Norwegian Lundehund

The Norwegian Lundehund is one of the world’s rarest breeds, not just because there are so few in existence but because of his unusual characteristics. He is named after the puffin he was bred to catch. Lunde means puffin. He was bred on the remote islands that sit just off the coast of Norway and his primary job was to climb the cliffs and search for puffins. He was then to catch the puffins and bring them back alive to his owner. His freakish physical characteristics aided in his scaling the cliffs and squeezing into narrow crevices. His extra toes give him a solid foothold and better balance when he is on steep cliffs or slippery rocks. The unusual way he can bend his neck was very useful when he had to reverse his direction out of the puffin’s nest. The first Norwegian Lundehunds to come into North America arrived in Canada in 1960. The first Norwegian Lundehund to come into the United States arrived in 1987 and was owned by Paul Ross. The Norwegian Lundehund Club of America was created a year later in 1988. He was accepted into the American Kennel Club’s Foundation Stock Service in 1996 and in 2003 was approved to be eligible to compete in AKC companion events. It was not until the AKC’s board meeting in 2010 that the Norwegian Lundehund was eligible for official AKC registration. He was then eligible for competition in conformation shows in the non-sporting group in 2011. The Norwegian Lundehund became the American Kennel Club’s 169th breed to be recognized.