The involvement in purebred dogs began in Sweden in 1959 with the acquisition of an Afghan Hound bitch puppy. She became a champion and produced two top winning Bohem champions in the mid-1960s.

The type of Whippets then being shown in Sweden did not hold any particular appeal, but a photograph of Ch. Laguna Lucky Lad — the first Whippet ever to win the Hound Group at Westminster Kennel Club — awakened an interest in the breed. Soon afterwards, seeing the great Ch. Laguna Ligonier in England led to a visit to the Laguna Kennels, owned by Mrs. D.U. McKay, one of the world’s most influential Whippet establishments and then at the height of its fame.

Spending several months at Laguna in the early 1960s led to the purchase of two puppies. The first became Int. Ch. Laguna Locomite, Best in Show at the Stockholm International show in 1963, owner-handled — the first and only time this show has been won by a Whippet. The second was the Ligonier son Int. Ch. Laguna Leader, also a BIS winner and sire of a record 25 champions. Leader was closely related to U.S. top winners on both sides.: through his sire he was half brother to the great stud dog Am. Ch. Greenbrae Barn Dance, while his dam was a litter sister to Am. Ch. Laguna Lucky Lad. (Click here to view Leader's pedigree.)

Postgraduate studies made breeding difficult, but several other males of similar bloodlines were imported from England, shown by Bohem and sometimes co-owned with other breeders. They included Int. Ch. Badgewood Mark Twain (by Ch. Laguna Limelight x a bitch of part U.S. Meander breeding), Int. Ch. Shalfleet Starbuck (by Eng. Am. Ch. Laguna Leisure), and most importantly Int. & Eng. Ch. Fleeting Flamboyant, winner of 11 CCs and two Hound groups at British championship shows. He was sired by the Ligonier son Eng. & Am. Ch. Tanttivvey Diver of Pennyworth, placed among the Top Ten dogs of all breeds in Sweden in 1970 and spent the rest of his life at Bohem.

Betwen them, these stud dogs improved the quality of Whippets in Scandinavia in the 1960s and 1970s to a degree which was noted by many international judges. Robert M. James wrote in English Our Dogs that Flamboyant "revolutionized the breed" in Sweden.

The first litter bred by Bohem was born in 1966, sired by Mark Twain out of a Leader daughter and included Ch. Bohem Fiasko and the Group winning Ch. Bohem Skandal. A second litter, out of Skandal bred back to her grandsire Leader, resulted in Int. Ch. Bohem Double Up (#1 Whippet male, 1972) and the BIS winning Ch. Bohem Wild Love.

Among the many champions bred by Bohem in the 1970s were Ch. Bohem Flamous, Ch. Bohem Flambingo (owned by Magnus Hagstedt, BOB at Skokloster), SBIS Ch. Bohem Lekain, Ch. Bohem Mome Rath (BOB Skokloster), BIS Ch. Bohem Cheshire Cat and SBIS Ch. Bohem Filipin — all of whom produced champions and appear in pedigrees of many top dogs. The #1 Whippet in Sweden every year from 1972 through 1987* descended from one or (usually) several Bohem dogs, frequently also #1 Whippet in the neighboring countries and #1 racing Whippet. In 1982 Bohem was honored to be the recipient of the Swedish Kennel Club’s Hamilton plaquet, awarded for "outstanding services to pure-bred dogs."

* In the 1990s and into the 2000's, several of the #1 Whippets in Scandinavia have again been bred by Bohem or from Bohem stock — but now via imports from the U.S.

 THE GREYHOUNDS

An excursion into Greyhounds made world-wide headlines. The red bitch, Int. Ch. Guld, co-bred by Bohem and Dr. Göran Bodegård in 1966 from English and Continental lines, founded the world-famous kennel of the same name. Her daugher Int. Ch. Black & White Lady was shown very successfully by Bohem in Scandinavia, and in the 1970s became the first imported Greyhound ever to win a Champion title in England (shown by Terry Thorn). Returned to Sweden, Lady was Reserve BIS at the Stockholm International show from the Veteran class. She produced numerous champions, several carrying the Bohem prefix which are behind some of the world’s top Greyhounds today.

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