Swedish Vallhunds were introduced to the United States in early 1984 from Starvon Kennel in the UK but were not bred at that time. In 1985, Marilyn Thell of Rhode Island, was visiting England and saw SVs at Crufts. Being of Swedish descent, she wanted to know more about the Swedish Vallhund. After learning more about the breed’s background, Marilyn brought two SVs to the United States in July 1985. Two others followed shortly and the first litter of nine SVs in the United States was whelped at Jonricker Kennel, September 4, 1986. The Swedish Vallhund Club of America was formed to preserve and promote the prosperity and true qualities of the Swedish Vallhund. The Club emphasizes the breed’s natural qualities in the breeding of the SVs and provides education to the public about this wonderful breed. The SVCA is dedicated to preserving the health, quality and temperament of the breed. SVs are self-confident, lively, inquisitive, courageous, loyal and independent. They are agile, fast, eager to please and take well to training. They are friendly, healthy and hardy. The SV is alert, watchful and will stand his ground to observe what is happening but is not aggressive. SVs have delightful personalities. Their temperaments are sound, loving, and sweet. They are calm and adaptable and delight in sharing your life. Being a spitz breed, they sometimes have a tendency to bark; however, this can be corrected with training. They find new uses for toys and are quite good at problem-solving. They enjoy being stimulated by learning new tasks.