Lucky Adoptees

Some dogs have been adopted, through our work and care, into new homes. You can find out more about their stories, their travel to their new homes and how they have settled in to their new homes here.

Those with (HH) after their names are from our own farm. All of the rest are either rescues that have come to us locally - and which we have then found homes for - or dogs from the nearby Transun UK / Santa Safaris farm which we managed for a number of years. (We prioritised finding new homes for Transun's older or non-running dogs over our own oldies, at first, because we knew that they wouldn't have the option to live into retirement on their own farm. Now that we can't help the dogs from there any longer, our own oldies have more of a chance to find a comfy sofa too.)

PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED DOGS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)


Yana(HH) | Tahti(HH) | Moscow(HH) | Tarmo(HH) | Taiga(HH) | Olive(HH) | Storm(HH) | Nanu(HH) | Venus(HH) | Timur(HH) | Trouble(HH) | Tundra(HH) | Mimosa(HH) | Bran(HH) | Nomad(HH) | Tuuli(HH) | Tog(HH) | Nakat(HH) | Samu(HH) | Arrow(HH) | Suka(HH) | Bino(HH) | Merlin1(HH) | KGB(HH) | Bella(HH) | Hulda(HH) | Banda(HH) | Zeta(HH) | Cloud(HH) | Eureka (HH) | Bruiser (HH) | Anouk (HH) | Owl (HH) | Manso (HH) | Eden (HH) | Blade (HH) | Nella (HH) | Patapov (HH) | Okra (HH) | Malla (HH) | Tala (HH) | Pilgrim (HH) | Merlin2 (HH) | Varna (HH) | Lassi (HH) | Miyagi (HH) | Pikkis (HH) | Comet (HH) | Lotta (HH) | Drizen (HH) | Eka (HH) | Bandit (HH) | Arvi (HH) | Pepe (HH) | Fala (HH) | Anjuska | Bernie (HH) | Hamppu (HH) | Berg | Anitra | Darja | Ina | Nuudles | Nuppu | Axa (Rescued dog) | Helge (HH) | Arkajalka | Maija | Theta | Bea | Hertz (HH) | Raija | Xena | Euler | Rira

PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED DOGS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)


Dogs Adopted in 2020


Yena (21 Sept. 2009)

Yena is a shy, gentle, easy dog who doesn't demand anything from anyone. She is happiest peacefully resting alone or with another dog in a quiet room. She still gets excited about walks and outdoor time, though she has calmed down a lot with age. Don't be fooled by her slight flinch when you touch her - once she realises she's getting a nice ear scratch from you, she enjoys being petted. Yena is a lovely old lady who deserves a retirement home as much as her sister, who left in winter 2020/21 and has opened up a lot to her new owners.

Ideal new home: A calm house, possibly with another dog.
How would she deal with being alone during a working day: She should be fine with monitoring in the beginning - Yena has occasionally chewed a few dog beds when bored.
To what extent can she still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? Yena is quite slow now, though she still gets excited to run. She is probably better off going mostly on walks.

Yana and X (Finland). Adopted in Nov. 2020

Another adoption that materialised as a result of guides bumping into folk during their summer holidays was that of Yana. Luke had been hiking with Elting in the east of Finland and ended up chatting with someone who approached him to say hi to Elting. It turned out that his partner had been thinking about adopting a dog and when they first came to the farm to look at potential candidates, Yana drew her eye before she was even aware that she was available for adoption. Undeterred by her shyness, she assured us that she had had dogs with health and other issus in the past, so off Yana went to Karrigasniemi.


Tähti and Rebekka (Finland). Adopted in Nov. 2020

Trouble was adopted by Rebekka from Helsinki (who had initially bumped into one of our guides whilst both were hiking Hetta Pallas in the autumn of 2020 and become enamoured by the concept of adopting an oldie) in October 2020. She fell in love with her so much that she decided to adopt another. We tried to persuade her to take her sister, Grumpy, with whom she had lived most of her life but understandably, Rebekka was keen to take a slightly younger dog and fell in love with the idea of taking her daughter, Tähti. Tähti was one of the two remaining T pups on the farm so we felt she deserved the offer and they look SO cute together. Although Trouble had been happy enough alone with Rebekka, Rebekka felt she missed other dogs (which is likely true for all of our adoptees) since she kept looking in the mirror at herself. It was for sure true that she was even more happy when Tähti was added as company. We are happy for them all.


Moscow and Sarah (Ireland). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Moscow made his legacy as one of the classic favorite dogs of all visitors and guides as his friendly charm with handsome, fluffy and bit fat appearance could not go unnoticed. He came to Hetta with his siblings ("M-pups" Moscow, Miyagi, Midori and Mimosa) from the small satellite farm Anna and Pasi were managing for few years. Moscow has bad eyes and when the sun is shining bright on the snow, the reflections may be too strong - the condition is similar to Panus and Moscow needs daily eye drops. The guides keep trying to get him to wear 'doggles' (doggy goggles) in the Spring, which is pretty funny. Moscow got castrated together with his brother Miyagi to become a bit more friendlier towards other dogs. After castration Moscow was easy to pair with any overly excited dog to keep the team calm and in balance. He quickly rose to the "Top 10 Dogs" list which made him seem like a hardworker however, all the visitors and guides who had Moscow on their team knew that he would pull only when the farm gates were in sight. Ex-guide Sarah decided the were soulmates when Moscow faked a limp about an hour before a steep hill on a multiday safari so had to be carried in the sleigh bag for the remainder of the safari. He journeyed from Hetta to Ireland in Carmen & Filippo's van with 7 other dogs and now Moscow enjoys his retirement while practicing a new profession as a herding dog at a cow farm in Ireland.


Tarmo and Carmen and Filippo (UK). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Tarmo is part of Trouble and Monty's "T-pups" who have been guide favorites throughout their lives. As a puppy Tarmo had lots of energy therefore, he was given a Finnish name which is often used as nickname for little boys with lots of action and excitement! As growing older Tarmo did not find the same enjoyment as a working sled-dog and he often needed encouragement from the guides on the startline. Nonetheless, his playful personality made everyone smile and any time you would walk on to his circle he would jump on his brother's (Thunder) kennel and give you a high five! During his last spring at the farm Tarmo developed biabetes (1st case at our farm) and he spend a lot of time inside with the guides getting cuddles non-stop! Ex-guide Carmen who spent many seasons at the farm has loved Tarmo since forever and has been patiently waiting to take him home for his retariment. In addition to Tarmo, Carmen and her partner (also ex-guide) Filippo had planned adopting Filippo's favorite dog the small and mighty Nana but unfortunately she passed away suddenly in Spring 2020. They had been working at the farm for their last season and needed to make a quick back-and-fort trip to UK in midst of the spring but like for everything in 2020 Covid-19 changed their plans and Carmen and Filippo got stuck in UK for the rest of the season. However, they were determinated to get Tarmo home to UK and whith carefully following the reguirements and multiple percautions Carmen & Filippo started the journey from UK to Hetta with their van to pick up Tarmo and 7 other lucky adoptees (including Tarmo's siblings Timur and Taiga) for their new homes. To read about Carmen & Filippo's journey with 8 dogs and 1 van go to our Facebook page

starting on 11th of Octorber 2020.

Taiga and Iona (UK). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Taiga was the 'waggiest'-tailed dog on the farm and the most gentle natured of Trouble and Monty’s "T-pups". As a pup she did not natrally like meeting new people and was always the last one to come forward to be walked by clients around the agility course. The guides worked hard for Taiga to become more brave and open and she now is super sweet natured dog, however, one on one. Ex-guide Iona is part of the HH family and was the first person to map our farm. She has also constructed a bunch of stuff here including our waste management centre and some of the artsy dogs and signs around the farm. Well known for working in pjyama tops and being covered in paint and sawdust when in Hetta, she is equally at home behind a computer and when in London, works in the fashionable design industry. Iona was back in Hetta for Pat's notorious 90th birthday bash and is now waiting to bring her partner to visit. Taiga travelled with her brothers Tarmo and Timur from Hetta to UK in Carmen & Filippo's van with 7 other dogs and is now enjoying her deserved retirement.


Olive and Margaux (France). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Olive was the smallest of Grumpy and Tengri’s "O-pups" - she was a very fussy eater and wanted to be hand fed for many months before starting to eat on her own. She was often a little wary of new people but loved getting attention and cuddles, especially from children. Among the guides Olive was know as the agility master, despite her being the tiniest dog at the farm she could do the huge A-frame while dogs 3-times her size were too afraid. As a sled-dog Olive was solid and keen leader, but often due to her size bigger girls could pull the team to the wrong direction by accident! During her last season she got into a fight with a dodgy teenager who hurt her ear (hence the droop) and ex-guide Margaux fell in love with her whilst nursing her back to health. Olive journeyed from Hetta to France in Carmen & Filippo's van with 7 other dogs and she is now enjoying long walks with Storm and Margaux on her retirement in France.


Storm and Margaux (France). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Despite being the only female of Sanna and Starsky's "S-pups", she was not very lady like. In fact she got named Storm since she created a storm of chaos and would torment her brothers. Storm is similar looking to her mother Sanna with a pink patch on her nose and only a small amount of white on the back of her neck. She also has one brown eye and one blue eye which is known as "heterochromia" and is quite common in husky dogs. As a sled-dog Storm was amazingly strong, like her brothers, but she never really enjoyed the life in big farm as she often was a victim in fights with ofter dogs. Awkward and shy Storm found a best friend in Margaux so Strom and Olive made the long journey from Hetta to France in Carmen & Filippo's van with 7 other dogs. She is now spending her time on long walks and loving the life as a house dog with Olive.


Nanu and Priska (Switzerland). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Even though named after Polar Bear in Greenlandic there is no need to be afraid of Nanu as he is very gentle in character. He might not have been the most vocal or active dog on the farm since Nanu did not notice the excitement around him and would just stay sleeping in his kennel. He was born deaf, as many white huskies. However, once Nanu knew about the commotion he was ready to go on a run or get cuddles from any passerbys. Ex-guide Priska spent a summer on our farm at the same time as Iona, back in the 'early' days. Gentle, deaf, Nanu - who needs calm and loving handling - was right from the start her favourite dog. Time passed and Priska adoped first Anushka, already an old dog, from Valimaa and then took on Lassi who had gone to Switzerland to be with a friend of another of Priska and Iona's mutual friends, Doris, who could no longer look after him. Lassi thrived with the company of Anushka under Priska's care but the plan was always to take Nanu when he came of age...with the thought also being that Anushka might not be around by then (since Priska wasn't quite sure about taking care of three huge dogs). Anushka was still going strong at 17 when Priska decided that she couldn't wait any longer for Nanu since he was already getting on too and Carmen's Caravan was a great opportunity to get Nanu south.


