had allowed it. To its appearance, the dog was of certificate quality and able to become a double champion. Therefore, men of means were very interested in the dog.
Murri had already 33 kills in its records when it was sold to Sweden at the age of three years. It went to J. Blom‘s kennel av Jobs, mentioned to be the largest Karelian Bear Dog kennel in the world, having sold 1026 Karelian Bear Dog puppies by the beginning of 1959. The dog had been found to be a gifted one as regards to keeping elk at bay. Lauri Vuolasvirta, who served as a breeding advisor, did everything in his power to find a Finnish buyer for Murri to not lose a valuable, top-class male to Dalarna in Sweden. However, for the price Blom paid for the dog, a Finnish farmer was able to buy a much-needed tractor including farming implements. Murri ended up as a breeding sire at kennel av Jobs. When Vuolasvirta visited Murri in Dalarna in 1959, the well-ran kennel had 30 Karelian Bear Dog females that were not used for hunting. When visiting, six females had litters sired by Murri. Even though Murri became a double champion also in Sweden, its breeding merits remained weak in Sweden, as the emphasis there was in producing handsome country house dogs. Losing Murri weighed on the minds of Finnish bear dog enthusiasts, resulting in Eero Peiponen (kennel Peiron) repurchasing Murri in 1960 by trading it for the stunningly beautiful double champion Jepen Jeri, who had also competed in the Hirvenhaukut championships in 1958. After that, Murri was used extensively for breeding in Finland, and it was still a good hunting dog even in old age.
In a main picture on the left Selki, on the right Saida and between them their puppy Ontro.
The text is a passage from historical texts written by Eila Lautanen, published in the 80th Anniversary History of the Finnish Spitz Association, Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö – Finska Spetsklubben ry. It was published in 2018.
Photographs are from the collections of the Finnish Kennel Foundation and the Hunting Museum of Finland.
When asking Missi’s owner Tommi what made Missi the dog it was, after having achieved everything that can be achieved, Tommi replied without hesitation: “Intelligence, and of course a strong hunting drive”.
On 5th November 2006, Härkä-puron Emilia (FIN22041/01) gave birth to a litter of nine bear dog puppies in Aulis Aho’s kennel Kuohukorven. The sire of the litter was double champion Peräsalon Pete (FIN39798/01). The focus in breeding in this kennel was on well-functioning females; these must be found in the pedigree for at least five generations as an unbroken chain. Using bear-barking sires strengthen the healthy temperament and strong character of the offspring. “If a dog barks at bear, it also barks at elk” says Aulis.
In the meantime, Tommi Ruokosuo from Anjala had, based on his background with Finnish Spitz and in elk hunting, decided to acquire a Karelian Bear Dog as his first elkhound, and contacted the breed club for suggestions. Jorma Tahkola, based on his experience and after listening to the situation, guided Tommi to contact Aulis Aho. Aulis recommended that Tommi would take a female as his first bear dog, and Kuohukorven Missi was therefore registered as Tommi Ruokosuo’s dog on 23rd January 2007.
Unbroken trust
Many things fell naturally into place during Missi’s puppyhood. As Tommi worked a three-shift job, he collected the puppy a little later, waiting for a longer time off work in order to spend the first days full-time at home with the puppy. Since the puppy came during winter, outside pens had not yet been built and Missi spent a lot of time inside with people. All of this made the man and his dog imprint on each other right from the start, forming a foundation for seamless co-operation and trust. Of course, a couple of sofas had to be exchanged when the new family member was still looking for its boundaries. In puppyhood, obedience training was a daily part of Missi’s everyday life. When asking for recall, the intelligent puppy immediately learned that it had to come when asked. Precision in this, as in all other training, must be exceptionless; this way, the dog has a clear and safe environment to exist in. It knows what is expected of it. Missi was taken to her outside pen every day without a lead.
The obedience that was achieved could later be seen for instance at championship trial award ceremonies, where Missi, despite other dogs that were awarded and big crowds, was off lead under Tommi’s guidance, listening to its master’s wishes. The trust between them was flawless, and their relationship was in perfect order.
Impeccable obedience and controllability
According to Tommi, obedience training must be done somewhere else than in the forest. A puppy’s obedience must be on a level where the handler is a 100 % sure of success before doing a recall in the forest for the first time. Before that, one should rather not ask for recall at all; even just one unsuccessful recall can make the dog think that it does not matter whether it obeys in the woods or not. Obedience must also be continuously maintained by training it daily.
The work that was put in when Missi was a puppy paid off in the 67 elk hunting trials of Missi’s career: when elk was found, one could except full points for cooperation to be marked in the trial records. For Missi, obedience had been trained to perfection. When the dog was called away by a whistle at the end of a trial period, it was unnecessary to put it back on the lead, even in the forest – it followed its master back to the car off lead. At the Hirvenhaukut championships in 2012 in Kaavi, judge Jarno Heikkinen was very impressed when the GPS started to show that Missi was advancing towards an unwanted farm and Tommi steered his dog towards another direction only by whistling.
The same is known to have happened in 2013 at the Hirvenhaukut championships in Posio, when Missi was advancing towards a reindeer farm in Kuusamo. At the trials in Kiiminki, the whistle reportedly worked from a distance of more than 900 metres. Guiding Missi away from reindeer is a great example of the intelligence of both the dog and its master. When the dog was younger, it also followed reindeer more than enough. Tommi had always brought up the matter with Missi immediately when it happened with a loud enough voice, but no: the next time the dog was let off lead and it came across reindeer, off it went again.
One time, Tommi followed Missi through the GPS, guessing that it was following reindeer, and noticed the pair was coming towards him. The man stayed quietly waiting and a reindeer indeed jogged past right next to him. After a while, Missi came from behind and seemed to have a good time. The dog however noticed the man, stopped, and looked at him as if it wanted to find out what he thought of it all. Tommi asked with a calm voice: “Are you seriously going after a reindeer?” Missi went to its master, got a pat on the back and was guided back to the woods into the same direction where the reindeer had gone. After a while, it started barking at elk and after this, Missi never went after reindeer again. Raising the voice had not helped but when being kindly asked whether the dog was serious, Missi stopped running after reindeer. Tommi and Missi have completely wrecked the ingrained idea that teaching too many “manners” is harmful for hunting work.
