One of the most rewarding aspects of long-term preservation is watching stewardship become a family tradition.
For Al and Diana, that tradition did not begin with Kamia. Long before Ozzi arrived, they had already shared their lives with three Norwegian Elkhounds. They understood the breed, appreciated its unique character, and had developed a lifelong connection to Elkhounds through years of ownership.
When Ozzi, a son of Letta and Karu, joined their family, he became the next chapter in that journey.
Years later, they returned for a second Kamia Elkhound.
This time it was Charley, a daughter of Tekla and Karu.
On the surface, Ozzi and Charley were simply two dogs arriving years apart. Looking deeper into the architecture, however, a much richer story begins to emerge.
Both dogs carry forward important family connections that have shaped the Kamia program for generations.
Ozzi’s father is Karu, whose ancient Finnish hunting genetics have contributed significantly to the diversification and restoration work within the program. Looking further back, Ozzi’s great-grandfather is Bram, while his great-great-grandfather is Takoda, one of the influential dogs whose impact continues to be felt generations later.
Charley carries many of those same family threads.
Like Ozzi, she is also a daughter of Karu. Her mother, Tekla, is a daughter of Bram, bringing another branch of that same historic family forward into the next generation.
For years, Ozzi and Charley have lived together as members of Al and Diana’s family.
Today, those same dogs have taken on a new role.
They have become mentors.
Years after Ozzi’s arrival and years after Charley joined him, a new generation entered the picture through Koda.
Koda is part of the next chapter of stewardship, living with Kate, who grew up surrounded by Elkhounds throughout her life. Raised in a family that valued the breed and deeply understood its character, Kate eventually stepped into stewardship herself through one of the promising Teeko males.
What makes Koda’s story particularly remarkable is how closely connected he is to the very dogs helping guide him today.
Koda is a son of Teeko and Karia.
He is a grandson of Karu and Kalia.
Through Tekla, he is also a grandson of both Takoda and Tekla herself.
In many ways, the genetic architecture surrounding Koda reaches directly back into the same family represented by Ozzi and Charley.
The result is something that feels almost like an extended family gathering.
The mature dogs mentoring Koda are not random companions. They are connected to him through generations of carefully maintained lineage. The same names that appear repeatedly in the preservation architecture appear repeatedly in the lives of the people stewarding these dogs.
Takoda.
Bram.
Karu.
Tekla.
Teeko.
Karia.
Koda.
At the human level, the story is equally interconnected.
Al and Diana’s commitment to Elkhounds helped create an environment where Kate developed her own appreciation for the breed. That appreciation ultimately led her into stewardship herself, supported by the knowledge, experience, and encouragement of parents who have spent decades living with Elkhounds.
What began with a family’s love for the breed evolved into something larger.
Ozzi became part of the family.
Charley followed.
Now Koda represents the next generation.
At the same time, the lineage connections between those dogs reveal the deeper continuity that preservation seeks to maintain. The dogs are related. The people are connected. Experience is passed forward. Knowledge is preserved. Older dogs mentor younger dogs while experienced stewards help guide the next generation of stewards.
That is what preservation looks like in practice.
Not simply maintaining pedigrees, but maintaining continuity.
Continuity of families.
Continuity of stewardship.
Continuity of bloodlines.
And continuity of the relationships that allow both to thrive across generations.
