Heikkinen-Lehkonen, Paula
Paula got her first dog, a Wire Fox Terrier, in the year 1961. She began to take part in club activities, shows, obedience and hunting training from the beginning.
Her first dog was not a star, so she purchased soon another, a bitch, who became Champion. Her first litter of Wire Fox Terriers was born in 1968, and since that she has bred over 300 litters, of Wire and Smooth Fox Terriers, English Springer Spaniels and Longhaired Standard Dachshunds, under Wolfheart prefix.
She never counted how many champions and group winners she has owned or bred, (well over 200) but she had over 50 International (FCI) champions. She has exported dogs to about 20 different countries and many of them have become champions in their new home countries. There has been also several hunting trial and dual champions.
One of her most successful dogs has been the Smooth Fox Terrier Int Ch Wolfheart Nutcracker, who was Terrier of the Year in -76. Her successes include winning the European Champion title in –98 with Int Ch Wolfheart Moritz and World Champion title in 2001 with Ch Wolfheart Diamond Lil. Wolfheart Test Pilot was European Junior Winner in 2019.
At the moment Paula has only Smooth and Wire Fox Terriers, about 20 dogs (and two cats, but they are not for showing or breeding). Showing and breeding nowadays is limited because of many judging appointments.
She was a professional groomer for about 20 years, doing all breeds, and at that time she also handled different breeds in shows, like German Shepherds, Beagles, Cockers, American Cockers, Poodles etc.
First she became a judge in -76. She was qualified as an all-breed judge in - 96. (in the FCI countries that means: qualified to award CCs in all the about 350 breeds recognized by the FCI.). She has awarded CCs in UK in 21 breeds: Smooth and Wire Fox Terriers, Airedale Terrier, Norwich and Norfolk Terriers, Lakeland Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, English Toy Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Giant Schnauzer, Shar Pei, Tibetan Terrier, Chow Chow, Keeshond, Bouvier des Flandres, Briard, Basenji, Finnish Spitz, Pharaoh Hound.
Besides Finland, she has judged in 51 different countries: Argentina, Austria, Australia, , Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakshtan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, UK, Ukraine and USA.
Paula has been in the judging panel of the Champion of Champions, Veteran of Veterans contests in Finland, Sweden and Norway. In 2002 I’ve judged the Pup of the Year Contest in Ireland and the Champion of Champions Contest in the UK 2008 and twice the Golden Collar Show in Russia. She has judged many times in the FCI European and World Shows, various breeds and also group finals, and in five of the Australian Royal Shows.
Paula has been also Terrier & Dachshund underground hunting trial judge for 30 years, but decided to give that up because lack of time. She used to keep foxes and train dogs for hunting trials, but nowadays there is no time for that.
She has been a board member of the regional Kennel Club for over 40 years, being earlier the Vice-President years and for the last 20 years and at present the President. She was a board member of the Terrier Club of Finland for 15 years, being the President for seven years, and editor of the bulletin for 11 years. She has been a board member of the local Dachshund Club for about 15 years, and member of the breeding committee of the Springer Spaniel Club and the Spaniel Club of Finland. I have been the secretary of the Lahti International Show (nowadays regularly over 4000 dogs) for 45 years, and last twenty years the President of the organising committee. At the moment she is the Honorary President of the Finnish Dog Show Judges' Society after having been the President for about 16 years. She was the President of the Fox Terrier Club of Finland for ten years, and again after some years’ retirement. She was several years also a board member of the World Dog Press Association. She is in charge of new judges’ education and exams for several breed clubs, and has held seminars in several other coutries.
After joining the staff of the Finnish Kennel Club in -89 she had to limit the club activities. She was editor of the Kennel Club magazine (circulation over 100 000) for five years, but all the travelling and judging was difficult to combine with regular office hours, and so she started as a freelance journalist and photographer in -95. Her articles and photos have been published in many dog magazines, newspapers, books and calendars in Finland and abroad. Besides the Finnish Kennel Club magazine Koiramme, she has been a regular correspondent of the Dog World (UK), Our Dogs (UK), Purebred Dogs in Review (USA) and many other canine magazines published in various coutries. She has also translated several dog books into Finnish and have been member of a group which made several TV programs about dogs.
Paula has given lectures for many different clubs about breeding, shows, etc.
She has been member of several Finnish Kennel Club committees: the Breeding Committee, the Standard Committee, the Show and Judges’ Committee and the Editorial Committee. At the moment she is a member of the Standard Committee.
She has been decorated by the Finnish Kennel Club (golden pin of merit), the regional Kennel Club, the Finnish Terrier Club (golden pin of merit) and the Finnish Dachshund Club. She has been awarded the Vuolasvirta Breeders’ Plaque of the Finnish Kennel Club and the Breeders’ Plaque of the Finnish Terrier Club and the Golden Pin of Breeders (nr.1) of the Fox Terrier Club of Finland. In 2018 She was nominated as a Honorary Member of the Finnish Kennel Club.
BREED
Cesky Terrier, English Toy Terrier, Black and Tan, Finnish Lapphund, German Hunting Terrier, Greenland Dog, Lapponian Herder, Norwegian Buhund, Norwegian Lundehund
FCI Number
103, 13, 189, 237, 246, 265, 274, 284
FCI Group
3, 5
Date(s)
2023.08.25, 2023.08.27
Ring
21, 23