Tommi finds that Missi’s early maturity suffered from Tommi’s lack of experience, and Missi was forced to proceed on its own. He also thinks that he was unable to take the puppy to the right places, in other words places where elks naturally spent time. During the first autumn in 2007, no barking at elk was heard, even though the GPS and snow tracks showed that the puppy had found elk. Missi only guarded a flock of five elks and hanged out with them. The dog occasionally reported back to Tommi only to return to guard the elk. It also caught a runaway elk but did not give off any sound. In this situation, the unshakeable support of an experienced breeder was necessary: “She has shown interest towards elk – she will give off sound eventually, just wait until next autumn…”
In the autumn 2008, when Missi was one year and 10 months of age and was wearing a GPS tracker, Tommi was roasting sausages by a campfire with his son. Missi was running about and all of a sudden, a series of barks rang out. Tommi started wondering aloud to his son, is that our dog? It was indeed – after a few more series of barks Missi came towards with an elk cow and its calf, which the dog managed to stop about half a kilometre away. Then, sound started to come: Missi held the elk at bay for two hours, after which Tommi asked Missi to come and made the elk run away. Missi stopped the elk successfully and barked again for more than two hours, after which a recall was made, and the elk ran away. After five hours of work, Missi came back from work, called by a whistle. Minds were filled with anticipation on the way back home.
Missi’s trial career – five-time winner of Hirvenhaukut championships and two 100-point-results
Missi barked her first trial on 31st December 2008 (HIRV1, 87,5 points) and the last one on 15th December 2017 (HIRV1, 76,5 points). Juha Pilli, the then chief of Tommi’s hunting group with experience in grey elkhounds, saw Missi working and encouraged the pair to attend a trial. The unexperienced dog man’s threshold to fight against the clock at a trial was lowered even further when Pilli arranged the whole first trial day. He got another judge and attended as the second one himself. Real elkhound enthusiast work where the breed is nothing but a minor detail.
Missi’s trial career, that went on for ten years, consists of 67 starts of which the most significant include five Hirvenhaukut championship wins in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. In 2014, Missi won the trials with a result of a full 100 points. On the second day at the Hirvenhaukut championship trials in question, strong evidence of the dog’s perseverance to follow elk was seen. Chief judge Heikki Länsimäki drove off the elk that Missi then followed for 23,5 kilometres, finally catching it five minutes after the trial period had ended. The result was however HIRV1, 79,5 points.
Missi worked a second full 100-point result on 9th October 2013. Missi won its first Hirvikuningatar (literally translates to Elk Queen) championship title in 2010 and the second one in 2011. The victory of the Nordic elk hunting match was taken in 2014. A significant win for the Karelian Bear Dog breed was Missi’s last championship victory at the age of 10 years, 95-point result from the Seniorihaukut championship trials for senior dogs in 2016.
Missi is an International, Nordic, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian working champion. Together with Tommi, it has visibly promoted the Karelian Bear Dog’s rise as a breed both in Finland and abroad. Missi has completed successfully both elk tracking and bear hunting trials. It also completed the competition Idän sitkeä suurriistakoira (literally translates to Tough Large Game Hunting Dog of the East), where its total work time was nine hours and 54 minutes.
Allowing elk hunting again in 1933 after conservation efforts that had taken place in Finland made it possible to test dogs with an interest in elk. Initially, there were only a few trials per year, so testing the breeding material was of very little significance. The early enthusiasm for the breed that was formed in 1946 was strong but began to fade out by the late 1950's due to disappointing results. Only a few dogs in the population could be classified as good elkhounds. Testing dogs progressed slowly due to the small number of trials and kills. Excessive focus on appearance also threatened to hinder the breed's development of becoming a good working dog. Eventually, many enthusiasts advocated strongly and with flying pens in defence of the working traits of our domestic, large game hunting dog.
The first rules for elk hunting trials were approved on 22nd May 1943 and the first elk hunting trial was held in Kitee on 3rd and 4th November 1945. Dogs that participated in that trial were Kyttä, Saida, and Selki. The second trials were held in Kytäjä on 26th and 27th October 1946. The participants were Musti, Ahmon Nalle, and Selki. It wasn’t until around 1955 that there were about ten trials per year, but since the elk population remained low and the terrain was vast, only a few dogs could be accepted to participate in each trial.
This situation is well illustrated by the fact that it took five years for the breed’s first double champion, Kyttä, to earn its champion title due to the limited number of trials. Kyttä obtained its first first-prize result already at the first trial in Kitee, Eastern Finland in 1945, but achieved the third result required for the working champion title only in 1950 at trials held in Oulu, Northern Finland. Kyttä’s owner was forced to travel quite long distances with vehicles of the time to take Kyttä to trials, as he lived in Laukaa, Central Finland. Testing the breeding material progressed very slowly since there was a limited number of trials and a low number of kills made in practical hunting situations. This made it impossible to do strict enough breeding selection between good and bad breeding material, which hindered the development of a working dog population with a good hunting drive.
Kyttä’s double champion titles a jackpot for the young breed
Kyttä (1170/X) got his first trial result at the first ever elk hunting trial held in Kitee in 1945. However, the third result required for the working champion title was only achieved in Oulu in 1950. According to Major Olli Korhonen, who served as chief judge and Kyttä’s field judge at that trial, the dog sought well; after taken it off the lead, the search went on for 40 minutes and the dog located elk after 57 minutes on its second search round. Three elks ran away with Kyttä going after them in moving bark, finally making them stay at bay for 65 minutes. Kyttä’s owner Rikhard Sotamaa and businessman Hyry, who served as the second judge, saw the elks, but the shooter at the trial, Director Mehtälä, managed to make them run away when trying for a kill. Kyttä followed the runaway elks for about a kilometre but reported back to the group and returned to work once it had made sure that its master was still in the game. During the trial period, the dog followed runaway elks for a total of 8 kilometres, and a steady bark was heard for about three hours. Working like this, the dog would be successful even with modern day rules for elk hunting trials. However, one must remember that this was the son of Antti Herrala‘s Ukko (dam: Winkka, owner Vilho Pajatso, Salmi).
Kyttä becoming a double champion was considered to have happened mostly because of the dog’s natural gifts. Doctor Rikhard Sotamaa’s (kennel Reijon) work as a dog trainer was also credited, but the dog’s frequent use in practical elk hunting was not considered. Kyttä’s champion title gave the breed much needed recognition at the right time and was noticed visibly. The Finnish Kennel Club’s first Executive Director V.I.Mikkonen wrote three pages in the club’s publication, writing for instance:
“When we consider our extensive hound population and the lively trial activities for hounds, or the increased number of working dog trials, it is understandable that we get breeding jackpots such as double champions – dogs where excellent working traits have been combined with a great appearance. Having already had a dog, that is of high international class both to its type and construction and a hunting dog for the most majestic big game in Europe, the elk, rise from our youngest domestic breed is one of those achievements that strengthen our faith in Finnish breeding work. Only those who have hunted elk with dogs or have served as field judge at elk hunting trials can truly understand what it means to become a working champion based on elk hunting trials. The number of trials held is low for the time being, there is not much game and the game that is available is shy, smart, has good senses, is able to move long distances in a fast pace and often lives in difficult terrain. Chance does not play with external conditions in any other trial form in the same way as it does in elk hunting trials” (Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine 12/1950, pages 445–447)
Mikkonen was one of our first elk trial judges and judged for instance Selki in Kytäjä in 1946.
