Two years have passed since the Russian Branch of the International Society for the Preservation of Primitive Aboriginal Dogs (R-PADS) began its work. At the time of its foundation our goal was to unite people interested in the aboriginal dogs of Russia, regardless of whether they lived in the Russian Federation or beyond Russia’s borders.  We hope that communication, exchange of information and coordination of efforts to preserve these valuable dogs of our ancestors and to assure their survival for future generations as unchanged and capable dogs as they were in the past. Looking back, we wish to state that our goals have not change. We welcome new members who are interested in the preservation of this unique heritage of Russia - her aboriginal dogs. We remain an informal organization, without any restrictions or requirements. We would like to attract dog breeders and professional scientists. Everyone who is willing to share his experience and knowledge of dogs and who is interested in the unique aboriginal dogs of Russia is welcome.

What kind of northern dogs (or Laikas) are known to us, people of the vast northern country of the former USSR?  The majority would name the Laika or Siberian Laika, which would not be true in both cases.  The Laika is a whole group of breeds and such a breed like the Siberian Laika does not exist at all, which I will explain below.

Dog lovers reading books and expert cynologists confidently list four Laika breeds: the Russo-European Laika, the West Siberian Laika, the Karelo-Finnish Laika and the East Siberian Laika. Someone may add that there are sled-pulling Laikas in the north….

Sometimes things turn ridiculous. A young journalist, who knew about Reindeer Herding Spitzes of our kennel, had heard about them for a long time, but he, finally, titled his interview about them «The Siberian Laika – A Dog for Everyone». Later he explained that if he had written «The Reindeer Herding Spitz», unaccustomed readers would not understand what he was writing about.

This took place in our large northern country, which is proud about everything that is its own!  For example, in Japan there are at least seven breeds of Spitz-like (Laika) dogs with international recognition. Clubs of northern dogs, their popularity and periodicals dedicated to them are a common phenomenon in many countries, some of which are even not that far in the north, except our own country!

What happened to our northern dog breeds, how many of them exist, what is their fate and why they are so little known?

My last foray into Syria, a country I have been visiting off and on for over 40 years, was in the spring of 2002 and I had been keen to go back again. The situation in the Middle East was however discouraging and I kept putting it off until this spring. As the days went by following the booking of my flight the news from the region grew daily worse, so much so that my family and friends tried to dissuade me from going. Long experience of the region told me however that the situation always looked worse on the outside and I knew that once in Syria I would be in the safe hands of old friends. And so it proved to be.