Venus and Markus (Belgium). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Venus was part of Matsku’s ‘Planet Pups’ and, like her siblings, she has relatively short legs and a roundish body. On the positive side, Venus has a super cute face, bright blue eyes and a strong desire to pull which makes a pretty good sled-dog! She loves to spoon close to guides on the bed so don’t expect any space if chosen to sleep with lovely Venus! Markus first met Venus when visiting our satellite farm in Kallo as a Lapland Safaris guide. He would return with clients week after week and soon got to know the dogs but his eye always returned to little Venus. He developed such a strong bond with her that he tried to say goodbye to her late one evening at the end of the season by snowmobiling out to the farm but the story of the rescue lives on in HH epic sagas. This time it was Venuse's turn to make the journey to Markus so she got on Carmen & Filippo's van with 7 other dogs to get from Hetta to Belgium.


Timur and Anna (Germany). Adopted in Oct. 2020

Timur is named after a great wilderness kayaking river in Nepal—although while his name also belongs to a beautiful country nearby at the edge of the Nusa Tengara in Indo-nesia. Part of Trouble and Monty's "T-puppies" Timur and his brother Tarmo were quite often getting mixed by new guides. Timur took the joyrney to Germany with 7 other dogs, two of them being his siblings Tarmo and Taiga, on Carmen & Filippo's van. Reunitement with ex-guide Anna was full of joy and made a great last (partial) family portrait of the 3 "T-puppies".


Trouble and Rebekka (Finland). Adopted in Sept. 2020

Trouble was one of the original 12 dogs when the farm was started in 2008. The name said everything about her as a pup, because if anything went wrong, Trouble was probably the culprit. However, she grewn into a sweet and gentle adult so now it doesn’t really fit! She became a mom for 7 pups, each name starting with the letter "T". As a working sled-dog Trouble was a machine when running in wheel (back at the team) but always had a bit too much temper to run in first lead. Throughout the years she managed to complete over 15,000 kilometers in total. About a month after settling with Rebekka, she told us: 'She is so obedient it’s amazing. I take pride in her!! Other dog owners not only think she’s a puppy, but are always impressed how obedient and Well-behaved and a loving dog she is. She is such an example and great company. I love her so much and she is seriously such an amazing dog and I'm thankful for her every day.Trouble is like the best thing happened to me in a long time.


Mimosa and Tina (Finland). Adopted in Aug. 2020

Mimosa was part of the fluffy and soft "M-puppies" and often called the most prettiest and sweetest of her siblings and Mimosa definitely loved all the attention. However, looks could sometimes be a bit deceivive since as a puppy she bossed around her siblings and often you could hear her loudly whining to be let out of her cage. Mimosa was an awerage sled-dog often running next to her sister Midori who was the more stronger puller. Together they made a quite picturesque pair as they have the looks of a traditional Siberian husky. Now Mimosa is enjoying her retirement with Bran in Southern-Finland.


Bran and Tina (Finland). Adopted in Aug. 2020

Bran ran in lead in during his first seasons with great success - especially when paired with his best friend at the farm. Kiri-Kiri was the more reliable leader of the two and when separeted Bran could become less motivated to listen to the commands of the guides and more interested in exploring the routes he wanted to take during the safaris. Therefore Bran often went from leader to team dog to recharge his motivation! As he grew older he didn't enjoy running so much anymore which led to a retirement with Mimosa in Southern-Finland.


Tundra and Eli (Enontekiö). Adopted in May. 2020

Tundra is the oldest of Trouble and Monty's "T-puppies" and when born she was enormous so all of her siblings had to wait patiently whilst Trouble figured out how to get her out. As a sled-dog Tundra was quite average, more excited to get cuddles and praise from visitors and guides than to actually run in line. Ex-guide, now a local at Hetta, Eline fell in love with the newborn Tundra instantly and has been patiently waiting to take Tundra home. Now on her deserved retirement Tundra gets to enjoy the family life with a dog called Kero and being the face of Eline's handcrafted dog tag company "Tundrada".


Nomad and Teuvo and Vuokko (Enontekiö). Adopted in May. 2020

Nomad was arguably the most gentle of Sanna’s first litter of pups (although his brothers Nanu and Tengri come close). He really stood out from his black and white siblings as a brown and extremely fluffy pup - most likely Nomad got the looks from his father Bono. As a pup Nomad used to gulp so much air with my food that he had to be burped manually, daily. And still as grown adult he had a great apetite and was often quite chubby looking with all that fur. As a working sled-dog Nomad moved from wheel postition (the back) to swing (the middle) position once a client freaked me out by letting the sleigh run into the back of his legs. Ever since Nomad was a pupppy he has the favorite dog of Pasi's mom Vuokko so he naturally got a place on their couch ready for Nomad's retirement. While passing through the village of Hetta you might meet sweet Nomad on a leash enjoying his daily walks with Vuokko and Teuvo.


Tuuli and Pia-Maria and Ilkka (Finland). Adopted in May. 2020

Tuuli is part of Madonna and Sausage's litter and she is quite similar to is father in character and looks, though she might not be as fast of a runner as Sausage. "Tuuli" means "wind" in Finnish and after hearing her howling style of barking no one questions who Tuuli got her name. As a working sled-dog Tuuli has always been a hardworker like her parents - even as a tough old lady she is still ready to run and does well when she's out. Tuuli has been a great teacher and example for the younger pups as she is patient but will put them in their place when they step out of line! Now Tuuli is loving her well deserved retirement.


Nakat and Charlotte (Norway / France). Adopted in May. 2020

Nakat and his 4 siblings came from a farm located in Russia and at Hetta they were quickly given the nickname 'fluffy monster dogs' or 'fluffies' for short. Instead of a typical sled-dog breed like Alaskan or Siberian huskies these bearlike dogs are a Nenet-Laika cross, basically a mix of Russian reindeer herding dog and Russian sled-dog. Of all the 'fluffies', Nakat is the only cream coloured, and probably the fastest of his siblings. Though, that is not that fast compared to the other dogs on the farm. Nakat also might be the smartest of the bunch and if let loose after a run or a cuddle time with visitors in the farm kota he would go on his circle and patiently wait for someone to chain him. He loves all people but not many other dogs, luckily he found a best friend in Peanut, this pair ran together and lived in neighbouring circles. Ex-guide Charlotte has loved the fluffies since the beginning and has trained all of them to walk off leash which made the 5 fluff-monsters great companions for hikes, berry picking and even canooing. Charlotte often took Nakat's sister Koukoun on her adventures and was planning to adopt her when leaving the farm but unfortunately Koukoun suddenly passed away early winter in the season 2019/2020. Nakat and his one-eyed brother Tog got the chance to retire with Charlotte and another ex-guide Gaban who had previously adopted the 'not so fluffy monster dogs' Fala and KGB who also came from the same farm in Russia to live at our farm. These girls are Taimur breed and quite similar to the fluffies were are strong but not quite so fast as working sled-dogs. All four of them are now living with in Norway next to mountains, fjords and ocean. During their past time these 'monster dogs' enjoy herding sheep and taking long walks around the picturesque scenery.


Tog and Charlotte (Norway / France). Adopted in May. 2020

Tog and his 4 siblings came from a farm located in Russia and at Hetta they were quickly given the nickname 'fluffy monster dogs' or 'fluffies' for short. Instead of a typical sled-dog breed like Alaskan or Siberian huskies these bearlike dogs are a Nenet-Laika cross, basically a mix of Russian reindeer herding dog and Russian sled-dog. Tog is almost identical with his brother Elting, except he is blind in his right eye - being one-eyed does not stop him from being happy and mischeiveious. In fact, Tog's previous owners called him the clown of the group. He may not be that smart, but he did know how to make people fall in love with him and therefore, Tog often received extra cuddles and always needed brushing from visitors. Ex-guide Charlotte has loved the fluffies since the beginning and has trained all of them to walk off leash which made the 5 fluff-monsters great companions for hikes, berry picking and even canooing. Charlotte often took Tog's sister Koukoun on her adventures and was planning to adopt her when leaving the farm but unfortunately Koukoun suddenly passed away early winter in the season 2019/2020. Tog and his brother Nakat got the chance to retire with Charlotte and another ex-guide Gaban who had previously adopted the 'not so fluffy monster dogs' Fala and KGB who also came from the same farm in Russia to live at our farm. These girls are Taimur breed and quite similar to the fluffies were are strong but not quite so fast as working sled-dogs. All four of them are now living with in Norway next to mountains, fjords and ocean. During their past time these 'monster dogs' enjoy herding sheep and taking long walks around the picturesque scenery.


Samu and Stefan (Finland). Adopted in March. 2020

Guides are constlantly being amazed by Samu - this shy and tiny dog was was one of the best lead dogs on the farm! Samu was almost perfect in Gee/Haw (diretion commands) and when he was leading the team through the tracks, you may even see his tail wag of happiness. At other times, he so quiet that guides might have difficulties finding him from his cage. Samu's lookalike sister Sanna is the exact same, an amazing lead dog but really shy and guiet. Even long term guides might get confused with this sibling pair as they are almost copies of each other! Samu often got a limp on his legs during the long sledding season so he went on a test trial to Stefan's place try out living with Hulda who had been previously adopted by Stefan. Luckily Hulda who is known for hating many other dogs liked Samu and now he is loving his relaxing retirement.


Arrow. Born Sept. 2008 & Jue James. France.

Arrow is the sweetest little dog. The first dog on the farm to make Anna's mother want to approach a dog to stroke it. Big eyes. A heart to please. Gentle nature. She has spent many summers living on an island in Inari with Hamppu and Katharina and Justus so transitioning to there in her retirement was going to be an easy thing for her. However, the James family from France also fell in love with her and were ready to take her before her Inari family. Unwilling to deny Arrow the chance of an earlier permanent sofa, Katarina said to take her so she now lives in Tolouse in France with her cousin (an earlier adoption), Pilgrim.


