Profiled sponsors and their happy mutts

Sponsoring our dogs costs a variable sum depending on the age of the dog. We try to make these sums realistic vs nominal so that people feel like they are making more than just a donation towards the care of a dog. We want them to feel that they are truly supporting that dog's care at the farm.

Having said that, we have set the price of the puppy and retired category of dog lower than that of a working dog since we feel that children may be attracted to the younger dogs (less than a year) and working dogs may be less attractive a sponsorship option overall even though they arguably need it more.

In reality, however, that is debatable. Old dogs and pups might actually cost even more than working dogs in terms of veterinary / medical needs, even if the adult working dogs definitely have higher food needs. Matsku, for instance, (one of our old retirees), used her entire 2016 sponsoship allowance on a mammary tumour operation to try to reduce lactaction and to buy her a few more quality months (or more) of life.

We are super appreciative of any and all support towards the whole-life care of our dogs.



CURRENTLY SPONSORED WORKING DOGS

Some of the dogs sponsored in this category are amongst our best. Others are just ones that clients and guides have fallen in love with, during their time at Hetta Huskies.

Dogs recently sponsored in the sponsored dog working category:

AMBER
FIRN
LUMI
ELARA
TITAN
SODA
SISU

Others include Balto (Rose), Princess (Patricia McCormack)and Mercury-Mick (Michael McCormack).


CURRENTLY SPONSORED RETIRED DOGS

Dogs in this category include those retired because of old age or poor health.

DIVA
KURPITSA
TORE
ELTING
HENDRIX
YESPER & YASPER
PLUTO
SATURN
CHERRY
SANNA
LEON
BONO

CURRENTLY SPONSORED PUPPIES

Dogs in this category are still training to become working dogs.

SONIC
STAR
JINX
SOLO
SIERRA
SKYLAR
SIREN
SCAMP


Amber - Celine & Jerome

Celine & Jerome's kindness and generosity towards our dogs never ceases to amaze us. They have supported some of our more difficult cases, but their hearts ultimately lie with the A-pups, specifically our sweet Amber. She is a gentle giant and wonderful sled dog!


Lumi - Emily Warren

"We have not been to Hetta but have had a Husky mushing experience in Lapland which was awesome. We wanted to sponsor a Husky and maybe visit and then adopt him/her in time. Hetta seemed to be so well organised, we chose them."


Firn - Paul Moody & Cecilia Xausa

After falling in love with our oldie Eden and sponsoring him for a year, Paul & Cecilia decided to give him and our other oldie Manso a wonderful retirement home in the UK in March 2019. The proceeds of Eden's remaining sponsorship have gone to Firn, a new favourite of theirs. She is a cute, shy yearling who will start her first season as a sled dog in December 2019.


Titan - Lorin Grey

I was Saturn's first-born pup and the most curious and attentive of the litter. After helping deliver me and my siblings, Lorin fell in love with me and will offer me a loving home when I retire. I am a little male diva and have the most grey in me out of my litter. I love food as much as my mum, and am the best at sitting and waiting patiently for my meal. I was a really good off-leash pup when I was little, and I'm going to be a lead dog when I'm older.


Elara - Lili Mae Cole

Elara is the lightest-coloured of seven puppies from Saturn, named after Saturn's moons. When Lili and her father came to visit us in December 2017, Lili immediately fell in love with Elara. During their puppy encounter Elara showed just how much strength and excitement young sled dogs possess! Though difficult to handle at the time, Elara now has a retirement home and family waiting for her when she calms down and has grown out of her dog sledding years.


Sisu - Noah Wilson

"A year ago (July 2016) our friend Noah, aged 13 at the time, was involved in a freak accident in SW France where he was buried in a huge sand dune and needed to be resuscitated. He was without oxygen for several minutes and his lungs were filled with sand, but miraculously he walked out of the intensive care unit and was discharged home just over a week later with no lasting affects from the accident. Whilst lying intubated in hospital his parents promised him a dog once back home to aid his recovery. Back in his homeland of New Zealand he is now the proud owner of Wilson who has helped him go from strength to strength, but we knew Noah had always wanted a Husky. Sisu, who's name in Finnish means strength and bravery and who was born with a squished chest but became a race dog, is a fitting husky to sponsor for Noah. We look forward to meeting Sisu one day on the farm, or even better, one day with Noah and his family." - The James Family


Soda - Sarah Skinner

Soda is one of the sweetest boys out of his litter, the S pups. He needs some extra care and attention because of his breathing problem (similar to asthma in humans), and for this reason cannot run as much as the others. However, he makes for a great companion and is always eager to play!


