PUPPIES FROM ‘WORLD’S RAREST DOG BREED’ BORN IN UK FOR FIRST TIME
Source: Country Living (Extract)
Posted: April 14, 2023
A litter of rare puppies has been welcomed by a family in Dorchester — the first of their breed to be born in the UK.
Wetterhouns, with an estimated worldwide population of around 1,000, are thought to be one of the rarest dog breeds. They originate from the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, having first appeared more than 400 years ago.
Breed specialists have said the arrival of the five boys and three girls on 5th April 2023 have tripled the breed population in the UK.
Nicky and Mike, owners of the new litter, bought their first Wetterhoun in 2020. However, when it came to breeding, the nearest suitable male was in the Netherlands. After much research, they found the perfect match in Wetterhoun Jappie, who lived more than 450 miles away in Heteren, West Holland.
“With such a rare breed, we have to take a conservationist approach to breeding. Ensuring sound genetics of future puppies is absolutely vital. Distance and logistics almost becomes a secondary consideration,” Hannah Woods, of the UK Stabyhoun Association, told BBC News.
“For this project to succeed, we need people like Nicky who are willing to go the extra 900 miles.”
The puppies were born as part of a programme by the UK Stabyhoun Association, who hope to grow the breed population. Once the puppies have adjusted, Nicky and Mike plan to sell them to someone who wants to have their own litter of Wetterhoun puppies one day.
“We are very keen for these lovely dogs to be better known, and they are very lovely family dogs. They have got their own nature, they are a little bit quirky but they are very friendly,” Nicky told ITV News.
“They’re basically farm dogs but when we had the Second World War of course the Netherlands was very badly affected and the number of dogs declined very dramatically, so the Dutch Club started a breeding programme to make sure that the race of dogs would be preserved.”
If you are interested in giving one of the puppies a new home, email jane@stabyhounuk.com for more information.