Dogs Adopted in 2019


Suka. Born Sept. 2008 & Cal Flyn.

Suka headed to Scotland to be with Cal.



Bino. Born Nov. 1st 2008 & Luana Tone.

Bino headed to Glasgow to be with Luana.


Merlin. Born Nov 2008

Merlin, son of Princess and Chocolate, is from one of our first litters of puppies. He is adorable and still enjoys running, even if he has never been a great sleddog. The reason why we feel that he is the dog at the very top of our adoption list, at present, is because we don't think he should spend another winter outside and he doesn't always make the cut to be indoors, here, since there are often other dogs with more immediate needs.

We think Merlin should move indoors permanently because he has had a small amount of inherited shaking of the back legs for a number of years (whenever excited or nervous), but the shakes have increased a little, over time, and seem to also be starting to make him stiffer. He looks, now, like a careful old man when going to sit down or stand up. The shakiness is in his lines and his cousin Pilgrim had it far worse but is now doing great in a new home in France.

Whenever Merlin is anxious or excited, his back legs in particular, start to shake. It isn't dangerous for him - and although this line of dogs have seen numerous vets, we haven't got a definitive answer as to what is going on.

To try to explain what it looks like, it kind of looks like a human with a mild form of parkinsons disease, but primarily in the back legs. What it means for Merlin in terms of quality of life is that his muscles are working pretty hard a lot of the time and that is even more true when it is cold. Dogs that are already feeling stiff are less likely to jump around and keep themselves warm, so they are more likely to feel the cold than others and to shiver in response. Ulimately, then, they are shivering / shaking a lot more than others, and their poor muscles seldom get a break.

Because of this, we think he should be indoors on a soft bed if at all possible, before next winter. Each winter is getting progressively harder for a him to be comfortable living outside.

Pilgrim got 'the shakes' a few years before Merlin and his condition was a lot worse. He shook almost constantly in winter and was pretty stiff in his movements. In both cases, however, the vets recommended keeping them running, albiet on reduced mileages, just to make sure that their muscles remained strong and supportive for the joints and didn't contract over time from lack of use. Pilgrim luckily found a new home in Toulouse, France, last year. Once he had settled into his new home, his new owner said that the shakes almost disappear completly at times when he is relaxed and focused on something else, like a dog treat. They come back whenever he is excited or anxious but this doesn't stop him from enjoying regular family hikes in the mountains of the Pyrenese.

In their minds, Pilgrim is just a 'nervous' dog but we believe that there is an underlying and undiagnosed neurological issue going through this line.

Merlin 1 was actually offered a home in the UK a few years ago but the chance passed him by since the adopter got sick and had to put the thought of taking on a dog on hold temporarily. He would be happy for Merlin to go somewhere else and be well cared for.

Merlin loves cuddles and is super loving in return. When he turns his attention onto you, your heart melts since he has become a really calm and gentle dog in his older years. So much so, that he is currently putting up with the largest and most rambunctuous pup of last year, who is now 1.5 times his size and jumps and barks around the cage constantly. Merlin somehow manages to patiently put up with all of the pup's nonscence although you will frequently just see him hiding in the kennel, keeping well out of the way.

In the home, Merlin will come up to you and rest his head on your knees and ask you to continue to stroke him every time you take your hand away. When you spend one on one focused time with him you will realise how gentle and loving he really is. Obviously all of our dogs are used to being around other dogs 24/7 but I have the feeling that that isn't as critical for Merlin as it is for some of the others. For him, the warm bed or sofa and gentle care away from boisterous yearlings is probably way more important. Merlin would want to be an indoor dog most of the time and I believe that he would be happy enough being left along for a number of hours in the day.

Having said that, Merlin is still self-confident and independent. When walking on the trail with a human buddy, for instance, he is inquisitive and eager to sniff everywhere, so he might not pay you so much attention until he realises that he will have the chance to explore in the same way, each and every day. I believe that he would be a very loyal dog to whomever gave him a home and I don't think it would take too long before he would be focused more on you than on everything around him. As soon as you call his name, he will remember that you are there and focus back on you.

Merlin was still running up to 30km in his last season (albiet on slower tours and with slower partners who wouldn't over-run him) and we actually believe that keeping him relatively active and with muscles on his body will be important for his skeletal strength, even if he would probably prefer to be a couch-potatoe at this point in his life. That doesn't mean that you need to run him miles every day but it does mean that he should probably have a chance to do more than potter around in a back garden since he isn't super motivated to move, other than on actual walks. He is still healthy enough to go running with you if you want to take up a new form of exercise and he doesn't pull as much as many of the dogs on the leash. If he has a particularly hard outing compared to normal, he would probably benefit from a nice rub down / stretch afterwards.


CLOUD

CLOUD


Born Aug. 2007

Older Working Male Sleddog.

If you want a calm dog to play with, then I may be one of your best options. I will cuddle you quietly (or jump up gently for a hug once I trust you). I may even give you my paw to shake. I seem to be learning to become more shy as I get older, so please remind me that people are nice to play with. My owners have a hard time figuring out where to keep me, since I am such a good climber.

KGB Born (20th Feb. 2007). Adopted summer 2019, by Gabin "Kandy Kane" Desserprit.

Since KGB's sister, Fala, has already been lucky enough to head off to a new home, we think that KGB would be more than happy to find a place on an equally soft sofa. KGB is a special Taimyr dog from Siberia - an ancient breed and one of only a few in the world. She and her sister had hernias when they came to us which were successfully operated but we have always been a bit hesitant about using them in a full-on running program because we haven't wanted to put them under too much strain. Additionally KGB is not the most motivated sleddog, unable to keep up with the others though she has the strength to stop a whole team to use the toilet!

Poor KGB was offered a forever home in the UK by a caring family but the timing wasn't right for her since at the time, she was being fostered by a local family who had just lost a dog and needed a companion for their remaining dog. We hoped that she might find a forever spot there and so we steered the people offering to take her, rather, to another dog. Unfortunately the local family decided that they wanted their next dog to be a puppy instead, so hopefully this hasn't made KGB loose out on the chance for a forever home. She had totally become used to sofa life and will be a little sad to return to a cage on the farm for yet another winter.

Ideal new home: A family that can give her lots of love. She is very sweet and has been off-lead around our farm without any problems, walks right next to you (or behind) and waits patiently for treats.
How would she deal with being alone during a working day: KGB is a perfect couch potato inside the house, she spent a lot of time inside due to operations and learned the ways of a house pet. While she is large in size, KGB is house-trained and easy. She would probably be fine with other pets as well, though she can be grumpy with food.
To what extent can she still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? KGB is not very fast and does not pull but will happily follow beside or behind you.

My previous owners named me KGB because they thought I had ice eyes. I can get grumpy and anxious at feeding time and I need to be fed quickly to avoid fighting. Normally though, there is nothing scary about me, so please come say hello as I love being tickled. If I am excited I like to make a noise like a cow mooing.


Bella Born X & X

Bella was rescued from a farm where all of the other dogs were super shy except her. This is probably because she spent all of her time there as a house dog! Bella is a lovely house dog, and would very much deserve a loving home. She easily gets along with other dogs and with people. She is also still a strong sled dog, for which reason she still needs a fair amount of exercise!

Ideal new home:Loving and active people who will give her loads of cuddles and let her sleep on the bed (or a sofa).
How would she deal with being alone during a working day: Bella should be watched for the first times and eased into it, as she has never been alone before. It might help to have another canine companion with her.
To what extent can she still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? Bella would definiely still love to do this as an active strong dog. She has been a lead dog throughout her time at Hetta.

Her website text, in her day, was 'I just love to give hugs and will wrap my arms right around you. However, when you try to leave me, I may get a little over-excited and then I may jump up and maybe nip you by accident to try to prevent you leaving. Hence, only play with me if you are used to being around over-friendly dogs. (But do, please, play with me, someone!).


Hulda Born X (2011) & Stefan Durig: Finland / Switzerland

X

X


Banda Born X & X

I am very shy. I’m probably one of the most nervous dogs on the farm and I need lots of attention to help me come out of my shell. My favourite place in the world is the back of my kennel, far away from prying humans. I am Anjuska and Jesse’s son.


Zeta Born Dec 2010 & X

Zeta, like Tala, is well-behaved around people but extremely aggressive with other (mostly female) dogs.


Cloud Born (Aug. 2007) & Erwin

Cloud is one of the first 12 dogs that originally started at Hetta Huskies in 2008. He is a gentle dog who still runs, but could use a comfortable couch to live out his retirement. Cloud should be watched carefully though, as he very easily slips his collar and climbs out of cages!

Ideal new home: An active family that can spend time walking and cuddling him.
How would he deal with being alone during a working day: You should probably be careful at first. Cloud is known as an escape artist, and can also slip his collar, no matter how tight. He would be better off in a home where someone is always present.
To what extent can he still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? Cloud can still do both and would probably enjoy moderate exercise. He has been a lead dog throughout his time at Hetta.


Eureka. Born Nov 2010 & Merja ja Macer Kankkunen
Merja and Macer adopted Eureka, pretty much out of the blue, in July 2019. They visited the farm and we hoped that they would take one of the older dogs but Eureka's looks proved irresitible. Eureka was Nuudels’ only boy, and didn't look as much like his mom as his sisters. Rather, he took after his dad, Ara’s, side of the family. There was a history of heart trouble in that line so we kept a close eye on Eureka as he grew. He was a great wheel dog and was extreamly friendly towards humans. In his last year at HH, he had two fits; one in Autumn, around training and one after feeding on day, in summer. I make a great wheel dog and I am extreamly friendly towards humans.



Bruiser. Born 1st Nov. 2008 & Raya
I am one of Sanna’s first pups. I look almost identical to Tengri, my brother, but you can tell us apart by checking how many dark spots we have on our legs (I have more) and seeing which one of us is the most boisterous/has the sharpest claws (me!). I love to jump up and may scratch you accidentally.



Anouk. Born Jan. 2013 & Miila.
Anouk is the french for the name Anna and a popular husky name...given to the more feisty of the two females in the litter. I didn’t like being heat checked as a baby and would push back with my legs into your face—so beware. I’m pulling very well so far so I have great potential as a sled dog.


Anouk came to the farm as a rescue puppy. She is full of energy and loves to play. As a puppy, she showed potential to be a great sleigh dog. Sadly, this did not happen. She does not like to pull and can be unpredictable towards other dogs. She would enjoy living with a family, though her energy levels may suit older children. Anouk is a happy dog and would benefit from living in a family environment. She is easy to fall in love with.