Sanna, Leon and Bono - Fe Frei

Fe Frei & family have been involved with us since 2013 when they joined us as clients for their first 5-day safari. As a family they have adopted four of our dogs (Eka, Varna, Owl and Maija...Owl is still living with them in Switzerland today.

The Frei family have also sponsored a number of our dogs including Petteri, Varna and Moscow. Since Moscow was adopted in autumn 2020, Fe Frei and her family decided to continue their generous support by sponsoring two of our best leaders (Sanna and Leon) of the old days, only to be surprised by another sponsorship for christmas which was a present for them from their son, (who had previously adopted Maija) of our lovely old boy Bono!

Bono

Bono was one of the original 12 first sled dogs at Hetta, brother to Cloud, Madonna, and Princess. Arguably the smartest of the four, he is an escape artist when put in a cage. Bono is also a little shier than his siblings, but gets used to people quickly and is easy with other dogs. He is a great leader and teacher to other sled dogs!

As he gets older, Bono is slowing down and does not run long safaris anymore. He also has an eye condition, along with Tog and Moscow, for which he lives near the house and gets eye drops twice a day. This prevents cloudiness and an eventual loss of eyesight.

Running Position: Any, D.O.B: Aug. 2007, 2019-20 season running total: 138km


Saturn and Pluto - Leslie and Roger Schott

Saturn and Pluto are two of our 5 Pups from Matsku and Jopa who are all named after planets. The other siblings are called Mercury, Venus and Mars. For obvious reasons, we chose to use ‘Pluto’ vs ‘Uranus’. Saturn was exceptionally beautiful as a puppy. She is still a pretty adult but it is hard to get really good photos of her since she has a slightly long fox-like nose. Regardless, she is a favourite of many guides and clients because of her pretty appearance, sweet nature and love of cuddles. Pluto is an absolute sweetheart and fantastic in the house. Like Saturn, he is exceptionally pretty and looks incredibly young for his age.


Princess - Patricia McCormack

Previously, Anna's mother, Patricia, fell in love with Arrow when she was just a pup. Walking most of the pups was too much for her at the age of 80 but Arrow would walk quietly beside her and stop, sit and look up obediently when offered a treat so Pat decided to follow her progress through her life and give enough money to cover her food and medical bills (luckily she is also gentle with other dogs so she doesn't get in many fights).

Now that Arrow has found a wonderful forever home with her brother, Pilgrim, Patricia has been kind enough to sponsor Princess, Anna's favourite.


Mercury-Mick - Michael McCormack

Anna's dad didn't want to be left out so the following year he asked us to name a dog after him and said that he would cover its food and medical bills. Unfortunately, we had already decided to name all of the pups, that year, after planets so we could't have four dogs named after planets and the fifth, named Mick. Hence, Mercury now has a double-barelled name, 'Mercury-Mick'. He is extremely loving towards humans but a little more trouble when it comes to other dogs so he suffers from quite a few more nicks and scrapes than the gentle Arrow.


Balto and Mars - Rose Charvin

Rose was a trainee guide at Hetta Huskies in 2011 and returned to help us out and see how the dogs were progressing, in 2012. She has four favourite dogs across both of our farms: Mars and Balto on our farm (although I think that Thunder is creeping in there, too) and Aida and Noita on the Valimaa farm, which we also manage, 60km away. She loves the fact that on our dogs fundamentally and always come first and she wanted to leave a donation in the name of her favourites to support the fact that we don't put a dog down just because it can no longer work so well. We tried to tell her that the work that she does for us on developing their characters and obedience each year is more than enough but we discovered that she can be pretty stubborn when she wants to be!


Diva - Malina Beringer

Diva is almost 12 years old but has an amazing work ethic. She is one of our best leaders, even if her size means that she has to pull back with all her weight to turn the other dog in the right direction! The only girl of her litter, Diva's personality certainly suits her name. Thanks to Malina, a student who visited us in March 2020, for sponsoring our little star!


Kurpitsa - Aron perhe

Kurpitsa was the biggest puppy of Anitra and Yeti's litter. She got her size from her father, but didn't grow to be quite as large as him. She has always been a great sled dog. As a youngster Kurpitsa started as a wheel dog - running fast and pulling hard with her sister Nana. When she got older Kurpitsa learnt to lead with the guidance older lead dogs and soon she became one of the most reliable leaders at the farm. Even though she now struggless to keep up with the youngsters, Kurpitsa is still motivated to lead the teams on shorter tours and teach her leader apprentices how the job is done. "Our family is dog-loving, we fell in love with Kurpitsa's personality and charcter." - Aro family

Kurpitsa means 'pumpkin' in Finnish, and reflects her personality perfectly. Kindness and intelligence practically shine out of her eyes. She is a larger version of her sister Nana.

