I am Päivi Nurmi and I live in Southern Finland, in Hikiä (about hundred kilometers away from Finland's capital city Helsinki) with my husband and 3 dogs. We have Sloughi male "Junnu"(Tillieville Xiam Ehz) and Galgo Espanol male called "Dante" (Domecq Do Promontório Da Lua).
We go to dog shows, lure coursing competitions and just for fun - agility!
I am a member of the committee of a sighthound club called Luhtilaukkaajat which has a race track in Hyvinkää city.
Luhtilaukkaajat organizes races during the year. I am also the editor-in-chief of its magazine. I also edit the Galgo Espanol- pages to the Finnish Sighthound Association's magazine, and reprisent Galgos Espanoles in the Finnish Sighthound Association's breeding committee.
I remember having said when I was about 7 years old, that I'll never live without a dog! At that time, we had a bitch called Ruusa, which was a cross between an English Springer Spaniel and a Finnish Hound. It was a lovely dog which left unforgettable paw-print in my heart. After Ruusa, my brother had a blue Great Dane male called Sarastro (Interline Arctus/Pir-Pauken Sheriffa), "Sasu", when I was 9 years old. At that time, I wanted an afghan hound, but luckily I didn't get it, I guess I would not have been able to take care of its coat as I was so young! Sasu lived up to 9 years of age and after him we were a couple of years without a dog. Well, it is no life without dogs and with my father's decision the 4 months old Caucasian Ovcharka male Mörkömaan Ujo came to us in 1995. Ujo passed away in 2005.
There are also my two cats in my parents care called "Mona" (1993-) and "Iines" (1990-2009).
When I moved to a rented flat I started looking for a dog of my own, a sighthound of course. I was thinking between Saluki and Whippet.
I had always admired Sloughis in dog books, and to my surprise, there was an advertisement about Sloughi puppies in the Finnish Sighthound magazine in Spring of 1999. As a result, Jesse came into my life that same year , the Galgo espanol male Calle a couple of years later in 2001 and Ville in 2003. Sadly, Jesse passed away 2005, and now I have a new Sloughi male called Junnu. Dante came in November 2007.
I lost Ville and Calle during 2010 to illnesses.
The newest member of our family, Roti (born 2009), a mix of German Shepherd and White Shepherd) came in October of 2010.
Although dogs are a part of our lifestyle and they have brought many wonderful friendships among them, life is not just about dogs. I also like to read and listen to music.
I got my kennel name "Almoldovar" in 2005. At the moment, I'm not planning to breed Sloughis or Galgos Espanoles, but who knows what happens in the future. These breeds are too closely bred in Finland at the moment, so there's not necessary enough gene pool to continue without new imports. Luckily, there's growing interest in these breeds.