Quick increase and decrease in registrations
In 1951, the number of registrations exceeded a hundred for the first time, 106 registrations. The numbers continued to increase and finally exceeded 1000 registrations in 1963. A massive decrease followed in the mid 1960’s when the numbers dropped in half. The breed’s situation shifted depending on how one looked at it: the appearance developed promisingly as it was the main focus in breeding, but results regarding working traits were weak and the hunting drive was low. The suitability to be recorded in the breed registry was measured only at dog shows, where the dog had to receive one first or second prize, or two third prizes from different judges. The spiral dive of the breed was sped up by the increased number of show line breeders, who had no interest in developing traits of a working dog. Lauri Vuolasvirta, an authority figure in dog breeding who also served as breeding advisor for Karelian Bear Dogs, brought up this problem in his article “Guidelines for breeding Karelian Bear Dogs”, published in the Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine 12/1952:
“When considering the breed’s future, aspects regarding appearance should be put aside for a while. Instead, we should try our best to salvage the hunting blood that can now be found in the best working dogs of the breed and put it to use in all individuals.”
A stronger elk population and the fact that hunting had become more common increased the demand for suitable elkhounds. The Karelian Bear Dog did not convince back then, resulting in importation and breeding of alternative Nordic breeds. As the number of Karelian Bear Dog registrations decreased in the mid 1960’s, only the most passionate, long-time bear dog enthusiasts and kennels were left to do the work with a clear goal of building a working dog. Erkki Hyttinen summarized the situation in the Finnish Spitz Association’s 20-year-anniversery publication in 1958:
“What is needed is more and more hard workers, workers who feel responsible for the continuous development of the breed so that the majority of individuals are also used as working dogs” (SPJ 20-year-anniversery publication, page 134).
Competitive elkhound, or only a beautiful show champion and companion dog?
The Finnish Kennel Club’s Board discussed in January 1954 the possibility to remove trial result requirements from Karelian Bear Dogs that competed in winner class in dog shows, and to grant show champion titles without requiring trial results. This decision would have resulted in transferring Karelian Bear Dogs to the companion dog class and made breeders and enthusiasts of working bloodlines to come to a quite direct attack. The discussion was started by M.Sc. (Eng) Ahto Virrankoski, who bred dogs under the kennel name Pöyröön and owned several champion dogs, including Pöyröön Romulus (1462/53) and the first Karelian Bear Dog working champion female Pöyröön Mörkö. Virrankoski wrote down his thoughts which were published in the Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine no. 4/1954:
“I doubt that barely anyone finds that the situation mentioned in the title promotes dog breeding. Eliminating trial result requirements is a big step backwards. It shows lack of faith. Have we done everything in our power to cherish and develop working traits of Karelian Bear Dogs, so that there are strong solid grounds for giving up this work? This writer dares to say that the breeding of working traits in Karelian Bear Dogs has hardly even started. The Karelian Bear Dog has a majestic appearance and is a fashionable figure, and has therefore spread to circles where there is no intention of using it for hunting. People have tried to hunt with an untrained dog and have failed miserably, which has then led to destruction of the breed’s reputation as a hunting dog. A huntsman needs a dog that is useful, for hunting game in particular. What actions have been taken to correct the situation? Actions have been taken indeed. It has been decided that the maximum height of a Karelian Bear Dog female is 55 cm, whereas the maximum height for a male is 61 cm. We have also learned to check from the coat if the dog is a true champion individual. We must, with force and haste, appreciate more those dogs that are of use also in the forest. In shows, the interests of working dogs have been taken care of with working class, which is also meant to be changed to benefit hunting. Breeding working dogs must also be taken further to Progeny and Breeder’s classes. In other words: we must force the producers of working dogs to cherish working traits. If this is not enough, let’s send year after year men who show only show stars to the yearly specialty shows for bear dogs. Now that the brakes are off, it is a suitable time to start the real work for breeding working dogs.”
Other passionate and devoted writers who spoke on behalf of working bear dogs include Viljo Kivikko, Rikhard Sotamaa, Jaakko Simonlinna and Pekka Luoto as well as Antti Tanttu. Erkki Ahmo (kennel Ahmon), the breeder of for instance Ahmon Vorna (owner Viljo Kivikko), wrote about bear dog female Tuija. When Tuija was under 8 months old, it put five black grouse at bay for successful kills and was also used to retrieve mallards. It met its first elk at the age of nine months and started barking. The article undermined the conception of bear dogs lacking in hunting drive and finding it only after becoming more mature. (The Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine 2/1954, pages 39–47) Even Antti Herrala himself took the pen and wrote a letter to the editors of the Finnish Kennel Club’s magazine 2/1955:
“…Some writers have lately started to criticize this ancient good hunting dog. People have also started to avoid bobtailed dogs, as if they had less hunting drive in comparison with dogs that have full-length tails.”
The text is a passage from historical texts written by Eila Lautanen, published in the 80th Anniversary History of the Finnish Spitz Association, Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö – Finska Spetsklubben ry. It was published in 2018. Oral history: Esko Nummijärvi
Photographs are from the collections of the Finnish Kennel Foundation and the Hunting Museum of Finland.
My hobby has brought a lot of meaning to my life. In addition to bear dogs, I had one Finnish Spitz named Jenkki. I got it as a puppy from Vainikkala. Its sire was show champion Vili, dam Veera. It also barked at elk and was awarded a certificate at a dog show.
I have seen many kinds of dogs in trials and learned different things from them. My hobby has made it possible for me to follow the different phases of Karelian Bear Dogs over time. Males have always been a bit prioritized. In my youth, females had the part and roles of ‘mothers’. Today, there are good hunting females in almost every district.
I think it is spectacular that new, young dog enthusiasts are raised by gifting them puppies.
Not one of the dogs I have seen and experienced has been a bad one. Each of them is just one of a kind, just like us people.
Us dog enthusiasts have different emphasis in what makes a good dog. One example of this is the determination the dog barks and follows game with. Heikki Kauppinen from Ilomantsi once got to the point: “Today, a clock is not enough to follow a dog. You must have a calendar with you”.