Kurpitsa is a sweetheart who will sit and gaze at you until you notice her, and then paw at you for strokes. She is a strong sled dog and great leader, given that she is running with someone focused beside her. Kurpitsa runs most often with her current best friend Maya, who talk a lot to each other on the start but ultimately are adorable running together.

Running Position: Lead, D.O.B: 19.10.2010, 2019-20 season running total: 1844km

Kurpitsa



Tore - Burri & Sylvia Rieke

Tore came to us from a family in Switzerland who thought that he would do better as a sled dog than a pet. In his youth, Tore has led 5-day safaris in single lead through tough conditions where others had difficulties. Though a senior at 13 years, Tore is as happy as ever to run. We are all grateful to have him in our pack motivating the others to work their hardest every day!


Elting - Amber Stooker

“I came to Hetta Huskies in April of 2018 to do a 6-week internship related to my studies. While I was here, my heart was captured by the sweet, gentle, and cuddly nature of the Fluffies, especially Elting. With his bear-like appearance and strong character he is the leader of his litter, but underneath all that he is just a goofy ball of fluff who does his little dance at feeding time and loves being cuddled!” - Amber


Hendrix

After sponsoring Matsku until her dear end, her sponsor was kind enough to continue his retired dog sponsorship program with Hendrix. Hendrix is our oldest husky at the farm who still runs fairly often and is in good health. From the way he pulls in line you would never believe his age, in addition to which he is an excellent dog to pair with younger, less experienced pups.


Yesper & Yasper - Nicolas Cherbuin

Nicholas, a financier from Switzerland, took part in his first 5-day safari with us in 2015. He had both Yesper and Yasper in his team and actually fell in love with them both from his very first interaction, when he went with a guide to take them from their cage. He ended up laughing out loud as they pulled him faster and faster through the farm and right at that moment, he knew that the week was going to be a lot of fun. FYI Theirs is the only cage we always send a client to, WITH a guide, with the intention being that they walk back one dog each. Most guides can't handle both of them (which is rare) and most clients struggle with even one!


Sonic - Francesco & Giulia

"I adore the amazing work you do with the dogs. Since I own a siberian husky I know how it can be hard to train and raise these dogs, but all the work is well repaid. I want to give my little contribution to make this possible and I hope to come over to you very soon."


Star - Karoliina Kaseva

"I visited Hetta Huskies in 2018 with my family. All the dogs were amazing, and I wish I could have taken one puppy home with me. Unfortunately, my dad is allergic. My mother found out that it is possible to sponsor a puppy and I was so happy I can be at least part of one puppy’s life. I just love to help whenever I can. Choosing Star just felt right from the very second, I saw her picture. She is so cute and tiny."


Jinx - Clement Pelourson

Clement interned at Hetta Huskies in the 2019-20 season and fell in love with Jinx while training the yearlings. Jinx is the smallest of her litter and was an escape artist as a pup - yet the calmest and most attentive during training.



Solo - The Shannon Family


Skylar - The Robinson Family


Sierra - The Fox Family


Scamp - Tapio Vaaramo & Siren - Lily Wahlbeck

"We wanted to sponsor Scamp and Siren for our grandchildren, Tapio and Lily, because they love animals and because we know that times during the pandemic are difficult for husky farms in Lapland and we wanted to help. Hopefully, one day, when travelling is easier again, we can all come from Helsinki to visit and see our puppies (although they may be grown-ups by then)"


Cherry - Elias Decker

Cherry

Cherry is very cuddly and sweet and still full of energy! She is friendly but easily distractd by food, and makes the greatest 'greeting' face when you enter her cage. Cherry will sit and curl up her upper lips into what looks like a wolf snarl, but really it is her way of showing that she's excited to see you. More than anything, it looks cute and silly on such a small madam!

Cherry has had a weak front leg in the past, and like Malik, she wears a second magnetic collar to help with this. However, it does seem to be catching up to her as she gets older, for which reason she doesn't run as much as her siblings anymore.

Running Position: Team/Wheel, D.O.B: 10.11.2008, 2019-20 season running total: 422km