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22 Jul 2024
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We are looking for someone that can stay with us from now on and if possible until the end of Summer to help us take care of our dogs, walk the puppies, maybe help out in the barn and general task around our home.
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We are Kristian and Maria, dog mushers living together on a dairy farm located in the idyllic valley of Mathisdalen, circa 18 km from Alta, Finnmark in Northern Norway. The farm is surrounded by beautiful nature and wildlife. We have three kids, our 4 year old son Emil, our 3 year old daughter and Emma who is 12 years old.
We have several cows, 2 horses and circa 30 adult dogs.
My parents live close by at the Fjord. They also have some dogs living at their place, sometimes (mainly in Summer) they are looking for workawayers to stay with them too.
We train our dogs for competitions in Autumn and Winter. In Summer we do a lot of maintenance work around our home and dog yard.
Our dogs are having their free time in Summer. They will be enjoying their time off, laying around, being free in the yard or going for hikes. The training of them starts in Autumn (August/September), we train them in the valley using a 4-wheeler or cart until there is enough snow to use the sleds.
We also produce our own milk year round and have several bulls for meat.
We need help with the dog-care, the cows, the horses and some task around the farm. There is a chance that we will need help in the barn as well, milking the cows and feeding them for example.
We are looking for Workawayer that can help us walking our puppies, feeding the dogs, as well as cleaning the dog yard and help training the team.
We do offer pay if you work on the business side on our farm, in the barn, milking cows or driving the tourists.
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The work with our animals has to be done in every weather, even if the temperature drops to -30°C or more! In summer we also have a lot of mosquitoes.
We are deep in the Arctic circle, what means our Winters are cold and long up here. We get a lot of snow and between December and February there is not a lot of light, the sun does not raise in our valley from November until February. It helps if you are naturally a strong and happy person.
We can loan you some working clothes and cold weather gear for outdoors and we will teach you all the skills you will need to be able to work with the dogs.
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We are looking for people who love animals and are open minded, friendly, like to have fun in what they are doing, flexible, honest, hard working, independent and able to work alone as well as with others.
Some experience is nice to have, but not necessary. You can NOT be allergic to animals and it would be an advantage if you are eating meat as we are all eating together and meat is a daily dish at ours. Our experience so far is that if you are a vegetarian, our place is not the correct place for you. Making food for the dogs, and for ourself, as sometimes slaughtering of a cow (which could happen), has proven to be too difficult for vegetarians.
We have a preference for volunteers over 18/21 years of age who have a drivers license, due to the relatively isolated place of the farm.
Is this something for you?
- You are minimum 18 years old
- Have a drivers license
- You love animals
- You are hard working, responsible and flexible
- You are in good physical shape
- You are independent and able to work alone
- You do not mind the cold and love to be outside in any weather condition
Your message to us should include:
- Background information about yourself
- Period you want to stay
- Intentions to come to our farm
- Language skills
- Anything else that you think is important for us to know
Types of help and learning opportunities
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You can learn a lot about dog mushing at our place, as well as practising your norwegian or finish speaking skills. You can also learn quite a bit about the norwegian way of living and the traditions up here.
If you like the outdoors, Alta is the right place for you. There are lots of hiking, cross country skiing, fishing or canoeing oppertuneties around.
Help
Some of the daily routines includes: changing water in the dog yard, preparing food, feeding the dogs, scooping poop!
Other task could be: training dogs, fixing sleds and line-sets, help with preparing equipment and food for dogs and musher for the dog-races, shoveling snow, take care of the dogs and other animals at home while we are on the dog-races, walking and socialization of puppies, cutting wood, fixing fences, sometimes taking care of the kids 🙂
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Finnish: Fluent
Norwegian: Fluent
Accommodation
You get room and board. You will live either in a carawan or small cabin besides the main house. You share the living-room, bathroom and kitchen with us.
In the winter we like to have volunteers stay long term so that they have chance to learn all the skills needed to work at our farm and with our dogs.
You are welcome to stay for a longer period, with a minimum of 3 weeks.
What else ...
The nature around us is a great playground for both humans and animals. There are so many possibilities of outdoor activities and seeing wildlife. You can go for hikes in the mountains, at the fjords or in the valleys. There are many lakes around in which you can fish, swim or do other water sports. In Winter you could go dog sledding (of course :) ), skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, enjoy the Northern Lights dancing in the sky. We have the mid-night sun in Summer, their are lots of places where you can pick berries or other goods. If you like to party, Alta might not be the right choice for you as we don't have many opportunities in town (most of our parties are at friends places). Anyway Alta has a lot to see, for example the museum, the Northern Light church, the Icehotel, The Rock Art of Alta is on UNESCO`s World Heritage-list, there's also the possibility to experience Sami-culture nearby, be a spectator at Europe's longest sled dog race in March the Finnmarksløpet, which starts and finishes in Alta. Alta also has the biggest canyon in northern Europe.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (7)
This place is best for all people who loves animals, nature and good chats! There is no stress at all. Kristian and Maria are very welcoming and funny people. You'll feel at home from the first second. The milking work isn't hard to learn and after… read more
One of my favourite things to do is go hiking of… read more
Photos
Feedback
This place is best for all people who loves animals, nature and good chats! There is no stress at all. Kristian and Maria are very welcoming and funny people. You'll feel at home from the first second. The milking work isn't hard to learn and after… read more
One of my favourite things to do is go hiking of… read more
I planned to stay at Kristian's for 2-3 months but I stayed for 9 instead - that how much I enjoyed that place!!! I didn't want to leave but could't stay there for ever either... :(
It was a pure joy for me staying on Kristians farm. I gained a lot of usefull experience and I learned new… read more
People are very welcoming and helpful, there are lots of activities and Kristian and his family they are more them pleased in show around, taking to excursions, explaining about the history of the place, their traditions...
We work all together here,… read more
