Last Updated on April 19, 2023 by Kieran Beckles

Are you looking to get an Alaskan Klee Kai – but you live in the UK?

The Alaskan Klee Kai is a relatively new dog breed when you consider the history of breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky.

However, the Klee Kai has grown in popularity over the past 10-20 years as word of the breed continues to spread around the world, partly thanks to social media.

While the United States of America is home to the majority of Alaskan Klee Kai breeders, these “mini huskies” have attracted interest worldwide.

So if you’re living in the UK, you’re probably wondering how you can find an Alaskan Klee Kai breeder or an Alaskan Klee Kai dog to keep you company or make a treasured family pet.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at whether you can get an Alaskan Klee Kai dog in the UK and where you can find the best information on breeders.

What Is An Alaskan Klee Kai?

The Alaskan Klee Kai is a purebred dog that originated in Alaska in the 1970s. The breed was created by an American lady called Linda Spurlin. She is thought to have used Alaskan Husky, Siberian Husky, Schipperke and American Eskimo Dog when creating her original batch of Alaskan Klee Kai. While Spurlin was initially reluctant to release her Klee Kai to the general public, she gave in to demand in the late 1980s and released her Klee Kai to enthusiastic dog lovers. The Alaskan Klee Kai were recognised by the United Kennel Club in 1997, but at the time of writing, they haven’t been granted status by the American Kennel Club. The Klee Kai is also recognised by the Federation of International Canines, the American Rare Breed Association, Canine Rarity Shows and the Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America. 

It’s important to note that you can only get an Alaskan Klee Kai dog by breeding two UKC-registered Klee Kai. So you can’t get a Klee Kai by crossbreeding any of the aforementioned breeds. It’s important to alway ask to see the paperwork associated with an Alaskan Klee Kai puppy because of the sheer number of scams surrounding the breed. Indeed, it’s best practice to only contact one of the breeders listed on the Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America’s website to avoid being scammed (more to come later).

Is There An Alaskan Klee Kai Breeder In The UK?

Like we mentioned in the section above, if you’re looking for an Alaskan Klee Kai breeder, you should start your search by visiting the Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America’s website irrespective of where you’re based in the world. So whether you’re in the United States, Singapore, Australia or the United Kingdom, you should visit akkaoa.org.

At the time of writing, there is only one breeder based in the UK who is listed on the akkaoa.org’s Find A Breeder section. You can click here to see the UK breeder. Your options are rather limited if you’re living in the UK and you want an Alaskan Klee Kai. We have no personal experience with the UK breeder (House Of Klee Kai) so we would be unable to endorse them but they’re currently members of the AKKAOA. So that’s a reassuring sign.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for an Alaskan Klee Kai and you don’t want to join a one or two-year waitlist to get a Klee Kai based in the UK, you could always consider contacting an American breeder and collecting your puppy stateside. Most Klee Kai breeders should be able to help with the paperwork required to get your puppy from the USA to the UK. In some cases, the Klee Kai breeder may even arrange to get your dog shipped direct to the UK without requiring your presence in the USA. However, it’s a good idea to meet your breeder and ask to see your puppy interact with the mother. Therefore, we’d encourage prospective Klee Kai owners to always make a trip to their breeder’s location. We don’t have firsthand experience of bringing a Klee Kai puppy into the UK (although we did relocate Copper and Skye when we moved to London in 2019 but they were already adult dogs). It would probably be a good idea to contact someone who has imported their Klee Kai or speak to some Klee Kai breeders.

Where Did We Get Copper and Skye?

At this point, you’re probably wondering where we got Copper and Skye. We brought home Skye – our first Klee Kai – in September 2017. Just over six months later, Copper joined our pack. We got Copper and Skye from Brenda Tobin of Nordic Mini Huskies while we were living in California before moving to London at the start of 2019. Brenda is one of the breeders listed on the akkaoa.org’s breeder information page. She explained her philosophy as a Klee Kai breeder on her personal website here:

All my dogs are registered from champion lines. The dogs are never caged, and they don’t live in kennels. We spend lots of time outside playing and exploring. Then, when night falls, it’s time to hop in bed and snuggle all night. My puppies are raised the same way: with lots of socialization, freedom to run around the house and play with the adult dogs, and opportunities to meet lots of people.

Brenda Tobin of Nordic Mini Husky

Where Can I Find More Information On Alaskan Klee Kai Breeders?

You can probably guess where we’ll direct you at this stage. Yes, the Alaskan Klee Kai Association Of America’s website is the best place to visit if you’re looking to learn more about Klee Kai breeders. They’ve got a section dedicated to information about AKK breeders.

Their website explains what it takes for an Alaskan Klee Kai breeder to be listed on their page – even though they add that inclusion isn’t necessarily an endorsement of any of the AKK breeders displayed.

A breeder must be an AKKAOA breeder member in good standing with both AKKAOA & UKC. We sincerely appreciate breeders being members of AKKAOA and their support of the Association. We do expect our breeder members to abide by the AKKAOA Code of Ethics and the UKC Breeder’s Code of Ethics, and operate in an above reproach manner. If there is a concern about specific breeding habits that violate our Code of Ethics, we encourage you to email the Board of Directors.

akkaoa.org

The AKKAOA add that if you can’t find a breeder in your local area, you may want to consider making a trip to one of the breeders to ensure you work with a breeder who cares about the wellbeing of their pups as an utmost priority.

There are 52 Alaskan Klee Kai breeders listed on their website. They include breeders from the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Russia and Finland.

Conclusion

We’ve reached the end of our feature on Alaskan Klee Kai breeders.

In answer to the question posed at the start of the article, there’s only one Alaskan Klee Kai breeder located in the UK at this time that is in good standing with the AKKAOA.

So if you’re thinking of getting a Klee Kai and you live in the UK, you may want to consider this breeder or if they’ve got a waitlist then you may have to expand your search to one of the breeders located in Europe or North America.