#japanese spitz
I will always keep promoting other small breeds of dog, for those who want small companion dogs.
It’s great that enthusiasts are trying to breed healthier and more soundly built French bulldogs and Pugs, and those who truly love breeds like that the most will always exist, but I can’t understand why breeds like the Frenchie exploded in popularity in the late 2000s, and it never really ended.
People say they love them because they’re “funny”, but you can have just as much fun (or more) with a breed that is more healthy and sound, and actually built like a dog, and not like a cartoon.
Sadly, most companion dogs are either flat-faced, have ridiculous coats that are impractical both for the dog and average pet owner, or both. But there are some breeds in the <12 kg range that are neither, and this is just a small selection. (Then there are the really tiny dogs, not included here.)
Here is the Schipperke, Lancashire heeler, Basenji, Shiba, Japanese spitz (very similar to the American Eskimo Dog in North America), Papillon, Portuguese Podengo, Miniature Pinscher, Mittel/Kleinspitz, and Norwegian lundehund.
All fun, small/ish companion dogs that are full of life and character, and without the physical restrictions of Frenchies and Pugs.
The very last one is soundly built but not very healthy due to old genetic bottlenecks that led to a genetic intestinal disease, but I am including them anyway and it is being worked on by the Norwegian kennel club (including outcrossing to similar breeds).
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Peetu, 8 year old Japanese Spitz
“He loves swimming, but only in the ocean or a lake. We went to a pool the other day and he was not having it.”
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To celebrate National Puppy Day, please enjoy the cutest picture of baby Freyja I’ve ever taken.
In honor of Freyja’s recent 2nd birthday, here’s a video of her as a as a 4-month-old having just learned her favorite trick.
Happy holidays from a dog patient enough to put up with the XXS scarf I accidentally got her.
She is becoming too powerful….
Good morning!
Managed to get in a walk before the wildfire smoke started pouring in.
Freyja’s contributions to today’s yardwork included stealing empty containers and digging up a tiny figurine of Piglet.
This year’s spitz crop is coming in nicely.
Happy national puppy day! Unfortunately all I could find for the occasion is this photo of a potato that fell on the floor.
She is *finally* learning how to chill out in public without trying to greet everyone who passes by. Today we practiced on an empty patio at a nearby pub. Baby steps…
On today’s walk, Freyja valiantly protected me from this very threatening sign, despite the fact that she’s terrified of anything plastic and vaguely humanoid (mannequins, cardboard cutouts, etc.)
Please forgive the blurry photo but just look at her dumb face.
Freyja and I went on a thrilling adventure today to an empty parking lot across the street to visit the “snow” (i.e. the few inches of slush that Oregon gets once a year). Strangely she wasn’t as delighted as I expected from something this spectacular.
Look who just turned 1!
Official pillow quality inspector at work.
Freyja has strong feelings about kombucha.
I told Freyja she needed to pay rent, so she’s a plumber now.