Ideal new home: A place with a large garden and people who like to play. Somewhere with no dogs. To what extent can he still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? She would certainly enjoy it and have a good speed, but she may not pull so well.


Owl. Born 11th Feb 2011 & Felicitas Frei.
I was the runt of Grumpy and Tengri’s litter and had to be hand fed for a long time to keep me alive. Once we started running freely all together through the woods, I was always miles behind so we have all been hoping that I will get faster once I have caught up with my siblings in size. I have crazy eyes and often looked really high as a puppy.



Manso (2006). With Cecilia Xausa and Paul Moody in March 2019 (pre Brexit!).

Manso is giant-sized for a husky and incredibly strong with a very fluffy coat. Because of this, he would probably be best off living outdoors if possible. Manso is also the award-winner of digging at our farm, overturning half of the ground in a cage space overnight if he gets the chance. For this reason he lives permanently in a wood-floored cage. His size and weight have slowed Manso down in his old age and made him prone to limping, and so he does not run more than 6km and would ideally find a new home. He is a happy-go-lucky fellow, though a little timid at first, and very easy with other dogs.

Manso is somewhat house-trained but has not spent very much time inside as he gets hot very easily so he will probably take a while to adjust to UK life. He was always very strong but he would get a little stressed when having to run a lot so he will be happier not needing to be a sleddog.

I was so nervous when I arrived at this farm, so much so that I was sometimes even too scared to run. But now that I have gotten over my initial fear, my long legs and strong body help me to fulfil my role as a ‘wheel dog’. Having said that, I am sometimes a little lazy and just run along for ‘the ride’. If I do that, please slow down and I will remember my job, maybe!


Eden (1st Oct. 2008) with Cecilia Xausa and Paul Moody in March 2019 (pre Brexit!).

We would have happily kept Eden for longer. The best of the Nenet-Laika-Taimyr crosses, he was a strong lead-dog on multiday safaris for many years. However, when he got a chance to go to a forever home in the UK in the company of his cage mate, Manso, it was pretty hard to refuse. Cecilia and Paul had fallen in love with him during a 5-day safari in 2018, returned that summer to double check that Paul was not allergic, realised that Eden had for many years lived with Manso, and then promptly offered Manso (already long retired) a forever home too.

Of all the Hetta Monster Dogs, I am the fluffiest, the friendliest and I make the most demands for a tummy rub. My most distinctive features are my magnificent eyebrows. But I can however, get a bit too hyperactive and can loose control.


Blade. Born 2006. Katharina Meyer, Germany.

Blade is probably one of the happiest-looking dogs on the farm, wearing an ear-to-ear grin permanently on his face. Because he is smaller than most of the other male huskies, he would more easily transition to life in a home. In a cage Blade likes to run around his kennel to get away from you, but seems to think it's more a game than anything else as he is not afraid when you approach him. In the house Blade is fairly well-behaved, though he had a lot of energy for a 13 year old and was still on a 12km distance limit when he left us at the start of March 2018! Blade is more than happy with the company of other pets, as he usually lives in a cage either with puppies or other adult dogs and is very easy-going.

In his new home, he will be hoping to still have the chance to get a lot of exercise, but he will also thrive in a laid-back environment with a loving family. He is reasonably, but not perfectly, house-trained. He has not been left alone in a house before unless side by side with other canine companions. Blade loves skijoring and walks / runs, still, so it would be best if he lived with people who live an active lifestyle.

Blade is really friendly but sometimes barks a lot and makes people scared to approach him, which is a shame. It is all because he really wants to play but hasn't quite figured out how to ask, properly. When waiting in line and the guides would tell him to lie down, he would just that they were playing a game with him. Hence, if there was just one dog standing, it was sometimes him!

Blade on todennäköisesti yksi meidän iloisimman näköisistä koirista farmilla, yllään korvasta korvaan virne pysyvästi hänen naamallaan. Koska hän on pienempi kuin suurin osa muista uros huskyista, hän ottaisi kotiin muuton helpommin vastaan. Häkissä Blade tykkää juosta ympäri hänen koppiansa päästäkseen pakoon sinua, mutta näyttää ajattelevan sen enemmän leikkinä kuin minään muuna, koska hän ei pelkää, kun lähestyt häntä. Talossa Blade on melko hyvin käyttäytyvä, vaikka hänellä on paljon energiaa 12 vuotiaaksi! Hän olisi enemmän kuin tyytyväinen muiden lemmikkien kanssa, koska hän tavallisesti asuu häkissä joko pentujen tai toisten aikuisten koirien kanssa ja on todella rento.

Ihanteellinen uusi koti: Jossakin jossa hän saa silti paljon liikuntaa, mutta rennossa ympäristössä rakastavan perheen kanssa.
Miten hän käyttäytyisi ollessaan yksin työpäivän aikana? Blade on hyvä mutta ei täydellisesti sisäsiisti. Hänen energiatasonsa takia häntä pitäisi vahtia alussa, sillä hän ei ole ollut yksin talossa ennen. Toisen koiran seurana, Blade saattaa olla tyytyväinen.
Missä määrin voi tehdä vielä canicrossia kesällä / mennä hiihtämään kanssani talvella? Blade on esimerkillinen koira tähän ja rakastaa sitä ehdottomasti. Olisi parasta jos hän eläisi aktiivisen elämäntyylin omaavien kanssa.


Dogs Adopted in 2018


Nella. Born Jul. 2007. Emily French, France.

Nella is incredible. She has so much heart and love in her and she tries so hard in every situation that it is just impossible not to fall in love with her. She was one of the strongest females we have ever had in her heyday. Not a fast dog but a true and consistent one who was sweet natured and has always given more in life than she has received.

She was rescued from a very dodgy situation on her first farm and worked hard with us for many years but one day in the 2017 season, she collapsed whilst running. We hadn't noticed a small bite wound that she had received from a new rescue dog that we had 'asked her' to look after and the resultant hidden infection had drained all of her energy. True to form she gave it everything she had, without complaint, until she couldn't give any more. It is time now for her to have a well earned break. She is a loveley old lady who will cause no issue at all in whatever household accepts her. She has been speyed following the removal of tumours that, as with humans, come to a very high percentage of female dogs in their later years. Hopefully, since she has already had her tumours removed, there should be few related expenses in her last years.

I am huge for a girl and very powerful. Just try to take me for a walk! I can run as a leader or a wheel position. Despite my size and strength I am very gentle and sweet. I love any sofas and all people. I moved to Hetta farm from my previous farm because I have huge problems with lactation and many mammary tumours and my new owners thought I would best be looked after here.

Ideal new home: A family that can give her lots of love. She is very sweet and would, I imagine, be totally fine with other dogs or cats.
How would she deal with being alone during a working day: She isn't used to being alone so it might take her a while to get used to being home alone if that was the case.
To what extent can she still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? She would love to still go running on the not so cold and not too hot days and she would be a steady companion who wouldn't run at a crazy speed.


Patapov. Born Feb 20th 2007 & Flavia / Switzerland

Patapov's brother, Drizen, has found a new home so we figured it would only be fair to also offer it to Patapov (since he would make a much better companion dog than a sleigh dog). Patapov is sweet and friendly, but not great in the line, getting tired from the fast pace of the huskies after short distances.

I was offically the biggest dog ever, on the HH farm. When I was born I weighed a whopping 560 grams and tend to be a little fat in adulthood as well. When you see me, my face may look a little grumpy but I am a very happy dog and enjoy meeting people. I am darker than my brother, Drizen and like to run with him in wheel. Drizen is smarter than me, but I will always be bigger than him.

Ideal new home: Somewhere he can get lots of cuddles and attention.
How would he deal with being alone during a working day: He would be better with another dog (that he trusts) or with regular mini visits until you are sure about how house trained he really is. He might be better off living in an outdoor space at least in the beginning.
To what extent can he still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? He would love to still do this still from time to time and even though he is a big dog and therefore not so fast, he has good endurance still and he is very obedient.


Okra. Born 11th Feb. 2011 & Pia Maria, Ilkka and Kaliye.

I was called Bertha for a while by one of the guides so I was happy when they finally settled on naming me Okra (after the African vegetable). I was the first of Grumpy and Tengri’s pups to be adopted (and managed it before them!). I am a little bigger than my sister, Olive but was never as good a sleddog. When I was out being walked by Pia Maria, one day, the vicious little terror called Zeta escaped past Lorin and attacked and Okra somehow managed to have her leg broken in the process. Months of indoor recovery time later meant that we were finally able to ascertain that she also had nose mites, and to treat her for those. It was touch and go, for a while, as to whether Pia Maria would be able to persuade her family to adopt both Malla and Okra and Malla went there first. Malla is a bit like a cat, though...very gentle and happy in her own company. Okra's open and loving personality was able to win them all over.

Malla. Born: 10th Nov. 2008 & Pia-Maria in Oulu.

I am a total cutie, and most volunteers fall in love with me. I am the smallest of Princess’ first litter of pups, but I never let a bigger dog boss me around. I am super smart and very agile. My owners trained me to become a good lead dog since I probably wouldn't have been able to pull so hard.


Tala (2011) & Stefan Durig: Finland / Switzerland

Tala is a beautiful husky dog (often a favourite with clients) who is very vocal about her needs, but highly unpredictable with other dogs. We took her in as a stray who had been caught after being let loose to roam free and fend for herself in the area for over a week. Hence, we do not know much about her previous history. When she arrived, she had the same type of aggression levels towards other animals as most house dogs (surprisingly, husky farm dogs are generally far more socialised and therefore tollerant of other dogs than most private people's pets) and we have never really overcome her unpredictability around other dogs, even though has since been spayed to help to control any possible hormonal swings.

Tala is sweet and calm with people and desperate to bond with one forever human who will never abandon here again. It is likely that she will bond completely with one person in the household that she will love above all others and miss attention from, if they are not around. Whilst this is sweet, it can also be a bit annoying if she cries for them for a while, when they go out.

On a positive note, her communication ability means that she is pretty clear about her needs. She will whine if she needs water or wants to go out to the toilet, etc, so you won't have any house accidents if you just respond to her in time.

