I have written about this subject before, when asking what constitutes a breed in relation to the many versions of Danish Swedish farmdog-looking dog breeds. There are two dog breeds in Scandinavia which are very similar, with the same size, color pattern, function and temperament. Both are also close to extinction. The problem is they are two breeds, one from Norway and one from Sweden. Therefore, instead of using both stocks of dogs to make sure the genetic diversity is upheld , they are kept separate, with inbreeding as a big problem. The breeds I'm talking about is Hygenhund and Gotlandsstövare. Both are used for hunting hare (and fox?). Last year only 14 Hygenhund puppies were born and registered in Norway. The number for the Gotlandsstövare i only slightly better with 19 puppies born last year in Sweden. Isn't it idiotic not to mix these two to make sure that this type of dog is saved for the future? Even if it isn't many individuals we are talking about, it would still
double the gene-pool! Should we stay strict and risk loosing these dogs forever, or give interbreeding a chance to at least make the future a little bit brighter for these Scandinavian hare-hounds?
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| Gotlandsstövare. Picture borrowed, url: http://www.dogsindepth.com/hound_dog_breeds/images/gotland_hound_h03.jpg |
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| Hygenhund, picture borrowed, url: http://www.e-piesek.pl/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/hygenhund.jpg |
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