Who we
are
My name is Nina Raitanen and I live some of the time in Espoo and some of the time in Kärkelä, the most beautiful place in Finland.
When I was younger, we had a family dog, but when it was time for me to get the first dog of my own, my preferance was for a Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen. Unfortunately, that breed was not available in Finland at the time, and as I didn´t have enough courage to import one, I bought the Grand´s "little brother" a petit basset in 1996. He is called Piki (Stenstallets Amadeus). With him I have been through everything imaginable, and he has taught me the Basset way of thinking and how to laugh at myself. He has always had his own way of doing things, especially in agility, and he obviously thinks that training is only necessary for the untalented. Every time, I would see in his eyes the question: "I already know this, why can´t you learn quicker?"
Piki is a nice hunting dog, not only in the traditional basset way as a hound, but also as a retriever (on land as well as from water). He has been chasing grouse up trees and tracking elks, deer and wild pigs in Estonia. He has also been shown in dog shows and got his CC´s easily. Piki is still the great leader of my dog pack and now also a proud grandfather.
When choosing my second dog, I managed to get a Grand basset from Jolanda Huisman from Holland in 1998. His name is Jalo (Mon Dieu du Greffier du Roi). Jalo is a wonderful dog with a personality that has won many new admirers for his breed. He wants to be close to you all the time, constantly follows you with his brown eyes and is everything you could possibly want from a dog. He is a real gentleman, not always so bright but warm-hearted! Jalo is a real show dog and has given me a lot to be proud of on that front, but he is also a nice hunting dog.
Jalo sired the first Grand litter in Finland.
As time went on, I got more and more interested in Grands and the possibility of breeding these wonderful dogs. I turned to Jolanda again and in 2000 she sent me my third dog, Penni (Vaya Con Dios du Greffier du Roi). Penni is a real hunting bitch, full of energy! She came and turned our peaceful world upside down. Her eyes twinkle all the time and she is interested in everything and everybody. She is a beautiful, sweet little thing, always on the go.
The fourth member of our pack is Minttu (Samulitar) She is my two year old Finnish horse. A friend sold her to me because she felt that Minttu would really fit in well with us. "Minttu is just like Penni" she said. She is absolutely right, the only difference being that there is 400 kg more energy in her!!
You can find some photos of Minttu and Kärkelä here.
Photo: Miia Aaltovirta