The year 2026 unexpectedly brought new, not-so-welcome winds into life, and both Zuki and Pikku Myy changed homes. Zuki stayed nearby in Oulu, and Pikku Myy moved to Helsinki. So now, at home, there is only the Silken Windhound Rusakko, the shiba Shibel Shibel and Taavi the cat.
Silken Windhound plans
Rusakko’s DNA samples ultimately arrived safely at the laboratory in California, and the breeding plans were therefore given the green light. I sincerely hope that everything will proceed as planned. The intended sire of the litter is the ten-year-old Tsaarikon Denaari “Bondi,” who has previously sired one litter. Bondi is well balanced both in structure and temperament, and he has remained healthy to date. There has been considerable interest in the planned litter; however, at this stage, I unfortunately do not feel confident making any promises.
Thoughts on breeding the shiba and silken
During the spring 2026, the health results of the E litter will determine whether Shiba breeding will continue with the existing dogs, or possibly with a new female in the future, or not at all. For someone accustomed to the sighthound world, the atmosphere within the Shiba community has proven somewhat peculiar. Strong factionalism is clearly present within the breed, which does not serve its overall best interests. This phenomenon may partly be a consequence of the breed’s significant rise in popularity over the past fifteen years. Alongside increased demand, less desirable developments have emerged, including large-scale commercial breeding both in the breed’s country of origin, Japan, and elsewhere in the world. As a result, the accuracy and reliability of pedigrees cannot always be taken for granted.
It is unfortunate that responsible breeders—particularly newcomers—are at times treated dismissively and become the subject of unfounded rumors within the breed community. In a numerically small breed, the primary focus should be on the long-term improvement of health, temperament, and breed type. This requires well-considered breeding combinations aimed at introducing new lines and strengthening genetic diversity. Sound breeding decisions should be guided by the overall welfare of the breed rather than by ownership considerations.
The Silken Windhound is, in certain respects, currently in a position similar to that of the Shiba some twenty years ago. Although the Shiba has long been recognized by the FCI, this comparison refers primarily to the role of the breed’s country of origin in guiding breeding practices. In Japan, the majority of Shibas are registered with NIPPO, an organization that maintains its own registry and organizes shows in which dogs are evaluated according to traditional Japanese breed standards, placing particular emphasis on type and expression.
The Silken Windhound is currently in the process of being nationally recognized by the Finnish Kennel Club, and the specific registration requirements are under development. As with the Shiba, the Silken Windhound has an umbrella organization in its country of origin—the International Silken Windhound Society (ISWS)—which maintains the breed registry and oversees the breed’s development. Unlike the Shiba, however, all Silken Windhounds must undergo DNA testing to verify the accuracy of their pedigrees. If national registration were not to require registration with the breed’s country-of-origin registry, it is conceivable that Europe could face a situation similar to that of the Shiba in twenty years’ time, particularly given the breed’s clear and growing demand.
Within the Shiba community, NIPPO registration has become a source of division. Some breeders work exclusively with dogs registered both with NIPPO and the FCI, while others breed solely within FCI-registered lines. Whatever the underlying reasons for this development, it is regrettable that relatively few dogs registered in the breed’s country-of-origin registry are now found in Europe. While dogs are indeed imported from Japan, their offspring are often not registered with NIPPO.
In the spring of 2025, I began to feel that the European lines were becoming increasingly repetitive from a genetic standpoint. The same Japanese and Russian dogs appeared repeatedly in many pedigrees, and allergies and other health issues seemed to be widespread. While judging at a sighthound show in Sweden, I shared my frustration with a fellow judge, who mentioned an Italian Shiba breeder whose lines might offer a broader and less familiar genetic base. I reached out to him, and he kindly invited me to visit. That July, I spent two weeks in the heat of the Florentine countryside getting to know his breeding program. A breeder truly devoted to the breed, Bernardo Conti, had begun importing dogs from Japan more systematically a few years earlier, while also maintaining his own established lines. Visiting Bernardo's Poggio de Petroio kennel and studying the dogs and their pedigrees in person helped me clarify my thoughts about the breed’s current situation and its possible future direction. If I decide to continue breeding Shibas, my focus will likely be on the black & tan variety, and I would plan to register the dogs with NIPPO as well. That said, a NIPPO pedigree alone is no guarantee of quality; breeding decisions must always be based on a careful overall evaluation of health, temperament, and correct breed type. Time will tell whether these plans will come to fruition or remain simply a dream. I am open to collaborating with other breeders and working together to introduce new breeding dogs, so inquiries are welcome from both enthusiasts and fellow breeders!
Some memories from last summer's trip:
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