Tala does not like to be touched or prodded too much and she is a bit of a wimp with pain. She broke her foot when on a visit with a guide in the Spring of 2017 and since then, has been really jumpy if you go to touch her belly or legs since she hated her bandages being changed and thinks you might hurt her again. I have seen her jump and posture as if she would nip if people have tried to touch her carelessly or with the same speed at which we approach most other dogs. Tala needs very slow and careful and deliberate handling to know that you are in charge and she has to submit to whatever examination you want to give. We took her to a chiropractor at one stage, since it seems like her back sometimes causes her pain. She said that there may be a degree of fusion of the bones in the lower back (spondylosis) and to treat with painkillers if symptomatic.

With the right owner, she would be one of those 'dogs of a lifetime'. But that owner would have to not think that they know best when it comes to Tala interacting with others in a dog park, for instance, since she can snap unpredictably. I would have said that she would always have separation issues if inside unattended, but she once bonded with a guide who lived in a hotel and I wandered in one day to look for him and he wasn't around but Tala was contentedly surveying the whole hallway from her favourite chair. Hence, I think that if she has the run of a house, and knows it (she is always tied up, in ours, and hates it), then the separation issues may be manageable. It might be, however, that you would need to have her in a cage when you go away, at first, to avoid your house being turned upside down.

Ideal New Home: Somewhere with calm and experienced dog people, Tala almost definitely needs to be in a home without other pets, probably not small children either.
How would she deal with being alone during a working day: VERY NEEDY. Likely to use the toilet inside the house while you're gone, not because she is not house-trained, but to prove a point. Could also become destructive. However, Tala spends most of her time inside the house now and gets annoying and whiny if left outside without company.
Missä määrin voi tehdä vielä canicrossia kesällä / mennä hiihtämään kanssani talvella? She is perfect for this: because we cannot run her easily with any of our other dogs in winter she went on lots of guided hiking/skiing trips with clients.

I came to the farm as a rescue dog, after being abandoned, so my actual date of birth is a bit of a mystery. My owners worked hard to socialise me, but the longer I stayed in the house the more protective and jealous I became. I now have my own space on the farm, as I really do not like other dogs. I do love people and get very attached very quickly.


Pilgrim. Born 1st Nov. 2008 & Jue James' Family. Toulouse, France.

Pilgrim was our 'shakey' dog. From an early age he would simply tremble. Numerous vets checked him over and none could find the reason although it clearly got worse whever he was either excited or stressed (eg pre running and dinner time). All of the vets concurred that keeping him active was a way of keeping him healthy so we just watched for the distances that seemed to make his body struggle a little too much and tried to run him within strict distance limits. Even in his last season (2017-18), he was consistently running our 20km tours.

One of our family friends had been thinking about adopting a dog for some time and decided to send a representative to come and meet a couple of the dogs to see which one would be a good fit, at the same time as being in Hetta for my mother's 90th birthday. Luckily for Pilgrim, his name and story had endeared him to Jue before she arrived and he didn't have to work too hard to captivate her. She was amused to see how much his mellow demeanour changed when waiting in the line to run! When she left, he left with her and now lives comfortably in the South of France. We have warned her that he was the best ever pup at climbing from all of our litters at HH...he would constantly be found just hanging out with his head hanging over (or stuck) in the gap between the door and the cage roof. (Maybe an early fall from such a height trapped a nerve - we will never, I think, know for sure).

Notes from his 'adopt me' page to merge...It is hard not to fall in love with Pilgrim. He is gentle and loving and generous and wants to make you happy. However, he suffers from 'shivers'...an undetermined neurological issue that just keeps his muscles twitching, much like early-onset Parkinsons. He has been examined by many vets and they all say that he isn't in pain and should keep active, so he still runs safaris but we just keep a bit more of an eye on him in case he gets too stiff. Constantly having muscles that are contracting, particularly in cold weather, means that he can sometimes get really stiff and struggle to get up and down. We think he would be much better off with a more regulated lifestyle - particularly one that involved constant warmth and a comfy sofa.


Merlin 2. Born Sept. 2008 & Chloe Retallack. Portland, USA.

Merlin II has not run for a few seasons because of a chronic limp which always returns when trying to run alongside the other dogs. He would be better off finding a couch to live on. Spending most of his days inside now, Merlin II is affectionate with people and always comes to you for a head rub. He is low-maintenance and is really just looking for a place and family to call home. Lucky for him, the daughter of a good friend of Anna spent a summer with us in c.2014 and fell in love with him. She has now finished University and is setting herself up to be able to welcome him home in the Spring of 2018.

Ideal new home: A couch or soft dog bed with cuddly human beings and not too much activity.
How would he deal with being alone during a working day: It might be nice for Merlin II to have some human or animal companion but he would be fine alone.
To what extent can he still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? As long as you go at an easy pace with him Merlin II would probably enjoy it. He is still quite strong.

When I arrived from Sweden, there was already another Merlin here, and it gets quite confusing at times. Hence, my name is now Merlin II. Of all of Bandit’s pups, I am the most friendly, although I am still pretty shy. Be gentle with me and I will respond well. I always have one ear up and one ear down.

Born Feb 2007 / Sept. 2008 & Fe Frei

Varna did not even make it onto our 'adopt me please' list since he was so shy that we did not believe anyone would fall in love with him. Despite that, and thankfully for him, the Frei family who had previously adopted Eka and Maija, remembered him fondly from their 5 day tours and enquired as to whether we thought he would be open to being rehomed. We didn't hesitate. For him, the opportunity was golden. The Freis drove here (again!) in March of 2018 in their landrover, along with their 16 year old dog Jade, to pick him up and take him back to Switzerland.

Varna has run in a wheel position all his life, as he tends to be a little lazy within the team. He also loves to stay hidden in his kennel. Once coaxed out of the kennel he is a beautiful, large and timid dog. We often use Varna to run or live with difficult dogs as he is so easy going. As with all dogs, we believe that with time and patience, a new owner could get the reward of earning a shy dog's trust. However, Varna is so shy that we are more likely to let him go to a guide or someone with proven skills in working with shy dogs.

How would he deal with being alone during a working day: We think he would be fine alone, as long as the home was quite quiet during the day. He would prefer to have another dog around to gain confidence from them.
To what extent can he still do canicross in summer / go skijoring with me in winter? Varna is capable of doing these sports and would enjoy the exercise, as long as he isn't expected to pull too hard.

Lassi. Born 2006 & Felipe.

We don't often allow our dogs to go to homes we don't know. But in Filipe and Maria's case, they were good friends with Doris Kallen, whom we know very well. Indeed, it was her adoption of Comet that prompted their interest. THe only thing that made us continue to hesitate, however, was that their request was for one of our most shy dogs, and he would be going to a home in which the owner was the director of KISC - one of the world's big international scouting centres.

Doris reassured us that she had chatted with them about Lassi quite a bit and that their home (maybe so long as he wasn't at the camp too much at first) would be a good fit. They already had a small dog - something we thought would be critical for Lassi's adjustment - and of course, Comet would be nearby, so he wouldn't be totally out of his comfort zone. (We also knew that he could come to trust certain people, over time.)

Unfortunately, it turned out that their working priorities changed and his adoption was passed on to Priska Burri, another ex guide, who already had one of our dogs. There he found 'his place'. Lassi is a quiet dog who doesn't ask much of anyone, human or dog - and also didn't contribute much when running! He was always popular with clients because he was so photogenic..indeed, some of the best photos of the early days of the farm feature Lassi. Lassi really likes other dogs and he and deaf dog Nanu had formed such an unusually strong bond that they would spend their days sleeping together on Nanu's kennel. (Indeed, we re-arreanged all of the circle posts on the left hand side of the farm to make this possible because it was so cute!).

Lassi moved into the retirement fence in 2016-2017 and proved equally easy there, and although Nanu missed him, we thought that the benefit of the greater room to explore with his old buddies was more important for Lassi. We hope that he will enjoy a sofa and more attention even more.


Dogs Adopted in 2017


Miyagi. Born 19th June 2011 & Alva Alfredson.

Mr Miyagi was, according to some the guides, the most stupidly adorable dog to ever live in Hetta. He was one of those dogs that managed to tangle himself in the most impossible ways, to trip over himself and to fall from sofas. He also did the most incredible 'Alas' (Down command) where he would jump in the air before hitting the floor so he could have us in stitches. He is a dog that it’s hard not to like, and he certainly loves people. This big-eared husky was, however, never a very good sled dog.

Even as a chubby pup, he would trundle behind all of his siblings on the morning runs and have to be poked up the backside to keep up (and then, rather than go faster, he would effectively stand his ground and growl!). Later on, once he was put in a team, he over-ran the leaders since he was all power and no brain, with big ears and big eyes. He was also pretty volatile with other dogs when young, so he was 'put to the chop' to see if it would calm him down. He did mellow and his crossed legs when lying was a clear throw-back to his gentle mother, Maya, who retired to a castle in Switzerland.

In the season of 16-17, at the age of 5, he decided that a different life would for sure suit him better. Luckily for him, a guide from Sweden fell in love with his goofy personality and decided to take him on. Miyagi is super cuddly and loves attention and lots of food but was castrated because he could be a bit aggressive towards other dogs. He is much better now, but still sometimes snaps out of excitement. Although this confuses some other dogs, he means no harm and compared to most house dogs that are used to ruling the roost, he is defintitely a piece of cake, still, around other dogs. Hence, we were quietly confident that he would get on with the family's male Shetland Sheepdog male when they visit the Swedish west coast, despite Miyagi's lack of social competence.

Even though Miyagi is a bit lazy and could sleep all day, he set off on a 'long walk home' to Southern Sweden with Alva when she left. They both hoped that it would be the first of their many adventures. Alva was crossing her fingers that Mr Miyagi would like to be around horses since Alva she spends lots of her time in stables and intended to work in a horse stables once home.


Pikkis. Born Jun. 2004 & Sami Nummila (Southern Finland).

