Life With Japanese Spitz in Japan. The following memories are shared by Ms. Sato. Ms. Fumie Sato is a Japanese Spitz enthusiast and breeder of one remarkable litter born in 2007 under the name Sylph Sato. That litter — including Aquamarine Of Sylph Sato (Marine), Sapphire Of Sylph Sato (Daiko), and Lapislazuli Of Sylph Sato (Yamato) — later formed a small but meaningful bridge between Japan and Finland.
When I decided in 1996 that I was ready to welcome a dog under my own responsibility, I could not think of any breed other than the Japanese Spitz, because of the memories I had from childhood.
I began searching, but it was very difficult to find a Japanese Spitz.
Then I found a book called Nihon Ken Visual Guide, and through it I learned that Japanese Spitz enthusiasts had continued to improve the breed and were carefully raising Spitz that did not bark unnecessarily.
By chance, I discovered that the chairman of the Japanese Spitz Club lived only about fifteen minutes away from my home by car, so I contacted him immediately.
He asked me many questions — who would be the main person responsible for the dog, what my family was like, whether the house received sunlight, and other things. After that, he said, ‘There are puppies just born now, so you should definitely have one,’ and introduced me to them.
That was how I met Chappy.
He was born at the home of a Japanese Spitz enthusiast who was also a veterinarian, about an hour away by car. When we arrived, three puppies came running towards us.
It was a miraculous moment. At last I had found a Japanese Spitz, and tears came to my eyes.
It was my son who chose Chappy. He was a sweet little puppy who would roll onto his back in submission when his siblings pushed him around.
Throughout his life, he disliked mixing with other dogs. He seemed almost not to think of himself as a dog at all. He always joined the circle of the family, and when there was trouble, he seemed to worry together with us. He was a very unusual and endearing dog.
He was meticulous. Even when he left food behind, he would leave it as neatly as if he had drawn a line. He was elegant, calm, and never barked unnecessarily.
In old age he became truly gentle, and his very presence was dear to us. He lived to nearly eighteen years of age.
The Spitz had been improved so much that it felt almost like a different breed from the dogs of the past.
I came to feel deep respect for the senior fanciers who had devoted so many years to improving the breed.
This memory quietly answers a question many international fanciers still ask: what happened to the Japanese Spitz in Japan?
By 1996, the breed had not disappeared but it had become difficult enough to find that even someone who had loved it since childhood had to search seriously, follow a book, and rely on the network of dedicated enthusiasts to reach the right people.
We also can learn something equally important: the breed had not simply survived. It had been carefully improved. For Fumie Sato, meeting Chappy meant discovering not only the Japanese Spitz again, but a calmer, more refined dog than the one remembered from childhood.
That, too, is part of breed history.
Fumie Sato Memory Series A Life With Japanese Spitz in Japan . Previose Episode 1. The White “Moving Toy” — 1956…