I received a letter, dated 27th December 1957, from Heimo Rautava. I cite a part of it here: South of Käenkoski in Ilomantsi, a wolf had been shot on the road with a rifle. A hound and a bear dog did not follow the tracks. The men came to pick me up from Hattuvaara. Three hours had passed since the shot was fired. When I took Usvan Juri and Mukka to the track, they started eagerly pulling. I kept the dogs on leads. It was late evening, pitch black dark and raining. After having tracked for a while, Juri yanked heavily on the lead. I let the dogs loose. A bark started and stopped moving. Juri nibbled from the back, Mukka from behind. The wolf would have killed one dog. The wolf was shot.
The next morning, Juri’s son Mukka started a bark. I assumed from the tone of the bark that it was an elk. It was a bear. Bear hunt had ended the night before.” With kind regards, Heimo
I have much experience of a bear dog’s intelligence. My best experience of this happened in 1968 in Säkylä at the national Hirvenhaukut championships. I had Jouko Engelberg as my judging buddy.
On Saturday, we had had Usvan Peku, owner Alpo Harala, bark at an elk that attempted to harass the dog all the time.
On Sunday morning, we took Usvan Panu, owner Martti Suoknuutti, to the same terrain as yesterday. I told the guide that we should go a wider circle at first so that we can see how the dog seeks and in what range.
Panu found an elk near the same spot as on Saturday. We listened to a new fight. Sounds of banging and crashing were heard from the bog. After a couple of hours, the barking sounds came closer to the group. We were standing on a ridge, where there was an old clear-cut. A few large pines grew sparsely. Each group member hid behind their pine tree when we saw Panu moving the elk.
The dog teased the elk and lured it to follow. The elk came up towards us, as it was walked on a lead. I stood still behind my pine tree when the elk passed by from about 10 metres away. Then it stopped about 15 metres away, with its rear end towards me. After a while, Panu came to me, looked me in the eye and poked my knee. The bark continued and the dog went to the next group member. Each group member was woken up: “Well shoot already, the animal is right in front of you”.
Then the elk took off. We heard distant barking. Panu reported back and was put on lead. We gave it 98 points, which chief judge Erkki Kainua approved of. Usvan Panu won its first Hirvenhaukut championship title.
Reino Kotro has told me stories of similar skills of his Hirvenhaukut championship winner Musti.
When I go on walks with Opri here in Järvenpää, Southern Finland, every once in a while, someone asks if my dog is a Karelian Bear Dog. Sometimes, Opri gets admiring comments.
Many spectacular experiences would be missing from my life if I had not been involved in dog sports for these 60 years.
I believe that, at least in part, it has been thanks to my dogs that I have remained active and found joy in nature. However, I no longer enjoy going berry-picking as much, but listening to the bark of a Karelian Bear Dog is like listening to music.
Jouko Mutanen sent a letter, dated on 13th March 2016, to the Pystykorva magazine. The letter was published with his permission:
“Today, on 13th March 2016, we had a sad day. A tumour was found on Opri’s neck. We found the situation to be so difficult that we decided to put Opri to sleep. It would have turned 13 years in two weeks.
In memory of my Karelian Bear Dogs, I would like to add a few verses from “Rainbow bridge” (writer unknown):
“Pets that have been especially close to someone go to the Rainbow Bridge after they pass away. There, they can run and play together. The sick and the old regain their health and vitality. There is just one small thing: each of them misses someone they had to leave behind.
The day will come when one stops and looks into the distance. Suddenly, it begins to run away from the group, flying faster and faster over the green grass. You look once more into your pet’s trusting eyes, which were no longer in your life but never out of your heart.
Then, you cross the Rainbow Bridge together.”
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
Finally, a couple incidents from elk hunting trials that I find to be special and funny.
We were at Kangasniemi at the national Hirvenhaukut championship trials. When we came to the terrain and got to the place where the trial was going to take off, the dog owner took a rifle from his car. The group judge asked what the purpose of the rifle was. The owner replied: ”My dog doesn’t bark if I don’t have a gun with me”. We talked over the situation and checked that the owner did not carry any cartridges.
The weather was moist, and wet snow was falling down. The dog quickly started barking but stayed put. The group judge told me: ”Go see what it’s barking at”. The bushes were really thick. I saw from the snow tracks that the dog was barking at a female elk and its calf. I got right next to the three of them. I took my boots off and sneaked up closer, only wearing socks on my feet. The elks suddenly took off. We followed the tracks. The animals had swum across the river that was lightly covered by ice. There was a boat on the bank of the river, almost full of water. We emptied it and started paddling along the channel made by the elks. Soon we noticed that the boat had a leak. It was more than half full of water when we came to the other side. The dog ran after the elk and got a good result. Once the trial was over, the guide said: “Well, now we have a long way back to the car”.
I officiated as chief judge at the Uusimaa district championship elk hunting trials. When formalities had been taken care of in the morning, we noticed that one dog was missing a judge. I was wearing casual clothes and a long autumn coat. Since the dog competed in open class, I may as well judge it by myself. I asked the dog owner: “Do you have boots I could borrow?”
We went to an old mansion, and I got myself proper footwear from there. When the barking started, I wondered how I would manage in the thick forest in my long coat. In due time, the dog found the elk that was quietly moving between the trees. Then, the dog kept the elk at bay for a long time and I decided to approach them. Under the cover of trees, I got so close that I saw the elk and the dog. The dog wiggled its bobtail and looked at me. I carefully waived my hand at it. The elk noticed me move and jumped on a high, smooth stone and landed on its stomach. Now the dog attacked it. Off they went, with speed. The elk ran around in the forest that was familiar to it, and the dog persistently followed.
When the trial performance was over, I told the dog owner – after seeing an old American classic car move on the road of the trial terrain – “looked like your father kept an eye on that the elk so it wouldn’t run too far away”. I think the trial still went quite according to rules.
At the Hirvenhaukut championship trials in Kokkola, we were near Kannus at the edge of a large bog area. We let Usvan Killi loose in the terrain. After a few minutes, we heard barking that immediately started to move further away. There was plenty of snow, so the tracks were easy to follow. When we had walked for about an hour, we came to an islet. The group judge stated that the dog owner had said that the dog did not report back. We made a campfire and sat down all day in the cold. Back then, there were no GPS devices or mobile phones. As the evening darkened, we returned to the car. We were leaving when I saw something flash by the car. We took Pörri into the car. It had made a long trip towards us. We took the dog to Kokkola. Pörri laid on the car seat and held its head on my lap. In Kokkola, we found out that Pörri’s group had in turn brought Killi to the trial centre.
I judged Pörri a couple of times. It was a very nice and social dog. Niilo Salmi kept it often off lead in the place we were staying at.