Pikkis is a fluffy Alaskan husky who probably has a bit of Lappish dog in him as well as - according to some - some seal, since he looks so aquatic. He is calm, friendly to human and dog alike and so trustworthy and dependable that he was always one of the dogs we used to run beside pups in their first mad outings. He would just minds his own business and help them to settle down. He is also very relaxed with people and great with children as he doesn't jump up. In terms of being ready for retirement, Pikkis was one of those great dogs that would have wanted to run forever. He and Kous Kous made this great old age lead pair in the 2015-16 winter, running up to 30km safaris, at the grand old age of 12 (which is pretty incredible), despite having been classified as 'retired' at the start of the season. In the 2016-17 winter, without a similarly steady and experienced dog to pair him with (KK was adopted that summer), we didn't let him push his limits so much and put him on a much more reduced program with targeted massages post run. However, he was still great for his age. He gets most lively, around feeding time and otherwise was generally pretty content hanging out in the oldie fence or simply taking siestas. This old boy was always a firm favourite of the guides and we all are a little jealous of Sami who will get to spend great one-on-one time with him in his final years. In 2016 he became the father of Venla's Mountain pups. Both he and the illustrious Leon got 'given a shot' but Pikkis hit the home run it seems. (Hence, he was clearly as virile in his old age as he was spritely).


ADOPTED IN 2016


Comet. Born: 10th Nov. 2008 & Doris Kallen (Kanderstag, Switzerland): Adopted April 2016.

Comet was the first pup that Princess gave birth to and he looked quite a lot like both his mother and his uncle, Cloud. Unfortunately, he inherited some of his uncle’s grumpy disposition with other dogs too. Fortunately for Comet, Doris first spent time at Hetta Huskies in the summer months and didn't totally believe how his personality changed when running. He became one of the most perfect GEE HAW dogs on the farm thanks to her time and effort but it was not something that we could ever reliably utilise since he was too untrustworthy with those in the team behind him, when running. And he never looked like he loved it. Hence, when Doris finally said she was ready to take him and we realised that we had a chance to send him to her with Stefan, overland, we decided he could retire a little earlier than normal and have a much more enjoyable (for him) life with her in the oft-talked-about Kanderstag! We look forward to some incredible photos from his future adventures.








Kouss-Kouss (Born: 13th Sep. 2004) & Jamie Dulligan (UK): Adopted July 2016

Jamie, a 2nd-year intern, decided to take Kouss-Kouss (a Métis Laika nenets-Husky) with him almost 'last minute' when he left at the end of the summer. It was a surprise to us in many ways (or we would have probably used him to part-father the 2016 pups!) since he was so old that we thought he had missed his chance to find a forever sofa. Added to which, he was due a complicated eye operation because of a large growth on top of cataracts that our vets were not sure that they could perform. All of those factors meant that he was less likely to be adopted - but then he was! Long the favourite of many many guides, Kous Kous was originally born in Moscow and came to us as an old man for what we thought would be his retirement years. However, he was still running (in the lead with Pikkis - an incredibly cute combination) in his 12th year and we knew that his father was still going at 16 so he has some long life genes. (Pikkis had to step up as '2nd father' to the pups in his stead). Kous Kous always liked to lick the nose of everyone he met but he wasn't so keen on other dogs. Whilst he could live with another dog, he was a large strong male and would need carefuly supervision at first until they had gained each other's trust. Kous-Kous now lives out his days in regal splendour in the house of a lady with an OBE on the national park side of Sheffield. We believe it is the perfect environment for him in his retirement years.


Drizen (Born 20th Feb. 2007) & Luke Chase (UK): Adopted May 2016

Drizen, who was one of our Taïmyr's, was adopted this May by one of our winter guides, Luke. Drizen and Luke are currently traveling through Europe, but will eventually settle down in Luke’s, hometown back in the UK. Maybe one day, Luke will return for Drizen’s brother, Patapov! You can follow their adventure, here.


Lotta (Born: 14th Jan. 2006) & Danny Bliss & Family in Cambridge UK: Adopted April 2016.

Lotta was one of those one-in-a-million sleddogs. We rescued her, and her brother Kravitz, from another farm who would have put them down when they finally started to get a bit slower and Lotta lived c. 5 years working with us on an almost-normal running plan, despite her ever advancing years.

(Hendrix, her sweet brother, is still looking for a forever home).

Even in her 10th year, Lotta was so good that we used her in Norway in the end of season Children's 'Barnas Finnmarkslopet' race against some of the best racing dogs in the Alta region and she pulled the younger dogs with her through horrendous broken ice and overflow with dedication and without hesitation for 20km each day.

In her 11th season, she ran up to 36km per day and only slowed down towards the end of the season, stating quite clearly that she was ready for some sofa time. Her eagerness to run meant that on the farm she was a bit of a cage chewer in the summer months - so much so, in fact, that we generally had to position her and her frequent cage mate, Nea, in cages out of sight of the clients since it was hard to keep up with fixing the problems they caused. Luckily that did not deter the Bliss family who not only managed to spot her at the back but also to fall in love with her during a couple of safari and evening feeding visits in the winter of 2017.

Lotta was speyed whilst with us, which meant that she was often used as a cage-training companion for difficult males. She won't miss that aspect of her life in Hetta, for sure!

Lotta and Comet were taken South by Stefan Durig towards their new homes in the UK and Switzerland, respectively, in the Spring of 2017 and she was then picked up by the Bliss family from Zurich. We hope that she very much enjoys her unrestricted soft sofa time with her new family who seem to adore her.



ADOPTED IN 2015


Eka (born 2005) & the 'Frei' Family: Adopted October 2015 (following 2 seasons of 'working dog' level sponsorship).

The Frei family have joined us on multiday safaris in the Spring of 2013 and 2014. In 2013 the matriarch of the family fell in love with Eka, one of our shy unassuming dogs from the large dog farm where all of our first dogs came from. Eka, who actually looks very like Bono, one of our other top dogs, quietly makes it into our top 10 list of runners each year by effectively slipping under the radar and being easy enough to put with nearly any other dog and and good enough to do the longer tours.

Eka never really got to the point, with us, of enjoying human interaction but Felicitas was somehow able to break through to him and she was happy that he ran with her two years in a row. Fe loved Eka so much that she sponsored him for 2 years before finally persuading us to let him take early retirement. (He would probably have been on a reduced running plan, anyway, if we had kept him running for the 2015-16 season so we figured that, especially given his shy nature, he should have as much chance of possible of getting to the point of enjoying his new home, as possible).

(If the family ever come back for a new tour, they have to challenge my husband to a new route-finding adventure off the beaten tracks (maybe with Eka in the sleigh bag, or running freely beside the sleigh, next time, since he has entered retirement, of course)! They would prefer, however, to have less of the Princess and Chocolate prodigy in their teams next time since they apparently grumped their way around the tour in 2014. We would like to point out that their 'attitude' issues clearly come from Chocolate, their father, rather than from the lovely Princess, their mother.


Bandit (26.05.2005) & Tobias Katral (Sweden): Adopted October 2015

Bandit is a sweet girl and absolutely loves attention. She bonds strongly and loyally to those who give her attention and she will simply sit and look at you patiently until you remember to stroke her and give her gentle attention. She may be old and relatively calm but she still loves to play. Whilst she is totally house trained, she has a strange fettish for socks and blankets. And I mean WHOLE blankets. What this dog can eat and not have get stuck in her gut, is pretty remarkable! She was a solid sleigh dog when running, with a great work ethic - partially because she was always eager to please. However, she didn't like running with dogs that were too excited in line and pulled her around. She quite clearly communicated in looks that they should 'get a grip' and stop jerking her around!

Having said this, she is pretty tollerant of the excitable youngsters and doesn't get provoked too easily. When you meet Bandit she seems much younger than her years since she is still in great shape. Her short coat is easy to maintain but doesn't protect her too well from the arctic cold and when she first came to us, it was clear that she had had frostbitten nipples at one point since one remains larger than the others and is prone to refreezing. She is super grateful for constant access to a soft sofa.....just beware of those sofa covers!

Bandit's children, Mullers, Meggie, Milky-way, Mighty-mouse, Minnie and Merlin 2, were c. 8 months old when they came to us, with her, from a Kennel in Sweden that was closing down. Unlike Bandit they were super shy from the get go and it took literally months of hand-feeding to get them to put their heads through the feeding holes. Merlin 2 was the first to come out of his shell - possibly because he had an injury when he arrived and had to be looked after for a while, inside. Minnie took the longest to come around and refused to run for her first two winters. Now they are all solid little sleddogs even though they don't 'look like huskies' and still don't enjoy much attention.


Fala (20th Feb. 2007). Adopted Sept. 2015, by Gabin "Kandy Kane" Desserprit.



Arvi (2003): Adopted October 2015 by Sam Burden & Family

This old gentleman (pictured also in the header image) is beloved by every guide at the farm. He is a lovely friendly chappy who preserved his lovable nature despite coming to us from a farm which left most of the 40 odd dogs from there very reserved and shy.

When Arvi was still in the 'adopt me' section we said...'This dog is something a little special and we thought we had a forever home for him lined up and therefore he missed his chance to go a second person. We are hoping that will be a third time lucky chance for him before it is too late!

Luckily for Arvi, there was.

Sam had initially adopted Helge since Arvi had been reserved by another guide who then couldn't take him because of a change in circumstances. Hence, when Helge unfortunately passed away, a year later, we talked again about him taking Arvi. In retrospect, all has worked out well, since Helge got a great last year of life and Sam still ended up with Arvi who was definitely needing a soft sofa by this point in time, for his arthritic bones. Hopefully he has time enough remaining to both become fully house trained and to enjoy it!

Despite his age and stiffness, Arvi still loves to play and enjoys carrying his bowl around his cage. He has been a great sled dog and is looking forward to retirement within a home. Arvi totally deserves a lovely end-of-life home and would really appreciate it. He would even be a great companion for an old person since he is pretty playful but chilled at the same time and would bond with you, and give as much joy as he would get from the situation. He is a lovely friendly chappy who preserved his lovable nature despite coming to us from a farm which left most of the 40 odd dogs from there very reserved and shy. Hence, he is something a little special.


Pepe (2006): Adopted October 2015 by Sam Burden & Family

Pepe is a regal dog, who will happily lie on his back for a tummy rub any time. He is easygoing and confident in himself. He would be great with puppies, as he will play with them and help them learn manners. During his working life, Pepe has been an important leader, the highest role a dog can get in the mushing world. He is obedient, calm and cuddly. Pepe is going to make a great house dog for some lucky people although he is super curious about everything around him so he may take a while to learn to walk off-leash without wandering off.

We guess that when he was younger he was probably a bit of a handful since poor Pepe was abandoned when young at a husky farm in the east of Lapland with no explanation. We don't know his exact age but he was one of our top pulling dogs still in 2012 and we just eased off on his mileage by putting him in the old dog category after that 'just in case'. He isn't a handful at all any more....unless you think that a super loving dog who will nudge you for cuddles and tummy tickles is a handful!

