Gotland has, for at least two hundred years, had its own breed of hunting dogs, a smallish red or tawny hound with more or less white markings on paws, chest, neck, head and tail.
The Gotland Hound and the Småland Hound are the two oldest breeds of Swedish hounds alive today. The Gotland Hound is a native breed not subjected to any breeding as showdogs.
They were a common sight on farms on Gotland right up to the fifties. The Gotland Hound is a versatile hunting dog, well used for hunting hare as well as fox.
The Gotland Hound was recognized as a breed in its own right, by the Swedish Kennel Club during the period 1920 – 29. Later on the Kennel Club wanted to reduce the number of breeds of harriers and therefore decided, in spite of their success at hunting trials, that the Gotland Hound no longer was an acknowledged breed in its own right. They remained popular, if in smaller numbers, on the farms on Gotland, and so the breed lived on. Only about 20 dogs remained 1980.
The Gotland Hound Club was founded in 1988. The club saw to it that the remaining hounds were registered and the Swedish Kennel Club reacknowledged the Gotland Hound as a breed in its own right in 1990. The breed is still rare. There are only about 140 hounds overall (in 2013) an roughly 30 of them live on Gotland. The hound must be preserved as a vital part of the Gotlandic heritage along with the rest of the Gotlandic native breeds (the Gotland Pony, the Gotland Sheep, the Gotland Hen and the Gotland Rabbit). It must also be preserved because it constitutes a vital part of the genetic manifold of the total amount of breeds of dogs.
The Gotland Hound is well known for its soft, friendly temperament and it is therefore an excellent family dog as well as having outstanding hunting abilities.
The Gotland Hound is a healthy breed and it can reach an advanced age. It is not recognised by FCI.
If you wish to buy a puppy, obtain pictures, or information about this breed or if you are just interested in finding out more about the Gotland Hound, get in touch with one of the club´s contacts (see below).
The club has about 130 members and the membership fee is Skr 200 per annum.

To become a member send the fee to the club´s postal giro account nr: 168 64 50 – 6.
Don´t forget to write down your name and your contact information.

A summary of the Gotland Hound Breeding Strategy can be found here.

Contact:

Mail: gotlandsstovare@hotmail.com

Chairman
Jörgen Pettersson
Tel 0706-72 68 53
ronehamn69@hotmail.se

Secretary
Anders Lekander
Tel 0702-16 06 57
anders.lekander@gotlandskaninen.se

Treasurer
Terry Ekelöf
0702-48 33 34
terry.ekelof@folksam.se

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