Hi! My name's Willie, and I'm a 6-year old Norwegian Lundehund. "Lunde" is the Norwegian word for puffin -- those cute little birds that Lundehunds used to hunt and catch in the Lofoten Islands of Norway. It's illegal to hunt puffins nowadays but they were once considered to be a delicacy (we could catch up to 30 puffins in one night!). Lundehunds are Norway's oldest pure-bred dog and one of the rarest in the world.

"Lunde" or Puffin                                    Lofoten Islands

Our physical characteristics are unusual & fascinating and proved useful for hunting puffins. We have six toes on each foot which helped us climb steep cliffs or slippery rocks and crawl through narrow passageways or caves. We can bend our necks backwards until our nose touches our spine. This came in handy when we had to get out of narrow passages. Our ears can close to keep dirt and moisture out. We can also flatten our flexible shoulders and front legs into a bearskin-rug position.

Physical Features:

Height: 13 -15 inches
Weight: about 15 pounds
Eyes: beautiful brown
Ears: upright
Coat: short brown combined with white; black tipped hairs in adults

Personality:

We're smart, affectionate, gentle, loyal, playful, observant and easygoing. We're the Ginchiest!!! I love to bury and hide biscuits all over the house--probably a primitive instinct (we're believed to have survived the last ice age).