Not content with taking ONE sleddog, anymore, Sam's mother had been lured into a sense of false complacency (maybe) through her experience with Helge, and suggested that this time they take two dogs to be companions to each other. Clearly Pepe's photos on the 'adopt me' page were pretty irresistable so we broke up the Max and Arvi running fence combination and sent, instead, Max and Pepe to the UK in the care of Justin, a guide who was unfortunate enough to mention that he would like to return to the UK for a week, to help his mother move house! No sooner said than done, he was being waved off at the Kiruna station, with two large dogs in tow. Apparently the journey was peaceful enough apart from a missed slow overnight train in Hamburg which meant that Justin, Pepe and Arvi spent a night in a doorway surrounded by thousands of refugees. Bizarrly the dog's water bowl was emptied and €20 of change was put into it overnight, so that bought them all a nice breakfast for the continuation of their journey!

We look forward to news about their next adventures.


Bernie (20th July 2007) with Flavia Brinkmann and Patrick Lang. Adopted in March 2015

Bernie came to us from a racing kennel in Sweden along with his brother Much and Monty (who was somehow related) when they were all around 4 or 5 months old and Lizzie, who was already middle aged at that time. Pasi picked them all up on the way to get Anna from Kiruna airport and she arrived to a car full of wriggling boys and Lizzie who had already taken over her seat.

They were all part of our original 12 dogs and therefore it was with huge mixed feelings that we gave him away. He would often run (and cuddle with) his brother Much, in the winter teams and we have many a great photo of them almost covered by snow, limbs entwined, whilst waiting for clients on the starting line. Unlike Much, however, Bernie decided fairly early on that the life of a sleddog wasn't the optimal one for him. He also developed some pretty strong dislikes - for instance to Chocolate and Jupi, with whom he couldn't even be in the same team. We kept waiting for him to the show the same potential as his brother who was consistently one of the best pulling dogs on the farm but we also had a feeling that Bernie (a taller dog than Much) might have slightly stiff hips.

We tried many combinations with him over the years and he ran best when paired with Starsky. However, his true love was of reassuring cuddles and time on the couch alongside a trusted human and he had become a very respectful and gentle dog towards humans once he had grown out of his boisterous teenage phase.

Flavia and her partner were travelling through Scandinavia and interested in a husky young enough to have fun running and biking with them, so Bernie was one of the obvious options and when they expressed most interest in him, I couldn't really say no, thinking about the life he could have on a sofa and maybe even running free in a forest compared to the life of a sleddog to which he wasn't optimally suited. Bernie is generally cautious with new people for about 5 minutes and then turns into a cuddle monster. He is fairly good at the basic commands but super hard headed so a little challenging to teach despite a clear food focus. He will want quite a lot of exercise compared to a normal house dog to feel happy but he will be happy on the couch in between. He has never been bikjoring so it will be interesting to hear how he adapts to this new life challenge when it comes.



ADOPTED IN 2014


Justus Gerlitz & Hamppu

Justus and his girlfriend Katarina started volunteering at the farm in winter season 2010. Katarina was with us for a few months but Justus was just here for a few weeks. During that short time, Hamppu, with his classical one blue and one brown eye and distinctive appearance, managed to capture his heart.

Hamppu had been diagnosed with a heart condition in 2009 at just 4 years of age after refusing a number of times on the start line. The vet gave him just a couple of years to live but he is still going strong! He is actually one of our biggest dogs and looks quite a bit like a wolf.

He was pretty shy when he came to us but in many ways, he is like a new dog— he may even wag his tail, nowadays, when you approache him, (in the hope that he will get a chance to spend the night on the sofa), and, if he does let you 'in', he loves to be scratched underneath his chin.

Luckily for him, Katharina and Justus are now moving to Eastern Lapland and, once set up, plan to take Hamppu away to a new home.


Anjuska (2004)

Anjuska was still energetic and bouncy even when retied. She was well behaved although she could become very excitable in her enthusiasm to see people. Despite being a big dog, she was great to have inside and she loved curling up with people or dogs and having a good snuggle.

Anitra (June 2008) with Rasmus Bejder and Kaisa Sipola. Adopted in October 2014

Anitra, born June 2008, is a tiny, sweet, friendly dog, who gets on well with people and with other dogs. She was training to be a lead dog, but, as with many dogs from the Valimaa farm, she had a recurring cough which meant that she had to be on a low dose of medrol (basically like doggy asthma medication) daily and needed to come inside on the coldest days. Hence it was great when Rasmus and Kaisa decided that they commit to taking her since she will definitely benefit from living indoors and we are sure that she will make a lovely companion pet. Lorin in particular had a hard time letting go of this little favourite. She had even looked into the cost of taking her back through quarantine into Australia but it was pretty prohibitive but Rasmus said all the right things when he picked her up, so she was relieved at the thought of Anitra going to a friendly forever home.


Darja (2003) with Eline and Petri Niemi. Adopted in Autumn 2014

Darja developed a hernia which was operated upon in Spring 2014 but unfortunately popped out, again, after recovery and the vet said that it wasn't worth operating on it again. Hence, she wouldn't have survived long if we had left her in Valimaa under new management because of their and Transun UK's / Santa Safaris's policies. Hence, we were very happy when Eline and Petri agreed to take her in, after marriage. They had previously fostered her for a period of months when still at school so that she had the care she needed to have the hernia popped back in, as often as possible. The vet believes that she could still run for fun so long as someone was keeping a careful eye on her hernia, but that her days on a husky farm where there are high fitness demands, are done.

Darja is a laid back and friendly dog despite looking like a Doberman with a strange ('Darwin') overbite. She was a great leader in her day and her puppies have also gone on to be good runners. She is very used to being indoors and loves to snuggle up with people. The last time she was inside she bonded so strongly with another old dog called Maija (now retired to Switzerland) that she would cry every time Maija left the room and she would strain at her leash to be able to follow her around the house. She is probably amazingly happy, therefore, about the concept of having a forever home with Ina since she is so similar a dog to Maija. Eli and Petri's only complaint about Darja is that the only time she pulls or seems excited when on a walk, is when she is approaching, once more, their front door! The sofa is definitely the place she wants to be!


Ina (2004) with Eline and Petri Niemi. Adopted in Autumn 2014

Ina is a gentle giant who was in a really bad condition when we inherited management of Transun's Vailmaa farm, with huge ulcerating sores on various parts of her body. We biopsied them but weren't sure that they weren't infectious and so the poor gentle old lady lived many weeks isolated in a small cage in our dog kitchen as we fought to bring her back to health. Her gentle and loving nature never wavered, however, and she dealt bravely with all of our attempts to get her system back under control. When better she ran gamely in the lead although her advanced years meant that she didn't do so at the same speed as some of the youngsters. Maybe because of that, she had a few scraps with others and also some standard old lady problems with lumps and bumps below her nipples but for her age, she went into retirement (since she wasn't suitable to leave behind in Valimaa) in remarkable health. She showed a strong attachment to Darja whilst waiting at our farm for her forever home and luckily for her, Eline remembered the place and situation she had been in and how gentle and loving a giant she has always been, throughout, and offered her a forever home (to also try to encourage Darja off the sofa a little more!). Ina is pictured, below, with a little dog called Netta who was another 'reject' from the SS farm.


Nuudles (2007) with Tobias Katral (Sweden). Adopted in Autumn 2014. RIP.

Beautiful Nuudels, sister of shy Nuppu and mother of Euclid, Euler and Eureka was a good lead dog. Unfortunately, she didn't have the kind of characteristics respected by the person who took over the management of Valimaa farm after us and they couldn't be bothered to medicate her relatively mild doggy asthma so they wrote her off with a death sentence date unless we could find a new home for her in time (but not unbearable and nowhere near as bad as, for instance, little Britt before she became a house dog and came off meds completely) in cold wet weather. Luckily Tobias, who had earlier rescued Raija from the same farm, came through. We knew that she would fit in well to any new home because she is so beautiful and friendly without being at all boisterous. She knows she is gorgeous, so she will simply lie down and let you come to her for a pat. And, since she only has issues running in the type of weather / temperatures that asthmatic humans would find difficult too, her doggy asthma won't get in the way of her sledding, skijoring or running as much as her new owner could possibly want. And in the end she will have lucked out, since she will no doubt enjoy her life on a comfy sofa more than she would have done a life in a farm where the health of the dogs is not a high priority.


Nuppu (2007) with Andrietta Stackenland (Sweden). Adopted in Autumn 2014.

Nuppu is Nuudels’ sister and they are also best of friends. Nuppu is beautiful and a good runner, but not when surrounded by lots of people. Like her sister, she is prone to colds and get coughs in winter. She loves being inside with the guides, although initially she is very shy (often hiding behind her sister), but soon enough she will start nudging you for cuddles. If left outside she needs a low dose of Medrol to keep her cough at bay but she may not require this if she becomes a house dog. Nuppu, unlike her sister, hasn’t taken so well to mushing and big hoards of clients frighten her. I think she would be a lovely companion dog to a patient family without too many boisterous children - and ideally with another dog if it can't be her sister, Nuudles - who understand how much gentle love and attention she needs.


Axa now with Tiina Pulska. Adopted in Summer 2014.

(Update) Originally adopted by Heli Markkala in Summer 2014. Axa is now her new owner - Tiina Pulska

Axa was a 7year old Lappish reindeer dog who came to stay with us for a while when her owner, Iris, from the IRESA kennel for Lappish reindeer dogs in Swedish Karasuando, died suddenly and left her without anyone to care for her, long term since her only relative lives in Kenya. We said that we would take her and look for a new home for her so that she didn't have to be left alone and being looked after by a neighbour. We soon found two people (within a day of each other) who were interested in giving this lucky little dog a forever home - we wish it was so easy to find homes for our lovely huskies! Heli Markkala was the first to express interest and therefore that is where she went, to live in a large sized Finnish family as her forever place. If it doesn't work out for Axa there, (but we think that it will), she has a place waiting with Tiina Pulska who already had Axa's sister and neices.


