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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
14 Jan 2025
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Description
We are a couple in our thirties (Josh & Julia), living in a cabin in the woods with our two rescue dogs; Clyde & Nomad.
We operate a small, professional dog hotel out of our property and specialise in the care of dogs with various behavioural challenges, although we welcome all types of dogs at our place.
Josh is English and Julia is Swiss, and we originally worked as a sound engineer and a nurse, respectively.
We met in Finnish Lapland working with rescue sled dogs, before moving to Australia to manage a husky sanctuary, and eventually coming back to Finland to open our business.
The area were we live is not accessible by public transport, but there are decent facilities (pharmacy, supermarket, gym, etc.) 8km away, in the nearest village. We are a 35 minutes drive away from both Tampere and Hämeenlinna. We are happy to drive you places within that radius, if needed, but we recommend having a car.
As everywhere in Finland, there are many opportunities for outdoors activities, depending on the season. We are a short drive away from a resort offering ski rentals in winter and downhill cycling in summer, and there are more than one places nearby offering kayaks and canoes rentals (including overnight) to go explore the surrounding lakes and rivers. Hiking and camping are also good options for things to do, as Finland's laws respect ''Everyman's rights'' to access nature regardless of land ownership.
Before we settled in our little corner of forest, we travelled extensively for many years on a small budget and used Workaway a lot. We had both excellent and unpleasant experiences, and we are aware of the possible downside of it. We want to use that knowledge to make it a nice, peaceful stop on your travels.
Because this is our first time hosting and we need to see how things go, at this point in time we are limiting the offer to 3 nights maximum.
Types of help and learning opportunities
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Interests
Outdoor activities
Adventure sports
Languages
DIY & crafts
Music
Writing
Animals
Politics / Social justice
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Pets
Charity work
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We're always happy to chat and offer advice (if solicited) about dogs in general, behavioural training, dog sledding and other activities, shelter management, animal welfare, etc.
We're also up to talk about our own travels (sometimes mis-)adventures, and we enjoy meeting new people from all over the place, who come with their own experiences.
If you want to practice speaking French, Julia can help, as it is her mother tongue. We speak English at home otherwise. Do not expect much help with Finnish, as we are both learning, and not ''there yet''.
In terms of what we hope to get from the experience, we just want to give back. We have been hosted by wonderful people in the past and still carry cherished memories with us.
That being said, we are completely ok with a guest/guests who do not wish to socialise and prefer to keep to themselves. You do you.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
The outside of our own cabin and our guest cabin needs a fresh coat of paint. Although we are usually self-reliant for everyday DIY, we both hate painting with a passion and any help with it would be very welcome.
It is completely up to you if you want to do a longer session in one day, or take a little bit of time everyday, but we won't ask you for more than 2h of work a day, at the very most.
For obvious (liability) reasons, we unfortunately can't involve you in the care of our clients' dogs, regardless of your previous experience. If you are in need of some fluffy cuddles, you are very welcome to spend time with our own dogs, take them on walks around the hotel, etc. but this is not at all expected :)
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Finnish: Beginner
Italian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
Accomodation:
Our guest cabin is located within the fenced area on our property (where we let the dogs run around freely during the day). It is a 15sqm wood cabin with a fireplace and a nice view of the garden/forest. It is about 20m from our own cabin and the dogs' cabin, so if we happen to have huskies at that time, prepare for some impromptu howling or barking in the middle of the night. Other than that, it is very quiet and peaceful. There are also a heater and a fan in the cabin, if needed.
The cabin has electricity and charging points. It has a sink, which drains, but no water connection, so the water comes from a 20L tank, which is useful to brush your teeth, make teas and coffees or instant noodles, but not much else. For connected water, you will have access to the kitchen and the bathroom in the house (our slightly bigger cabin).
! Unfortunately, the shower is in the only bathroom we have, which is an en suite in our bedroom. The bathroom door locks from inside, and we have no problem opening our house to our guests, but we understand that this can be uncomfortable, and we obviously ask our guests that they plan their shower during the daytime (or warn us in advance so we can get organised to make space).
All the toilets on the property are compost toilets, including the one in the bathroom, and a private little outhouse attached to the guests' cabin.
We also have a washer and dryer that the guests are welcome to use.
We can provide a blackout tent, if that is your preference, and we have space on the property for an RV that can be connected to our house electricity.
Food:
It is up to you if you want to join us for the meals or do your own thing, we will provide the ingredients if that is the case. We are vegetarians and eat either veggie or vegan dishes. It is not a problem if you are a meat-eater and want to use our pots and pans, but we won't provide meat-based ingredients ourselves, you will have to purchase these.
Please, don't feel awkward about letting us know about food preferences and allergies, we're more than happy to accommodate.
What else ...
! We keep the guest cabin clean, but this is the dogs' world and we just live in it. There will be dog hair around and we do not recommend people with dog allergies to risk anaphylaxis ! (the closest ER is a 25 minutes drive away)
Accessibility
-For wheelchair users and other people with restricted mobility, depending on the device you use (if any), some of the terrain and accommodation might be challenging to navigate independently.
There are big rocks and boulders and roots, mud and grass scattered around. The road accesses for hikes around the property in general are gravel roads. I believe these can be tackled with a wheelchair with robust, all-terrain tires, but it hasn't been tried yet.
Practically, we can park a car 5 meters from the guest accommodation, but there are big rocks that prevent the use of a wheelchair between the car and the door, and in the 5 meters between the cabin and the outhouse.
The bathroom in the house is too small to comfortably fit a wheelchair, and the path through the bedroom too narrow.
There are 2-3 steps in front of each cabin, for which we can build temporary ramps if needed.
That being said, if you're not discouraged by this description, then neither are we! We are happy to send pictures, discuss in advance the best arrangements we can come up with, and provide as much help as wanted during the stay.
-People with learning or mental-health disability, as well as neurodiverse folks, and people with visual or hearing impairment, are all warmly invited to let us know before or during their stay of any accommodations they require (this includes topics to avoid, smells, food, etc.).
-LGBTQIA+ people and POC are most welcome and we do our best, as an ally household, to provide a safe harbour on your travels. We have the immense honour of being a small business partner to Helsinki Pride this year, and we are always receptive to honest conversations and criticism when it comes to inclusion.
-Women travelling alone can also find a stay where we promise to do our best to give you as much space and privacy as possible.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
Service dogs and pet dogs are welcome. Cats, for their own safety, are not.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (1)
He was very respectful of our space and did a great job with the painting that we needed done.
He was also very gentle with our two rescue dogs and they loved spending time with him.
We wish him all the best for the rest of his trip.
Have fun, Simon!
Photos
Feedback
He was very respectful of our space and did a great job with the painting that we needed done.
He was also very gentle with our two rescue dogs and they loved spending time with him.
We wish him all the best for the rest of his trip.
Have fun, Simon!