At the Hirvenhaukut championships in Hyytiälä, we ended up in the terrains in Kuru. A guide was found near the trial area. When we arrived, he announced that he would not have the time to stay all day. My judging buddy Jouko Ahtiainen talked to the man. The guide drew up a map of some sort on a cigarette packet. “Make sure that you don’t go over the Tampere-Parkano train tracks”.
The dog we judged was not really in a mood to bark, so we stayed well on the ‘map’. Chief judge Heimo Rautava did however roll his eyes when I told him how the day went.
In Kauvatsa, Satakunta we judged Pete’s son who was one that moved a lot. Its name was Prikk, if I remember correctly. From the looks of things, the dog owner was a ‘sports man’. We ran after the dog all day long. No elk was found but instead, three abandoned moonshine distilleries in different terrains. “This day was a bit dry”, we stated after having returned to the car.
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
I had found a great place for lingonberry picking close to the bordering zone. Next to us was a large bog, with a small islet about 300 metres away. Opri was somewhere. I went to the bog and saw that a bear had gone towards the islet. You could see morning faeces and a dent on the ground where the bear had slept. The bear had gone west. I knew that there would be a great place for the beast to hide about a kilometre away.
Opri went after the track. Barking was soon heard. We followed the tracks and waited about a hundred meters away. The animal was apparently moving when Opri changed locations. After an hour, I circled closer and saw the bear go across an old forest road. Opri returned after 15 minutes.
Next spring, I took Opri for a run, again towards the boarder. The headwind was strong, and I walked my bike up a hill. Suddenly, Opri stopped with its fur standing up, sniffing intensely for a scent. We stood still for a while. Opri was like a stone statue. Suddenly, about 20 metres away, a figure cautiously stood up. I was certain that a reindeer had woken up. When the figure kept on rising, I saw that it was a small bear. I flinched a bit, what if it had cubs. What would happen. The animal stood up for maybe 15 seconds, turned around and disappeared.
One spring, Opri took me and my brother in a harness to a female elk with its probably newborn calf. The mother behaved in a way that made us back off. My brother caught a good picture of the situation.
Opri was the best mover of all my dogs. It made very long search rounds. I had to get it a GPS to know where it was moving. It was a pity that it got ill at such a young age. It recovered quickly from the surgery. The veterinarian advised me to spare the dog from too long performances. I did not take Opri to the forest after surgery if I knew other dogs would be joining the hunt. It became aggressive if another dog came up to me. I wandered around with Opri when the “main hunting gang” was taking a break. We went to hunt birds also on our days off.
I have researched Opri’s pedigree carefully on the computer from the Finnish Kennel Club’s digital breeding database. Dogs that can be found in my dog’s pedigree in the long run are the following:
Hirvikuninkuus championship winners:
Ahovaaran Milkboy 2 times
Huhtian Jehu 1 time
Pete 38 times
Pörri 16 times
Rapsu 3 times
Roope 6 times
Rekku 3 times
Usvan Kirre 32 times
Usvan Kille 14 times
Usvan Panu 11 times
Usvan Killi 7 times
Usvan Kimi 10 times
Usvan Sissi 10 times
Usvan Jere 1 times
Panu 5 times
Murri 2 times
Hirvikungingattaruus championship winners:
Huikon Tupu 3 times
Jaana 1 time
Nätti 2 times
Kolmikuusen Nasku 1 time
Kaira 1 time
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
Usvan Mimmi had one special feature. At the cabin in Hossa, it started to carry alive pike from the lake to the porch. We did not know what to think of it. In the autumns, we were on rivers lurking at mallards. Mimmi was running around in the reed bed and suddenly, it carried a pike in its mouth. In other words, it had very primitive Karelian Bear Dog traits.
I picked up a new dog, Usvan Mari, from Veikko in Ihamaniemi. This happened during the school winter holiday, so our whole family came along to pick up our new ‘family member’. The weather was very cold, so Veikko was taking the puppies into the house. Mielonen had visited me for a couple of days during New Year’s, so we had gotten more acquainted, and he knew the conditions in which I kept my dogs.
I immediately paid attention to a perky little puppy that bravely defended itself while fighting for a bone. After half an hour, I said ”I’ll take that one”.
When we came home, Mari kept even Mimmi in check. Mari was unbelievably brave, persistent, and lively.
When Mari was 8 months old, I took it with me to Hossa. When I let it out from the car in the cape where our cabin was, it heard a dog bark from about 400 metres away. Mari rushed with rage to the end of the cape, swam across the river and drove the neighbour’s hound and spitz up on the roof of the doghouse. Then it returned the same route it had went, sat down on cabin stairs and looked over Iijärvi. It felt like Mari was thinking “Territory claimed”.
The next day, I shot a female capercaillie in the hiking area of Hossa with the help of Mari’s good bark. We slept the night, and, in the morning, I shot two mallards which Mari retrieved from the river. I had not yet taught it to retrieve.
After a few days, I took Mari to the eastern wilderness, less than ten kilometres from the Russian border. I knew that there were reindeer in the area, and wanted to see how the dog would react to them. Near the reindeer stable, I realised that the animals were inside of it. Mari rushed inside with rage and reindeer came out in panic from every opening. When the stable was empty, Mari sat down in front of an opening on the stable wall. It wiggled its tail and seemed to be asking: “Do you have more work for me, here I come!”
The resilience of Mari’s character is described by a funny incidence. We once travelled abroad for a week and took the dog to a kennel for that time. The owner told us that once we left, Mari started to immediately dig in the pen. It had dug deep holes, some of them all the way down to the lower level of the wall of the pen. The kennel keeper had fallen in one of the cavities when going inside the pen.
One time, a more special episode happened with Mari. I had a habit of going for a one-hour run in the Hiittenharju terrain before work. Dogs usually ran free and came with me back home. Mari sometimes ran after elk but returned then to our fenced yard. Even this time, I heard it bark, but the bark was still. During the morning report, I was told that a patient had gone missing during the night. I told the nurses to go see if Mari was still barking. This happened and guided by Mari, a dead patient was found.
In Harjavalta, large-hoofed elk with trouble moving began to be found in the forests behind the Kokemäki river. One time, Adam Mykkänen phoned me while I was the secretary of the wildlife management association, telling me that yet another dead and crippled elk was found on a field. I took Mari with me. The dog started to become angry with us when we went up to the elk. Already then, I thought that we will have trouble in elk hunting with Mari. And that is exactly what happened.
