Paavo Mattila

Finland

I got my first Finnish Hound when I was 15 years old. I participated in trials with it, but we didn’t get any results, so I acquired a second Finnish Hound as well. The first litter was born in 1969, and I received my kennel name “Helisalon” in 1973. I got my first Beagle in 1970, and I still have that breed today. In addition, I have had a couple of Finnish Spitzes, a couple of Golden Retrievers, and a couple of Lhasa Apsos. Sometime in the 1980s, I saw a Chow Chow for the first time at the Exhibition Centre (Messukeskus), and its uniqueness and distinct character appealed to me, so this breed can now also be found in my home. Club activities were never really my thing, so I kept them very brief, but I still work as a judge trainer for Beagles and Chow Chows. I qualified as a judge in 1978, and I was appointed an all-breed judge in 2003.