The Humans
Faith and Josh
We're Faith and Josh, newlyweds living in Nashville, TN. God, family, and community are foundational to who we are. We are excited about life right now, especially with the new life that Suka will be brining into the world. We believe dogs are beautiful creatures given to us by God to steward and live with. That foundational concept to our ethics as Karelian Bear Dog breeders is summarized into two parts: maintaining the purity of the Karelian Bear Dog Breed in our lines and ensuring our puppies go to good, prosperous homes.
The Humans
Dallin and Jessie
Dallin and Jessie live in NW Colorado with their two kids. Dallin is a lifelong houndsman, and Jessie works closely with animals as well. They have a deep and passionate respect for dogs, the outdoors, and family. They welcomed a pup from our first litter, Kestää, into their pack in July of 2020.
Kestää is one of our breeding males, thus Dallin and Jessie will be partners in this adventure. By their willingness to join us, we will be able to maintain diversity in our breeding lines while also expanding opportunities to offer our lines to the greater gene pool.
We are so excited to work hand in hand as we strive to produce the best Karelians in North America.
The Dogs
Why Karelian Bear Dogs? Josh has worked with a wide variety of dogs throughout his life: bird dogs, hounds, cattle dogs, K9 dogs, and sled dogs. Though he has a special appreciation for each of these breeds, none of them quite fit what he wanted. The FCI Spitz breeds piqued his interest and he was immediately captivated by the power and majesty of Karelians. They met all the characteristics he was looking for: speed, intelligence, hunting drive, loyalty, and independence
The Humans
Hunter and Natalie
Hunter and Natalie live in northern New Mexico with their two boys. Hunter has been around and owned dogs since he was young. A huge part of their family is dedicated to spending time pursuing outdoor traditions. One of the great traditions they want to pass onto their sons is hunting, specifically hunting big game animals with dogs.
Hunter reached out to us in the Fall of 2020 inquiring about a Karelian. Many months and conversations later, Hunter and Natalie committed to acquiring a male from Finland - Scout. By adding another stud to our breeding program, Hunter and Natalie will offer future generations of Snowy Mountain puppies new, Finnish blood and keen hunting abilities from solid Finnish hunting kennels.
As our Snowy Mountain Family grows, we look with anticipation towards the fruits that will come from our partnership with Natalie and Hunter.
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The Traditions
The Snowy Mountains
Why the Snowy Mountains? Josh grew up in the Snowy Mountains in Lewistown, MT. Hours were spent hiking, swimming, exploring, playing, and hunting in the Snowies. Josh learned a lot of incredible life lessons in the Snowies and throughout all those experiences, he had an Alaskan Malamute as a companion and protector. Josh brought Faith to the Snowies to ask for her hand in marriage. It seemed only fitting that the Snowy Mountains were the chosen icon for our kennel name.
The Hound
Silas Arelius
You can't have a hunting pack without a hound. Silas is our UKC registered Black and Tan Coonhound. He comes from a line of Grand Night Champions. Hounds don't have the stopping power that a Karelian has; but what Silas will offer is what hounds all across North America offer - when the trail is old, we'll rely on the cold nose power in Silas and other hounds we own in the future to get things started. Hounds and Karelians are where we blend old with the new to create the most effective pack of hunting dogs.
