About us

The kennel name Mintline's originated from a miniature dachshund, nicknamed Minttu. At that time, my future hope was to breed long-haired miniature dachshunds. However, fate decided otherwise and 16 years after receiving the kennel name, the first Mintline's litter was born and the breed was the Lapphund. How did I end up breeding Lapponian Herders? In a nutshell, the story is basically very simple: the Lapponian Herder had always fascinated me and in time the first Lapponian Herder stepped into the household. The rest is history..

A coincidence led us to live in a place that has a history of Lapponian Herders since before us. It was here that Nilla and Nalle were born in the 80s, and they have had a great impact on Lapponian Herder families. So our hometown has many stories to tell.

At the end of 2018, the first Keeshond moved into the household and our first Keeshond litter was born in December 2020.

I want to breed dogs that conform to the breed standard. However, since the breed standard can accommodate a variety of dogs, when making breeding choices I always look for opportunities to maintain lines from which I can hope for individuals that match my own ideals.

Appearance is not everything, although I want to breed dogs that are as similar in appearance to the breed as possible. Above all, however, I strive to make choices so that I can breed healthy, good-natured and appropriately soft-mannered puppies, so that life with them is uncomplicated and comfortable. I want my puppies to be able to live a full-fledged social and problem-free house dog life, but also to be confident outside the home, from walks and excursions to the hustle and bustle of show venues.

The kennel name Mintline's is the result of my, Riika's, long-term dream, and living with dogs and raising puppies is an important part of my life. The kennel name has been Riika's alone until 2025, but in the spring of 2025 Jussi finally made the decision to initiate a kennel name change. Now, at the end of June 2025, we are still waiting for an official decision that Jussi is an official part of the kennel name. Breeding work has been a shared lifestyle, project and hobby for Jussi and me since the first litter.

Everything is done in collaboration, from breeding choices to decisions about show entries. Jussi is an important part of the kennel's operations - he is my right (or left ;) ) hand in everything.

As an analytical engineer, Jussi likes to run a computer-based pedigree program and use it to create ready-made pedigrees for potential future litters. This makes it easier to compare different combinations when considering different breeding choices. Jussi is mainly the one who photographs the dogs in the shows he gets to participate in, but he has also been in the ring to show dogs.

The main responsibility for the dogs as a whole is mine, although Jussi is naturally also an extremely important help in everyday chores from feeding and exercising the dogs to implementing shelter projects. However, I plan the feeding, take care of the dogs' condition and roll out the daily routines. and make all kinds of decisions regarding kennel operations from moving the dogs to shelter projects.

Without friends and cooperation, everything would be much more challenging. In addition to all my partners in the field of breeding, I also want to thank the owners of my puppies and the owners of investment and co-owned dogs.