Come and help our family at our 17-hectare property and with our sled dogs and animals in Ängesträsk, Sweden

  • Favourited 388 times
  • Last activity: 11 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Details

  • Description

    Description

    We need help to care for our dogs and our homestead!

    That means you'll be helping out with everything from picking up dog poop to picking weeds from the potato land.

    We're a couple with 28 Alaskan huskies and a 17-hectare (42-acre) homestead.

    We dream of becoming as self-sustainable as possible. By growing, foraging, and hunting for our own food we can reduce our trips to the grocery store as much as possible. So far at our homestead, we have a thriving vegetable garden, we make our own jam and juice from foraged berries, fish and hunt, and raise goats.

    We live our life based on the seasons, meaning that come wintertime 100% of the work is with the dogs. We are training almost all year round, but in the winter it's all sled dogs all the time!

    It's a simple lifestyle, but you don't get anything for free. The satisfaction of putting in the work needed to get food on the table is amazing.

    We love being outdoors and being a part of the natural world around us.
    Playing with our dogs or just sitting by the fire are a couple of the things we really enjoy. We spend a lot of time with our dogs and they mean the world to us. We have a stable kennel with young and old dogs that love running.

    We also have a young baby! His name is Josef and he is very sweet. We do not expect our workawayers to take care of our child, but we want people to be aware that there is a baby in the house.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Experience what it really means to live a lifestyle in the Arctic with sled dogs and a budding homestead. Learn what it means to care for a large number of dogs, and enjoy a life spent outside. We like to bake our own bread, cook our meals from scratch, and do crafts!
    If you have craft skills that you would like to share with us or want to learn how to do a specific craft let us know! We have a fully functioning workshop with a lot of different tools that you would be able to use.

    If you are interested in working as a dog mushing guide in the future, we can help you learn the necessary skills to make you a better candidate.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    Depending on the time of year, our needs will be different. Because of that, I have broken down the help we'll need depending on the season. However, some things are always done regardless of the time of year. Those things include feeding the dogs and cleaning poop, looking after the goats and cats, and helping with cooking. We all take part in these chores, so you will not be left to do everything every single day. In your free time, you can explore the area, do projects in the workshop, or work on crafts you might be interested in.

    Summer: During the summer, we aren't training the dogs in pulling, but we training their social interactions. We spend time with the dogs playing lose in our free run area so the dogs can get their energy out and socialize. They love to play, chase each other, and get cuddles from us. We also may need to spend time brushing the dogs to help the get the last of the winter fur out. By this of the year our garden is thriving, and needs tending to daily with watering and the occasional weeding. We also spend this time of year catching up on projects and repairs. Ideally, our volunteers are relatively skilled with tools and basic construction.

    Autumn: This is arguably our busiest time of year as we do a lot of preparation for the winter season during this time. -Fall training begins at this time. A team of dogs is hooked up in front of our quad and the team pulls us on the dry land. Over the autumn period, the kilometers are slowly built up. Because of the birth of our son, we will need a lot of help with this job. We intend to teach our volunteers how to train, so they can ideally drive their own team. (This will be dependent on their skills and confidence level). We also spend a lot of time harvesting the garden and foraging in the forest. We also make jam and juice for the winter season.

    Winter/Spring: This season is all dogs all the time. Our days are spent out with the dogs and our evenings are spent relaxing by the fire. You will learn to drive a team of dogs and help us train our dogs. We also have to do a lot of snow shoveling, trail maintenance, as well and exploring new trails. We also do a lot of baking in the wintertime, particularly bread and sweets. We can help train those of you who have an interest in becoming a dog mushing guide in the future. We can be your first learning experience when it comes to work with sled dogs.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Swedish: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    The accommodation provided is a cabin on our property close to the house. It doesn't have water, but electricity. We have a toilet and shower in the house. We can provide Wifi. Meals will be eaten together, and we will share the responsibility of cooking and cleaning.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    During your time off you will be able to walk our dogs and explore nature. If you're an artist of any sort we have a wide array of tools on hand for different projects you might want to do.
    We will be able to provide pick up and drop off to the local airport/train station.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have fiber in the main house, and data driven wifi in the guest cabin where our volunteers will be staying. Both options work very well.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We can provide space for a campervan during the summer and autumn months, but we will need to charge for the extra electricity usage while you're here.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 622529464925

Feedback (4)



Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile: (5.0)

Cultural exchange: (5.0)

Communication: (5.0)






Help create a home in magnificent surroundings of mountains river, forest and fields in Harads, Sweden
Creative eyes to help me plan and restore an old house in Sala, Sweden