I went to Hossa with Mari for many autumns. Then, one summer I was informed that I had been chosen for a position at the hospital in Kellokoski, Tuusula, located in Southern Finland. I was not prepared for that. We were phased by a difficult question: what to do with the dogs? We could not take them to the city. Mimmi then went to a live on the yard of a large farmhouse. Adam Mykkänen took Mari, that then had at least one litter sired by Priha.
While living here in Järvenpää, Southern Finland, I judged elk hunting trials. You could see Karelian Bear Dogs, but mainly “grey” ones. I was also chief judge at the district championship trials. I once had one week’s worth of holiday days to use up. I used those days to judge alone six dogs in one week.
I was retired in the end of 1998. We moved into the suburbs. We started thinking about if we should still get another Karelian Bear Dog. The son of Usvan Kirre had been in the home of my now life partner in Polvijärvi.
In 2003, I went to Toivakka to pick up a six-month-old female Hirvikolun Netta. We started calling it Opri. Its sire was Jämäkän Retu and dam Huhtian Täplä. Retu was a double champion, Täplä a working champion (certificate from shows). The breeder said that the puppy had already gone after elk.
Opri had grown up in a calm country environment. In the beginning, it was a little confused over the sound of planes, for instance, but soon became adjusted to its new environment. The dog could choose to spend time on our yard all day long, if it wanted to.
The following May, we went to our cabin in Hossa. Once school had ended for the summer, my grandson joined me. Opri sneaked out from the door for a little runaway trip. We heard it barking some distance away and drove after it by car. A female elk was standing next to the road with its calves, the dog circling around them.
At the beginning of that autumn, Opri was barking at elk in our neighbour’s field. It was running after the elks but did not go after them over rivers or ponds. Later that same autumn, it started wandering in unpopulated terrain. It was not sensitive to large bogs or hilly wilderness. When we prepared for elk hunting, I let it outside to do its business at about six o’clock in the evening. The dog did not return inside. I heard it barking somewhere far away (reindeer or elk?). It did not return to the cabin all night. At eleven in the evening, I drove to a nearby hill where it was barking intensely. At three in the night, I went outside to see if the ‘girl’ had returned. It lied on the porch in the warm autumn night. It seemed to have potential.
Then we faced a setback. Next year in August, we were about to leave Hossa to visit home. I was washing the dog and noticed that one of its nipples had swelled. At home, the dog was operated: mammary tumour, sterilisation to prevent renewal and a “sick leave” all autumn, along with lifelong medication. The veterinarian underlined that a quite long sick leave would be necessary. However, already in October, Opri was moving around in the forest an hour at a time.
The following autumns, I did not take Opri to weekend-long hunts but wandered calmly with it in terrain where elk was found. It barked well at elk but followed them for less than half an hour at a time.
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
When I got my degree, I started working at an outpatient clinic in Niinivaara, Joensuu in North Karelia. One day a week, I worked at the Paihola hospital in Kontiolahti in the same region. One time, I asked the head of economics if I could take Jysky to hunt in the hospital’s forest. He asked if I would like to join their elk hunting group. One spot from the hospital was available. Thus began mine and Jysky’s hunting career on large game.
Each autumn, we shot 2–3 elk that Jysky had barked at. At this time, Jysky stopped completely barking at squirrel. In the beginning of autumns, I managed to kill large capercaillies with the help of Jysky.
I took Jysky to a show. Viljo Kivikko awarded it a certificate at a show in Kuopio. Jysky did well at an elk hunting trial in Eno. The dog was already quite old when it barked at a bear in Hossa, near the east border. My father saw the bear run away.
I offered Jysky to be used by an elk hunting group in Hossa. Those men had experience of dogs starting to bark at elk and elk running to safety to the bordering zones. Today, there might be 3–5 dogs working at a time on a hunting day.
I had Jysky with me in Joensuu in the summers (at the cabin) and in the autumns. My father had the dog the rest of the time. When Jysky came to us to Joensuu for the first time, I let it out in the morning in downtown Joensuu to let it do its business – back then, dogs were allowed to be kept loose. I left for work to Niinivaara, thinking that my wife would take the dog back inside. Sometime before noon, the secretary of our outpatient clinic asked: “Do you have a big bear dog? It came over there to the waiting area and refuses to go outside”.
The rest of the day, Jysky lied under my desk in my office. Not one patient wished for it to leave. The dog had come from downtown, following my tracks along streets and bridges for a couple of kilometres. Many patients that day said that those kinds of dogs can be found in their village as well.
Jysky lived to become 14 years old. It was very healthy throughout its life.
In the late 1960’s, I started working at a hospital in Harjavalta, near the city of Pori on the west coast of Finland. I had read in a dog magazine that spitz enthusiast Jouko Paavilainen lived there. I went to visit him. Through him, I also got acquainted with Aati Mykkänen and Esko Nummijärvi.
I immediately attended the training courses to become a judge for bird and elk hunting trials. Later, I also became authorised to serve as chief judge at elk hunting trials.
My workdays were busy. I took part in demanding continuing education in Helsinki, and also had a private practice. Dog sports offered a nice break to my everyday life. I officiated six times as a judge at the Hirvenhaukut championship trials (Säkylä 1968, Kokkola 1969, Harjavalta 1970, Hyytiälä 1972, Kokkola 1973, Kangasniemi 1974).
My most demanding judging appointment took place in 1976 when I was the chief judge at the international trials in Kullaa. The winner of the trials was a grey Norwegian Elkhound named Jack from North Karelia.
In the mid 1970’s, I was awarded with the Finnish Spitz Association’s golden badge of honour in Paimio. I still have it.
During my time in Harjavalta, I had two Karelian Bear Dog females. Usvan Mimmi was an inbred offspring of Usvan Kirre, as was Usvan Mari, although from another sire, Pete. Mimmi experienced trauma at a young age when someone threw a firecracker to its pen by the hospital on New Year’s Eve. I tried to teach Mimmi to hunt in Hossa, but it had such deep traumatic fears that firing a shot made it run away recklessly.
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
Six months later, I went to Lieksa railway station to receive a small box. Inside of it was Jepen Jyrkki, a two-month-old bobtailed, black and white Karelian Bear Dog puppy. The sender was Antti Herrala from Ahmas.
We visited Antti a couple of times, after acquiring a cabin in the late 1960’s from Hossa in Suomussalmi, located in the Kainuu region close to the Russian border. Antti was a fun, kind, and lively person to chat with.
My host enjoyed telling me about his experiences from the village of Kovero in Salmi before the wars and during the Continuation War. Antti told me about farm manager Berg, who was looking for bear dog material from the villages together with Viljo Kivikko. Mailman Aleksi Hotti also delivered information about dogs to Berg. This farm manager, who was enthusiastic about dogs and originally from the Swedish-speaking area of Ostrobothnia on the west coast, sent dogs to Finland as early as in 1926. Berg took Nallen as his kennel name and wrote about his experiences to magazines.
