About Us My name is Gail, and my husband Gary and I live in the U.P of Michigan in a rural area with abundant wildlife, including bear, wolf, coyote, deer and of course lots of small game. We love the outdoors, and if you ask us, there's nothing better than to be on a hiking trail somewhere. After many years without any canine family members due to a too busy work schedule for furry kids, we were ready! We began our research long before our schedules allowed us the time we would want to devote to these new members of our family. We wanted to be ready when the time came! Living where we do, with an abundance of nature surrounding us, we enjoy hiking, backpacking, and camping, and with our loooong winters, of course skiing and snowshoeing. Our area is said to very much resemble Finland; that is probably one of the reasons Finnish immigrants settled here, including both of our ancestors. Both Gary and I are proud of our Finnish heritage! Our research led us to the Karelian Bear Dog, a beautiful, independent dog of nature, known for it's intelligence, loyalty and persistence. The fact that it's a Finnish breed really piqued our interest further. After being misled in North America, I began looking "across the pond" in my search for pure bred Karelians. Continued research led me to Denmark to Hanne Larsen, owner of Bjornehuset's Kennel, who has a gift for breeding the right mix of gentleness with the strong tracking and hunting characteristics for which this breed is known. For the right people, in the right environment, the result is a wonderful companion and protector, with a gentle mind, that can run like the wind in search of it's prey. The best of both worlds! Karelian Bear Dogs definitely aren't for everyone, but if they're a fit, most KBD people won't settle for any other breed. In 2001, our first pure bred KBD, Kukka, joined our family, and as they say, the rest is history... we were hooked! And so began RunningBearDog--Karelians of Upper Michigan. Our Karelians, Kukka, Ilo, Kesa and Sydan are members of our family first; companions that share our adventures and everyday lives. We share our puppies with very special people; people that our screening shows are true KBD people! We are so glad to bring a little bit of Finland and Denmark to Michigan! We hope you enjoy our website, and visit often for updates and news of our future litters. BEWARE of CROSSES KBD INFO FROM THE BREEDER: PUPPY INFO Thank you for joining us! Gail, Gary, and Karelian Bear Dogs, Kukka, Ilo, Kesa and Sydan |
| RunningBearDog Karelians In the Heart of Michigan's Upper Peninsula |
| CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO VISIT EACH OF THE LITTER PAGES!! 2005 litter 2006 litter 2007 litter 2009 litter |
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