In these pages you can read the stories of the Kings of Tsaarikon, those who have already left us and those who are reigning today. Kings are my very dear, wonderful dogs, and I am mostly a housekeeper and a gofer, who's main job is (at least if you ask my dogs) to keep the royals happy and healthy!
Tsaarikon Kingdom has been founded in 1982, when my parents finally gave me (after hard begging) a permission to buy an own dog. I had saved some money to go to an Interrail trip with my friend, but after all the money was not spent to a long waited trip to travel around Europe but to buy me a dog instead! I saw an advertisement in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Dogs for sale section: 'Borzoi puppies, born Feb 2, 1982' and my first very own dog, Alvari, moved to our house at the age of 8 weeks. I have lived with dogs all my life; when I was a child my father had Finnish hounds, terriers and elkhounds. My own dogs have always been borzois (Russian wolfhounds) until the year 2003, when the new Crown Prince, silken windhound Kassu, joined to our kingdom. Later we also got a little Princess, silken girl Tellu.
All my dogs have been mainly good companions for me. I have also attended to dog shows with those who have looked good, but success in shows has only been an additional value. I choose the puppy by instinct, usually I like one of the puppies and want him or nobody. The colour is quite important to me; I like red (the flaming one!) and brindle the best, with a suitable amount of white in it. We all, Kings and I, enjoy walking in the woods where the dogs can run free and I am able to walk at my own pace; in the autumn we spend some time picking berries and mushrooms.
The name of our kingdom comes from years behind; some of my old school mates gave me a nick name Minastasia Tsaarikko (I guess I talked too much about my dogs already in those days ;). Tsaarikon would also be a perfect kennel name, at least if you breed borzois (Tsaari = Czar in Finnish, Saarikon = Saarikko's)!
I wish you enjoy your trip to Tsaarikon Kingdom, please sign the guest book before you leave and welcome back!
Minna Saarikko
minna (at) tsaarikon.net