Helge with Sam (UK) Adopted in Late Summer 2014. DOD Spetember 2015

Helge was always happy and social. He loved to wag his tail and we were warned from the minute he came to us as a 'rescue' from a German sleddog owner (alongside White, Hulda, Bandit and her pups, Leon and Jani), that he would escape at every chance he could get. Hence, we were always a bit wary of running him loose but hope he settles well into his house dog role for his last years. He would bark and run to your legs so that you would put him and loved nothing more than to snuggle. However, at night his bizarre behaviourisms came out since he would spend the night on his belly pushing himself from one side of the bed to the other. To say that it was extremely annoying would be an understatement. However, Sam knew what he was getting himself into before taking him and I guess the fact that he had been in the house in an enforced (ie we couldn't give up) length of time just prior to Sam's arrival had reduced his evening escapades sufficiently for his otherwise sunny character to win Sam over. As an adult he was a pretty solid and (for Anna at least) very dependable GEE HAW leader, even if he wasn't great at holding the line out on stops (particularly with Hulda). He was originally named after a female dog who was killed at the S. Pole during the Amundsen expedition at a point when only 17 dogs re-mained alive from the 97 starters. (By the time he returned, only 11 were still alive). Unfortunately Helge passed away in September 2015. But it was nice to see him spend his last year enjoying his retirement with Sam in the UK.


Berg

Berg is beautiful. There are no two ways around it. But, like Ronnie, he has a maximum distance and a maximum speed. He was left at Valimaa when we stopped working there but apparently was one of the lucky ones that made it to a new home (somewhere in Sweden) vs simply being put down.

Arkajalka with Myriam (Vancouver, Canada). Adopted in early Summer 2014

Arkajalka is very shy. He lives with his cage buddy and can run with easy dogs, but finds client season overwhelming with all the noise and people. He would do well with having a family and people he sees on a regular basis to build trust. He would need lots of socialising but he has improved a lot, and we can picture him being an awesome house dog and good with kids.


Maija with Gregor Frei & Livia (Switzerland). Adopted in Spring 2014.

Gregor has taken part in two of our multiday safaris with his family and Livia took part in her first, with him, in 2014. Livia naturally gravitates towards the shyer dogs in need of more attention and doesn't like, so much, the boisterous ones whose anxiety to run causes them to fight with others. When she returned from her safari we introduced her to Maija, born approximately in August 2002, an old 'lady' in need of a new home. Maija was a great leader in her heyday, and had a final surprise litter of seven puppies when she was quite old (all of whom are much beloved by Doris Kallen and other HH guides of her era).

She’s a lovely, laid-back house dog who likes nothing more than lying flat out on the sofa keeping you company. She deserves a life of comfort. For many weeks in the winter of 2014, she passed her days on our sofa alongside another old lady, Darja, who was recovering from a hernia operation. However, moving in and out of our house across our slippery floors proved too much of a challenge for Maija and she found it increasingly difficult to stay on her feet. We concluded that the best thing for her would be a life with a little less sofa and a bit more gentle exercise to keep her muscles and joints working well.

We were pretty surprised when Gregor and Livia said that they were going to come back all the way from Switzerland to see fi she would get on with their dog, a 2year old husky called Snow. Luckily they seemed to get on with each other fine and Maija coped well with the car journey back to Switzerland although we predict some territorial battles over the sofa in the weeks to come!


Theta (now Naali) with Leah McFail & Steve Matthew (Colorado, USA). Adopted in Spring 2014.

Leah and Steve stayed with us for three months in the Autumn training season of 2013. Whilst here, they fell in love with Theta and decided to take her back to the States with them when they completed their two years of travelling adventures. A quick pop back to Helsinki saw them meet up with their best friend from their time here - a veterinary student called Emmanuelle - who was kind enough to take Theta south for them - and then she was whisked away to a new world and a new life. I don't know what it is about these wee pups of Bea's, though, (who used to also be known as Beta) but both of their new owners changed their already beautiful mathematical names. Theta is now called Naali since they throught that she resembled a fox in the way she bounds and pounces after toys and balls, in how she looks after a bath, her intelligence and even the way her ears swivel. Hence, they re-christened 'Naali', which means "Arctic Fox" in Finnish.

Leah wrote a press article about her experience during her 2 year round-the-world 'workaway' experience, and about how she fell in love with one of our huskies and ended up taking her home to the US.


Bea & Nadia Westernberg (New York, USA). Adopted in Spring 2014.

Bea (Beta), born May 2009, was mother to Theta, Zeta and two other little pups that Ciara and Hamish tried to save, but couldn't. All were vertically challenged but super friendly little dogs - with the operative word being 'little' - their legs were too short to make them good sled dogs and we sometimes used them as ’pups’ for clients when our normal-sized pups grew too big and strong to be used as such. Bea had been suffering from a skin ailment for a long time which various vets just said was probably linked to stress. She had a pretty horid time of it as a sled dog since, when put outside in winter, she would loose all hair and then she would have to be cooped up in a small cage indoors, instead. When Nadia first mentioned taking her to the States, after cuddling with her on the sofa and bed through a summer in Finland as a trainee guide, I thought she was mad. Surely there were many dogs in New York needing adoption? But Bea had captured her heart and her mother, Judith Malafronte, persuaded me that they were both serious and had looked in detail at the dog-emigration procedures. Hence, Nadia travelled back to Finland the following winter (2013) to both experience the running of the dogs and to pick Bea up. Everything went well - apart from that Nadia's first few days back were at -40C and it was a colder than she had expected! :)


Eve Egdmann & Hertz (Germany / Italy). Adopted in Spring 2014.

I was, without doubt, the laziest dog on the farm. I was up for sponsorship since, if I lived on any other kennel, I would have already bitten the bullet by now. I was running as a 7th dog on days when every other team had just 6 dogs in it since I was pretty much no help pulling. If a guide noticed that my line was tight, he would exclaim about the fact later in the day, since it was such a rare occurrence. I don't think that being a husky was my pre-ordained role in life! Eve thought the same and put more attention to him throughout her stay. She was impressed by the fact that even thought he was a shy, barking dog on the running circle, he stayed calm when inside the house. She understood that he might do better in a different environment and took him with her by bus and train when she left. (Interestingly, the day she was to leave, all the trains were cancelled throughout Sweden because of the cold, so we got Hertz for one extra day). Hertz is a big, fluffy dog with a great wolf-y look that is now admired by all sorts of people meeting him. He makes improvements every day and has become a calm and much loved canine companion to Eve.

Eve wrote a blog about her experience taking Hertz, one of the most shy and reserved dogs on the farm, and his transformation into a friend.

To be honest, before Hertz's complete transformation into a dog that happily walks through the Dublin streets in the mornings and 'does' the rounds for cuddles in the google office, we would have believed, as many do, that dogs that are conditioned to life in a pack on a farm can't be happy in homes. Clearly, however, Eve was the right person to disprove this myth. There aren't many people that we would have made this first step / experiment with but she showed us that the right person, with care and attention, can give a GREAT home to a dog that many would maybe consider beyond hope.


Raija with Tobias Katral (Sweden). Adopted in Spring 2014.

Raija, born Oct 2003, was a good lead dog in her day and could be let off the lead to run free since she would always come when called. She could be shy on occasion but with a bit of patience would come out of her shell and be very loving. A period convalescing in the cabin after an injury convinced her that indoors is the place to be, and she would delight in cuddling close and poking you with a paw to get your attention. When she convalesced for a while in Hetta, she showed a prediliction for eating Eliel's socks but she was so sweet that it was hard to hold it against her.

Tobiaz said that despite only having Raija for a short time, (she died that December of a mammary tumour which opened), she was the best dog he had ever had. She would literally follow him everywhere and this is pretty a trait we see time and again with the adopted sleddogs who firmly latch on to those who give them their forever homes.


Xena and Carmen (Portsmouth, UK). Adopted in Spring 2013.

Carmen (pictured rescuing Ronnie back from a safari on a snowmobile, is one of our longest serving guides. During her first season she fell in love with an old (well, at least she claimed she was old!) lady called Xena. Xena had been abandoned at the farm by reindeer herders and the thought was that she actually had some pretty good reindeer herding blood from the north in her veins. However, although she was able to run in lead (even of the first sleigh), she was pretty unpredictable and also slowing down. At one point she got injured and became a cabin dog and she seemed to adapt to that life in such vast preference to her adaptation to sled dog life that Carmen wanted to give her a sofa for the end of her days. She is still going strong on walks around Portsmouth, UK, living a life a world away from the one she probably started with, as a reindeer herding dog. If she could speak, she would no doubt have some great stories to tell.


ADOPTED IN 2013


Euler and Mark Dyer (UK). Adopted in Spring 2013.

Euler was a very pretty little pup when Mark started his gap year with us. Not surprisingly, she managed to capture his heart. His own dog Bruce unexpectedly died whilst he was with us and Euler provided comforting company. Carmen and Mark became kind of intertwined during their time here over their new dogs. She first found herself travelling overland back to here one summer in a car with his parents (who were visiting him towards the end of his gap year, having assumed that he might have been ready to bring Euler home with them). He isn't the fastest at making his mind up, though, so it wasn't until the following Spring, (2013) that Carmen once more found herself travelling the length of Scandinavia with a Dyer (Mark himself this time) as they together took Euler and Xena on trains and buses towards their new lives.


Rira, Britt and Ciara (Southern Ireland). Adopted in Summer 2012.

Ciara started the exodus of dogs to far climes when she left us after managing our Valimaa farm and taking it from its first stages (which were unbelievably harsh conditions in which to live and work) to the point at which both workers and dogs could have a decent quality of life in a very beautiful location. Whilst there, she looked after the pups of the (c. 16!) pregnant dogs which we discovered upon taking over but her favourite pup that first year was Rira. He was a solitary pup and in-between, in age, the other pups when young, and therefore he of course needed lots more attention and cuddles than the others who could get security from their litter mates. When it came time to leave, she realised that she couldn't leave him behind. However, she also saved one small tiny bundle of joy called Brit who had come close to being put down many times because of a nasty and chronic case of doggy ashthma / bronchitus. She was actually the first dog to capture my heart when I visited Valimaa for the first time and I had been sad to learn from the owner at the time that she was to be put down. And here she is, a few years and a warmer environment later, loving her runs down open beach and across the moors of Northern Ireland. Pictured here are Ciara with Rira as a pup, Rira and Riku his uncle, Rira and Brit and then various shots of Brit including one which reminds me of how I first met her, looking out full of life from behind the bars of her cage.