I´m 1978 born aquarius. I´ve graduated in 2003 with Bachelor´s degree in chemical engineering. I live with my common-law husband in countyside in house surrounded with forests and fields in western Pori. Pori is a little town neraby sea, 250km from our capital Helsinki.

For some reason I don´t really know I seem to find myself in diffret organizations. In my studytime I participated in Pori Engineering Students associations board for two years. One year as a memeber and one yera as a boerd secretary. I´ve been also several years obediencetrainee in Satakunta retriever association nowdays only if needed. And nowdays (so I don´t get any withdrawal symptoms =O)) i´m in the board of West Coast Agility Team as a secretry. Thanks for the trust, now fourth year. I´m qualified as a obedience (1997) and agility traineeand also offical obediecetests steward (2001).

All thigs mentioned above is my hobbies, no financial incomings.

With Hurri and Hupi we search "lots" peoples in woods, train obedience and field trial. In autums we go to duckhunting with my Baijkal shotguns. With Hirmu we run in agilityfield and in showrings, when the winter comes I can hear the wonderful barking in the wood as Hirmu hauls hares. First hare came on autum 2004.

To mention something about my less doggish hobbies... I can play accordion (although nowdays I do it very rare), I love to read, more or less everythig goes but I almost love John Grisham and Patricia Cornewell. I´m almost addicted spectator of TV quizes. When I´m inspirated you can find me knittig. I like to furnish, althoug our home doesn´t look like it. If I´ve got in nightbar you can propably find me in the dancefloor.

Me and hupi in winter 2005

How did I got drifted in to the doggish world?

When I was a little girl me and my frien Merja (Hurri´s breeder) we walked naighbours dogs. I wanted own dog for a long time but got one until we moved to a countryside. Mixedbreed Hakki was a total surpruze to me: it waited me one in the yard when I got home from school. Hakki was the dog whitch trained me to be dog owner.

Breeded dogs came in to my life with the help of Eila Lamova. Eila bred english springer spaniels under the name Tupasluikan, she also one litter of golden retrievers. Show and obediece career started with ESS bitch Tepa (Tupasluikan Maarianheinä). In the showring I was first time in year 1990 and in the obediece test in year 1992. And still in the same road...

In year 192 Eila had a litter of golden retrivers, from witch my friend Merja got one bitch puppy. Golden was not the breed I wanted, I loved ESS. In one januaryday I walked home with 4 months old goldenpuppy Hero. Hero was the dog who teached me the seacrets on dogworld: obedience, workingtests and in field trial tests and in hunting.

Beagle came in the house in year 2002. I wanted a little dog. As a breed beagle have surprised me totally: in right hands so lovely personality, althoug in my opintion beagle doesn´t fit in sofa as a decoraton as not anyone else from the huntingbreeds. If you can´t get in the forest and hunt you must have something else to do wtih your dog. Maybe someday I have also ESS, the breed that draged me in to the doggish world.

From love to dogs and godsports...

Dogs and dogsports are lifestyle to me. A have no life wtihout dogs, at least not so rewarding life. To me dog isn´t a child or a familymember and not also intrument to hobby with. To me dog is a member of a pack, although not equivalent with me. With every dog I train something with aims. If some sport doesn´t fit to some dog it doesn´t automatically mean that the dog goes into the sofa as decoration. I start to look for suitable dog at least year before buying. I buy dog in meanin to train specially some sports with it, that doesn´t mean that if the dog doesn´t suite to the ment sport it´s for sale.

First thing in dog is health. To me the word health means character and physical health. Health is a wholeness with different shades of gray. Balck and white thinking doesn´t take you far. In retrievers to me it´s more important that the dogs have haelthy elbow, although hips are important too. I´m interested in pedigree, not only parents. The dog has to remind the breed that i have bought, CC´s etc showresults are extra but the VG should come without wondering.

I cant´s understand the idea of diffeternt lines (showline - huntingline), it doesn´t fit in to my head and despite to that both of the breeds I have, does have strong hunting and showlines. I also can´t understand why do you have to take huntingbreed if you don´t ever hunt with it. The most important thing is that you do something wtih your dog.

To me every new dog is a new challenge. Trainingmethod is chosen always by the individual. I look the best revard to the dog as an individual. I use both physical and mental sanctions. Fanatically positive trainigmethods isn´t my thing.

I train and quide peoples with their dogs and also only the dogs. Hopeless dogs doesn´t exist, there is only pairs that doesn´t fit.

This is the road I´ve planned to keep going =o)

 

Virpi