Kari Järvinen got his first dog in 1957. He started breeding Beagles and later with his late wife they bred Scottish Terriers and West Highland White Terriers. However, the breed closest to his heart was Boxer and he handled many succesfull Boxers at shows. Järvinen became started his judging career in 1972 and became all round judge in 1991. He has judged all over the world in about 80 countries. He has held many national and international positions of trust. He has also been Chairman of the World Dog Show Committees in Finland in 1998 and 2014 and Chairman of the Show Committee of the Winner Shows in Helsinki.