Antti Herrala exchanged his squirrel dog to male Jeppe (“Progenitor Jeppe”) in Käsnäselkä. According to Antti, Jeppe was a sturdy, bobtailed, excellent elkhound. Antti was Jeppe’s fourth owner. The dog had one blue eye. Antti’s wife yelled that “There were many bobtails in Käsnäselkä – at least according to local women”.
Jeppe mated its daughter Tovi. From that otherwise unimpressive litter was born the magnificent Töpö, that was excellent at barking at elk and bear and later became a model dog when recording the first breed characteristics for Karelian Bear Dogs. Especially dog enthusiasts from Western Finland, Ulvio and Louna, looked for Töpö’s offspring. Töpö became known at the dog shows in Sortavala and Vyborg.
I told Antti that he was probably the Veikko Mielonen of his time. He did not seem offended by that line, at least.
“But then, the Winter War broke out”. Antti’s eyes were filled with tears. The evacuation journey started by horse, together with five adult dogs. One female with its puppies had to be left at home. Some Finnish soldier saved the puppies which ended up in Central Finland. Already at the beginning of the journey, Töpö got stolen when Antti had tied it up to the sled. The dog was found in Rantasalmi but choked later on a bone in Kyyjärvi during the first evacuation journey.
Antti returned to Salmi during the Continuation War. There he had a male named Ukko, a large, a bit untypical bear dog, an excellent elkhound. Ukko mated Viuhka, and that mating resulted in Rikke Sotamaa’s double champion Kyttä being born. Kyttä was used a lot for breeding.
A second evacuation journey went through Lapinlahti to Ahmas in Utajärvi. Someone from Järvenpää in Southern Finland told me that he lived in Lapinlahti in his youth, and back then, there lived also a famous Karelian Bear Dog man who had a dog named Kyttä. I wonder if Antti sold his dog to Sotamaa when it was already an adult?
Puppies bred by Antti sold well in the Savonia region and in Northern Finland. When I revisited Antti, he gave me advice on how to get a good elkhound. “You must take a puppy from a litter where both parents show interest in elk or bear, even both. You must take the puppy to shores, fields, wilderness, and bogs. It is important that the puppy does not grow too attached to its master. Never hit a dog”.
The advice that stated ”Shoot the elk at midsummer, the leaf is big and the elk stands the dog’s bark” did however not stick with me.
Antti said that one time, the rural police chief snapped at him, telling him to shoot his dog, otherwise he would end up in prison. Antti said to have replied “Well, were not shooting the dog at least”.
When the Hirvenhaukut championship trials for Karelian Bear Dogs started, one of the three dogs at the second competition in Hamina in 1958 was double champion Jepen Jeri.
My dog Jepen Jyrkki was the son of the famous Jepen Jeppe. “Jyrki’s” dam was Jepen Nätti. This puppy did not become a working dog for me, since I did not have the time to take it enough to the forest. It did not bark at birds at all, but eagerly at squirrel. At that point of my life, I did not have any chance to join the elk hunting groups in Lieksa.
Jyrki was my only dog that died of illness. A dog broker lived in Lieksa, he bought good dogs and sold them forward for instance to Sweden. I was doing my military service in Ylämylly and visited home before leaving to the Reserve Officer School. My father told me that this dog broker had come to see Jyrki with his dog. After a few weeks, my dog started showing severe signs (infectious hepatitis) and the veterinarian’s advice was to put the dog down since the prognosis was not good. My dad had phoned the broker who had admitted that his dog had shown signs of illness. Jyrki was unvaccinated.
When I studied in Helsinki, I went to see all dog shows held in the old Messuhalli hall. Not many Karelian Bear Dogs were shown, but one that stuck to my mind was double champion Poukamon Kai, also a son of Hirven Romulus. The dog seemed aggressive. At that time, dogs were often kept on a run cable attached to the end of a farm building. Not much attention was paid on the sociability of dogs. Later, when bear dogs started to appear more in small towns, even cities, people started to focus on training manners to their dogs. A spontaneous image came into my mind: I was once in a show ring with my dog. Next to me was a dog that was wearing two collars, one attached to a rope, the other attached to a horse halter. The dog owner tried to keep his dog in place with these.
When I began my studies at the University of Helsinki, my father was chosen for a job at the sawmill company Iisveden Metsä in Suonenjoki in the Northern Savonia region. I spoke with my father what a great place that would be to keep a dog.
We bought Jysky as a puppy from Kylmälä village in Muhos, Northern Finland. The sire of the puppy was Panu, that descended from dogs from kennel Pöyröön. The dam was Apu-Stiina, with many dogs from the Kymenlaakso region in its pedigree, including elkhounds of Jaakko Kangas.
Jysky learned to bark at large animals as a puppy. Horses were kept in a pen next to our yard. The puppy kept hiding its bones there. When a horse stood on its ‘food supply’, Jysky tried to drive it off. It ran around the horses, barked and tried to make them move in many ways. I never noticed it to bark at the horses from behind, it always kept eye contact with them. This skill remained as an adult when working on elk.
While I was studying in the capital, I went home every weekend to take the dog the forest. I noticed at once that Jysky had a built-in will to hunt game. It became a determined barked as I shot many squirrels and even birds it had found. It hardly ever barked at an empty tree. One time, I did not see a squirrel in the tree. I put the dog on a lead, and we went home. I let the dog off lead on our yard. Jysky returned at once back to the squirrel tree a couple kilometres away. When I then went back to the tree, I saw a squirrel and shot it. Jysky did thank me profusely by jumping against me and licking. Then we went back home, off lead. I shot squirrel to make some pocket money.
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.
After leaving Vyborg, our evacuation journey ended at the turn of the year 1945–1946 to Kevätniemi in Lieksa, North Karelia. I was 10 years old back then. A stunning view overlooking lake Pielinen opened from my father’s official residence, and the hills of Koli appeared in the distance. When you went east from the kitchen door, you would soon find yourself in the forests surrounding Lieksa, by lake Jonkeri in Kuhmo, or at Patvinsuo bog areas north of lake Koitere, where we went cloudberry picking. My father’s frequent fishing buddy, our close neighbour who had served in a long-range reconnaissance patrol during the war, told fascinating stories about his trips to East Karelia, its forests and villages. He also sometimes mentioned that there were handsome black and white dogs in the villages, usually angry ones. I eagerly joined my father and his friend on their weekend trips to lake Pielinen.
