Mastad to the United States
The Lofoten Islands
The Lundehund comes from the very tip of a Norwegian archipelago. There you find the Lofoten Islands. It is a very remote part of Norway that lies within the Arctic Circle.
Vaeroy and Rost
The very isolated islands of Værøy and Røst, are the homeland of the Norwegian Lundehund. These tiny islands lie in the southwestern-most tip of the Lofoten Islands, all of which are above the Arctic Circle and off the coast of northern Norway. They are so remote that the only way to get there is by flying to the nearest airport on the mainland (the small town of Bodø), and booking a 90 kilometer helicopter ride from Bodø to Værøy; or, taking a long ferry ride to the Lofotens, and hiring a small boat to take you to Værøy.
It is because of this remoteness that the breed has been able to remain pure and untouched for so long; its distinctive characteristics remain intact and were un-fooled-around-with by humans for centuries.
Vaeroy's Steep Cliffs
Puffins require remote places to nest because they build their nests on the ground, in high places away from predators. They will only choose sites high up on top of steep slopes, in the crags and crevices of rocks, where they build their tunnels. You can imagine how hard it is for a person to walk up to their nesting grounds; one miss-step and you would slip into the sea. Many Norse farmers died this way, trying to hunt for puffins.
The Village of Mastad
The Norwegian Lundehund had adapted so that they could successfully survive in this remote and dangerous terrain. The Norse fishermen, in the tiny fishing village of Mastad on Vaeroy, started keeping the Lundehunds. It was much safer to send the dogs to gather the puffins for harvesting of the high quality down feathers. Mastad is an extremely isolated village on the southern part of the island of Vaeroy. Its harbor is known to be shallow and unwelcoming. Once fiberglass boats became common the fishing boats could no longer be pulled into the rocky harbor. The village was abandoned after World War 2.
The Importance of the Puffin
The Puffin was a key commodity to the village. The feathers and down were used to stuff pillows and bedding. They were both for personal use and a trading commodity. The meat was eaten fresh or salted and cured for later consumption. Barrels with 400 salted Puffins sustained the islanders through the winter. Eggs were eaten and the rest of the bird was fed to the dogs.T
FACT: The Vikings Traveled with Lundehunds
As early as 1591 Erik Hansen Schønnebøl, a bailiff, tells of the puffins' nests on Værøy. In the scree and earth-passages he says that "one cannot easily get them out of these deep nesting holes unless one has an agile dog who is accustomed to crawl into the passages and to drag out the birds". The use of Lundehunds for this work has therefore been seen since Schønnebøl’s time.
Italian Francesco Negri travelled to Finland in 1664-65 and described the capture of puffins by Lundehunds.
The Timeline from the brink of extinction to the United States
- The dogs became as valuable as a cow and so were taxed
- Hunters began catching puffins with NETS, not dogs in the 1920's
- 1925 - Magazine article: “Bird-dog on Road to Oblivion” written by Sigurd Skaun
- Most homes now only keep 2 or 3
- Total 60-70 in entire village of Mastad
- Skaun urged the Norwegian Kennel Club to recognize the breed.
- Because of these efforts, around 1937, Eleanor Christie became intrigued. She obtained three females (Hild, Lyey and Urd) and one male (Ask) from Monrad Mikalsen, a farmer and fisherman who lived in Mastad and hunted with his dogs.
- 1942 – WWII – distemper vaccine is not available and distemper hits Værøy. It kills all but 1 dog on the island.
- Mrs. Christie sends 4 back to Værøy.
- 1944 – Distemper hits mainland and kills all but 1 of Mrs. Christie’s dogs
- 1950 – Mrs. Christie gets 2 new puppies. No litters from this pair
- 1955 – Værøy now a bird sanctuary and Puffins are protected species
- Lundehunds in crisis
- 1960 – Mr. Mikalsen sends Mrs. Christie three pups from same litter
- 1961 – Mrs. Christie announces a litter
- 1963 – Distemper hits Værøy again and no Lundehunds are left on island
- Mrs. Christie sends Mr. Mikalsen 2 puppies, which arrive on his 75th birthday
- 1963 – Only SIX Lundehunds left alive world wide
- 1972 – Norwegian TV makes film and popularity soars! There are long waiting lists
- 1974 – Population up to 350
- 1976 – Mrs. Christie, now in her 80’s, has an audience with King of Norway
- 1986 – Paul Ross, UK ex-pat, brings 1st Lundehund to US
- World-wide population 500+
- Christen Lang, Mrs. Christie’s friend & protégé, personally delivers 3 more
- 1988 – Harvey & Judy Sanderson form 1st Lundehund club in US
(Paul Ross pictured center with Harvey and Judy Sanderson)
- 1989 – 1st US Specialty held by NLCA, Christen Lang flew in to be judge
- 2004 – 1st Specialty held by NLAA, Christen Lang invited to judge
- 2005 – NLAA recommended Parent Club status by AKC/FSS ®
- July 1, 2008 - Entered into the Miscellaneous Class
- December 1, 2010 -Recorded into the AKC Stud Book
- January 1, 2011 -Entered the Non-Sporting Group