Dolce was the only boy in my much waited for litter with Emmi and Louis, and so I was holding my breath as he grew, just hoping he would be a nice keeper. I think it is fair to say that the longer he was here, the more my expectations were definitely surpassed! What a gorgeous little boy he turned out to be, and I'm sure he will only improve with age. He lives with and is shown by Shareen Chouffot and Glen Brassington in the Canberra region, alongside Mischa, and is kept in joint ownership with us here at Armahani.

There was never any questioning that Dolce was the boy in the litter. You could almost see him swaggering amongst his sisters with his testosterone on view for all to see! He is very solid, "built like a mack truck", with just lovely type and structure that impressed me more and more everyday. I suspect he may look more like a masculine version of Emmi than Louis when he is grown, with a lot of Louis' lovely structural qualities. His head has a lot of Emmi about it, which I just adore, and although that white stripe will probably have dissapeared by the time he has grown, I almost wish it wouldn't because it seems to give his expression such character.

He was a hysterical puppy. As funny as they come swaggering around. Full of happy grins as well, and eager for attention and cuddles. He learnt to climb out of the puppy areas long before any of my pups usually do, hoisting himself to the top with his front legs and plopping over the other side. I had completely fallen in love with him before he left, and it was a real struggle to let him go (very hysterical scene at Melbourne airport!!).

Dolce's dam is, of course, my beautiful import girl Emmi (Aus Ch Lumiturpa Emmi (Imp Fnl)), a rather famous girl amongst western circles in the Lappie community. She is of very successful, typey lines in Finland, is a stunning representation of her breed, and has had a lot of success in the ring here in Australia. She is a strong and confident bitch, with a real streak of naughtiness, and is hugely affectionate (particularly toward men, the little hussy!). Dolce is from her second litter.

His sire is my import boy Louis (Aus Ch C'est Louis Armstrong des Chevaloupsgreg (Imp USA)) who is actually of French birth, but was raised for me in the USA, and who has some of my favourite Lappies behind him. Despite the limited campaigning I do, he has also had quite a lot of success in the show ring, and has quite a few fans who have recognised his type and quality. He is a very funny, active boy with lots of drive, who is affectionately called "Loony-Louis" a lot of the time - my Peter Pan dog who I never expect to be more than a puppy. Dolce is from his first litter, and to date is his only son.

We wish Shareen and Glen all the best with the wonderful Dolce. We are sure he will do us and them very proud. And, of course, if they don't like him, they can always send him back :-)

For more photos of Dolce, CLICK HERE