In the other end of our semi-detached house lived forester Yrjö Rantala, who had colleagues with similar experiences. The father of the Finnish Kennel Club’s former executive director Pekka Ketonen was the manager of the Kevätniemi sawmill. He had a German Pointer named Friidu, a double champion. I enjoyed spending time with its puppies.
Already back then, I read a lot of literature featuring the wilderness. I was especially fascinated by books written by A. E. Järvinen. After the new year of 1951, my father told me that he would buy me a rifle and a bear dog puppy. I learned to shoot at the landfill, with rats as my target.
In the spring, we got a Karelian Bear Dog puppy, a male named Peni. The puppies came from our neighbour Yrjö Rantala’s hometown Parikkala and they took Peni’s brother Pete. The sire was Ahmon Vorna, its sire was Selki and dam Nalle, both from East Karelia. The dam of the puppies was Peikko. Peikko’s dam had been acquired from Sirola in Kuopio. Peikko was closely related to Sarik, a puppy after Tuusik and Sjorga from Juustjärvi.
When Peni and Pete were about 7 months old, we went to the wilderness in Ruunaa, close to the Russian border, with the aim to observe how the brothers moved around in unknown terrain. While having coffee on a bog islet, we saw the dogs running to the edge of the bog and starting a loud fight. My buddy told me to sneak up to see what was happening. A magnificent view awaited about a hundred meters away. A bear mother with its cub attracted the dogs. After about 10 minutes, the bear family ran away. The dogs came up to me. I consoled them and together we stated “Off they went”.
When we got back to the car, we saw Voitto Lahti from Pankakoski coming up with his bike, together with two bear dogs (the female was a daughter of Selki). He told me that he had been informed that morning that a bear family had been spotted in Ruunaa.
In the autumn of 1952, I took Peni to a dog show in Joensuu. Four dogs competed in the Winner’s class. Peni came third. The other ones were bred by Veikko Mielonen and were sons of double champion Kyttä. In his kennel Usvan, Mielonen had females such as Jepen Miina, Ilon Sisu, Jalo Ärkky, and Kärä. He started his breeding career with those females.
The next autumn in Joensuu, an anniversary show of a local canine society, Pohjois-Karjalan Kennelmiehet, was held in Joensuu. Two dogs competed in Winner’s class; Veikko Mielonen with Rymy and I with Peni. Rymy was large, very handsome, almost completely black, but kept hanging its tail almost straight down. The judge was clearly unsure of which one to pick as the winner. Then, Veikko decided to pull a prank on Peni’s unexperienced owner, saying ”Let’s have the dogs sniff on each other”. Rymy’s tail went up and the game was over. I wondered why the judge did not award a certificate to the winner. I met Veikko Mielonen again several times over decades on different occasions. I learned a lot from him.
When Peni was 3–4 years old, I came home from school and noticed that something was going on at the local clubhouse. Väinö Heikkinen, who shot nearly 40 bears in his life, had come to present two male bears he had shot. While being there, this former sniper and partisan was also collecting money for war veterans. I went quickly home to pick up Peni. When I came back, Väinö asked ”I wonder if your dog is scared of the bear”. I said “We’ll see soon enough”. At that time, Väinö had two small landrace spitz – both good at barking at bear and caused a commotion when seeing Peni. My dog sniffed the air a couple of times and attacked the bear, tugging it from its back leg.
A few weeks later, Väinö’s brother-in-law stood on our yard. “Could I mate my dog with yours?”. The deed was done. Next spring, Peni mated a female named Jepen Töpö, owner border sergeant Pitkänen.
Later, Väinö Heikkinen had several pedigree dogs. I saw Pöyröön Ronski, that was awarded a certificate at a show in Lieksa. It was the brother of Pöyröön Romulus, owner Virrankoski. The parents of these dogs were Hirven Romulus and Pöyröön Mörkö (sire double champion Kyttä), the first female double champion in Karelian Bear Dogs. Mörkö’s dam was Pöyröö, daughter of Hirven Romulus. Virrankoski lived in Joensuu, Eastern Finland, but moved later to Kokkola on the west coast. He started his breeding career with inbreeding. His puppies were mostly found in Northern Finland. The females Heikkinen had, Rippe (certificate from Joensuu) and Seri were excellent hunting dogs. Väinö also had some dog from kennel Usvan. I sometimes took my guests to look at Heikkinen’s collection of bear skulls. I was once going to buy a puppy from him but when the pick-up time was approaching, he announced that “there was some genetic error, the puppies are short-legged”. Seri was killed by a wolf.
Peni had a very large territory. We mainly kept it on a run cable but sometimes let it run around loose. Peni could disappear for a few days. Sometimes it had gotten into fights and came back home to lick its wounds. One time, we picked it up from an island in lake Pielinen, after getting a tip about a bear dog that had been closed into a farm building. A marked-out horse road went from the shore in Kevätniemi to shore villages in Viensuu next to lake Pielinen. A man had gone to Lieksa to run some errands and had a female in heat tied up to his sled. Peni had smelled the female and ran after it.
One time, a man from Kylänlahti came angrily with his rifle and told that Peni had chased his sheep to the lake. The old man did not calm down until our neighbour told him that Peni had been on the run cable for at least a month. Peni was always eager to go to the forest. After coming home from school one day, we went to the terrain of Riihivaara, by the road that led to Nurmes. After wandering some time, I heard Peni’s bark from very far away. I approached the bark and looked up to a spruce tree. Suddenly, something grey and white moved in the tree. A wild cat was sitting on the branch and hissed at Peni. They day had already began to darken when I managed that task. I was in unfamiliar terrain and lost. When I came home in the morning, my father said: “Now eat something and off to school”.
Sometimes, Peni carried home chicken and turkey, which he dropped alive on our porch.
My little brother visited his friends about a kilometre away from our home. No one lived by that road. One time, it was already dark and there were no streetlights. My mother wondered many times aloud where the boy was. Peni asked to go outside. It had gone to the house where my brother was at, barked in front of the boy, and finally pulled him from the pant leg. The friends came home together.
If I took my bike to Lieksa town centre, there was no need to lock it if I had Peni with me. I asked my father if he still needed his officer’s belt from the war. I made it into a pulling harness. Peni got great exercise on the spring snow when I took him around lake Pielinen. Peni died at the age of 5 years, after being hit by a timber truck. My father said: “Let’s get a new dog”.
The memoirs of Jouko Mutanen have been published in the Pystykorva magazine in 2014 in seven parts. The memoirs are now available online for the first time ever. Mutanen gave the original texts he wrote to the Finnish Spitz Association (Suomen Pystykorvajärjestö) in 2012.