We have looked after, cared for, and loved over 450 dogs since the beginning of our career in 2015. For the past 6 years, we have spent our time all over the world working as dog handlers, mushers, shelter volunteers and, ultimately, kennel managers of a husky sanctuary in the southern hemisphere.
For this reason, we know that each dog is an individual with their own needs, which is why we are running a small-scale company, with a maximum capacity of 5 dogs on the property at any given time, in the care of two professional, experienced, passionate handlers. Couch potatoes and hyperactive pups are all welcome, for we have the space and the time to make sure everybody’s wishes are met. Learning all your fluff’s quirks is our mission, and we are happy to report on who drooled at nap time and who face-planted whilst running after a butterfly, when you can’t be there to see it yourself.
We also know how important a pet is to a family, regardless of financial means, and for this reason we do our best to offer services at an adapted price for people from all walks of life. We want to help you make sure your pet stays a part of your life through the big changes, too.
As a result, although we tailor our approach differently to every dog, the underlying principle is one of positive reinforcement and enrichment. We do not use any punitive tools, such as belly band, choke, half-choke and shock or spray collars.
We aim to provide enrichment as much as possible during your dog stay, in the form of toys, interactions with other dogs, interactions with handlers, off-leash playtime in the outdoors fenced area (coming soon!), opportunities to explore, dig and chase, and various sporting activities such as canicross or hikes in the forest.
We do not adhere to the alpha theory, but rather seek to achieve a good collaboration with the dogs by communicating with them in a way they understand. That is, being coherent and consistent (hence the small team of handlers), and being clear in our intentions. We have found in our practice that by doing these things, there is no need for a dominance-based approach.
Finally, we love them unconditionally. All of them. We know their value and their importance to you. For this reason, you can never ask for too many pictures and videos of them to make sure they are ok while you are away. We get it. We put everything we can into providing a safe space for them with thought of, quality fencing, well insulated dog areas, regular checks at night to keep an eye on everybody, GPS trackers on their collars in case of escape, good food, etc. In other words, we provide the service we would like to receive for our own dogs.
Josh & Julia
Curious about the arctic nature and wanting a break from the city life, he came to Finnish Lapland in 2015 to train as a husky guide for what was planned to be three months. Having fallen in love with the arctic landscape and the dogs, he ended up staying there for four years before making his way to Australia to manage a husky sanctuary. He realised after close to two years spent in the southern hemisphere that his place was amongst the birch and the pines of the boreal forest.
Although Josh is an all-rounder when it comes to dealing with dogs behavioural issues, his gentle approach makes him particularly popular with shy dogs.
During her training, she specialised in the health checks and medical follow-up of both healthy and sick and injured dogs (once a nurse…)
Between 2016 and 2018, we completed our handling & guiding internship in Finland, and we travelled around the world in the off-season. Our travels brought us to Australia in 2017, where we worked for a husky sanctuary as handlers.
After graduating in 2018, we worked for the same Finnish farm as Lead Guides, and oversaw the well-being of 200+ dogs, until the spring of 2019. We then moved to Australia to work as managers of a husky sanctuary of 80+ dogs, and both completed successfully a year-long certification level IV in Companion Animal Services (the standard Australian recognised certification to operate as a boarding kennel or a dog shelter manager/owner). During our time managing the sanctuary, we were tasked with bringing the entire facilities up to the international MUSH WITH PRIDE sled dog welfare standards, and we organised at the sanctuary the emergency housing of an additional 60 dogs affected by the Victorian Bushfires of 2020.
We came back to Europe in 2020 with Clyde, our recently adopted foster-fail rescue Australian Kelpie, in our backpacks, and decided that we had dreamt about our company for long enough, and it was time to turn it into a reality.
Our extensive training gave us the discipline to work within the national Animal Care Acts legal frames, to follow strict veterinary checks procedures, but also to have the flexibility needed to work with animals. On overnight tours in the remote Finnish Tundra, we were responsible for the well-being of the sled dogs and the tourists experiencing the cold for the very first time, and we developed a good sense of what constitutes a veterinary emergency and the appropriate reactions needed. As a result, we feel confident in our ability to keep your precious pup as safe as possible when they are in our care.
Clyde
Clyde joined our family at the end of 2019. A typical case of foster-fail, he came to us through the Australian Working Dog Rescue Inc. at the age of 7 months old, and quickly wiggled his way to our hearts.
Originally scared of his own shadow, growing up in a husky sanctuary did wonders for his confidence, and he will happily greet anyone he has already met once. These days, we are working on teaching him the difference between sheep and small children, as he tends to try to herd back any runaway toddler like they are a lost lamb.
Clyde is as easy going as they come; happy to nap, happy to play, happy to walk, happy to eat…and he has been a wonderful host to other dogs we have welcomed in our home over the years.
Nomad
Our precious Nomad joined the family at the end of 2023. All the way from Egypt, he was born in Cairo with a disability that lead to one of his back leg being fully amputated at 4 months old.
He was taken in by the kind, kind souls of Stray Dog Support, who asked us to help them find his forever home in a climate better suited for him. As things often go in these situations, Josh, Julia and Clyde fell in love with Nomad at first sight and he fit in immediately, so it was decided that his forever home would be with us.
Nomad’s biggest joy in life is playing with other dogs (and snow, something he discovered for the first time when he landed in Helsinki!). He is gentle and silly and surprisingly fast on his three legs!
Jani
Jani officially joined our family in the autumn of 2021, at the grand old age of 14. We had known Jani for a long time, back to his glorious running years as a sled dog in 2015, and we were happy to be able to take him in and offer him a comfortable retirement when the time came.
He was already a rescue from another farm abroad before making his way to Finland, and he was and remained terrified of humans (and men in particular) his entire working life. Nowadays he doesn’t care so much, as long as you approach him slowly and treat him gently (he is also completely deaf so he is easily startled).
Despite his fear of people, he very much enjoyed his life at the farm. He was the designated babysitter for the rowdy puppies, as nothing delighted him more than watching them play and letting them try to climb on top of him. His legendary long legs have earned him the nickname of Mr Tickles. His endless patience makes him a perfect host to any dog.
Sadly, Jani passed away in October 2022 due to various health problems. He will be forever missed, RIP Jani.
Minnie
Minnie came to join us by an incredible twist of fate: Last summer (2022), we got a message from our old workplace in Lapland (the husky farm/rescue) after Minnie escaped from the place where she was on an adoption trial, less than 10km from where we live.
We started looking for her, contacted all the vets and rescues in the area, put up posters at every bus stop and even camped in the forest playing recordings of the dogs from the farm howling. She was missing for over 5 weeks and although we lost hope many times, we just couldn’t give up on trying to find her.
That was until Josh spotted her running with a fox after following a tip from a local farmer. One epic chase later (and a light tackle) and she was sleeping in our bed for 3 days straight, mostly fine despite having lost a third of her weight and having caught lungworms.
Turns out she had survived by joining a gang of foxes and foraging on farmlands. A real life fox and the hound.
She was reunited with Jani, who already lived with us, and she met Clyde the Aussie and immediately bonded with them, so it was decided that she would join our family.
We’re very happy to get to be a part of her twilight years (mis)adventures.
Sadly Minnie passed away in March 2023 due to various health problems. She will be fovever missed. RIP Minnie Moo