My volunteer work in the Husky Project in Sweden

My journey and arrival at the project

I first flew from Frankfurt to Stockholm and then from Stockholm to Arvidsjaur, as the journey was only possible by changing trains. I would recommend taking care of the flight connections early enough, otherwise the flights alone can be very expensive. I was particularly impressed by Arlanda Airport in Stockholm because of its modernity, such as water dispensers with free water from local sources and a meditation/prayer room. My luggage was misplaced when being reshipped, which is why I arrived in Arvidsjaur without my suitcases. However, Konstantin and Johannes helped me get my luggage back (which was the case after 3 days), provided me with work clothes and helped me stay calm.

The orientation program

The orientation program lasted 3 days and consisted of 2 intro dog days, where you were taught everything you needed to do when dealing with the dogs and an intro-in day, which mainly took place in the house and focused on the Focused on cooking and cleaning. During the intro days you were taught the most important things, but there were always adjustments to the tasks and you always learned something new over time, which is why most volunteers need around 2 weeks to become confident in their tasks and being able to deal well with the adjustments.

The areas of responsibility

At the end of the week, Johannes usually created a weekly plan for the next week, in which each volunteer was assigned their task for each day of the week. For each volunteer, the week consisted of two dog days, two in and two off days and a help day, the order of which varied for each volunteer. Dogs Day was the day to spend time with the dogs. You had to feed them, let them into the daily run, clean the kennels and run, and fill the buckets with water every other day (except in winter). During the in-day you had to prepare meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), clean the house and take the puppies for a walk since they couldn't train yet. The Help Day was intended for all sorts of things. Either Konstantin or Johannes have been assigned a task, such as helping with shopping (once a week/mostly on Mondays), cleaning the dog kitchen or cleaning the guest house. You could also actively suggest tasks, such as going for a walk with the older dogs or puppies to help the in-people with their tasks, or work creatively on something, such as building a chair yourself or benches for the fireplace. On the off days you were freed from all tasks and could do whatever you wanted. I mostly helped with training, went jogging or walked with the puppies to also support the in-people with their tasks. The training for the dogs usually took place two days in a row with a break on the following day and initially consisted of them being harnessed to a quad bike and driving it a certain distance at a certain speed (11-15 km/h) in order to be able to do so the season to increase the condition of the dogs. The season runs from December to May and everyday life is very different from everyday life outside of the season, as there are guests on site and you have to take care of them. However, since I was there during the off-season, I can't say much about the season. If there is enough snow, we switch to sleds and several people can ride there, which was a lot of fun. The In-Day was the biggest change for me because I rarely cooked before and now had to cook for several people. However, you usually have a service with several people and Konstantin, as a former chef, is happy to help you if you ask him questions about cooking.

The accommodation

Living is divided into two houses: Johannes, guests (in season) and boys live in a four-person room in the guest house. Outside the season, many volunteers also accommodate girls in the guest rooms on the first floor, which is not possible during the season. In the main house, where we also eat, the girls' four-person room and Konstantin's apartment are on the first floor. This means that the number of volunteers outside the season is significantly higher and also more flexible, as a maximum of 4 boys and 4 girls can be accepted during the season. Life in a volunteer house was very relaxed. In the evenings the volunteers often did something together and you could still have peace and quiet in the room when you needed it.

Essen

The In people could choose what was cooked out of season, but had to declare this in good time, as the food was bought on Mondays for the whole week, which worked well. During the season, cooking was carried out according to a plan drawn up by Konstantin. Konstantin was always helpful, both in and out of season, if you had any questions about the implementation if you asked him. In both cases, a lot of meat was cooked, especially minced elk. However, there was always an equivalent vegetarian alternative. The quality of the food surprised me as it was consistently very high.

Leisure in Sweden

The leisure activities were mainly limited to nature, but you could always find something to do. I've always gone jogging on off days and helped with training, which means putting the dogs in and out of their harnesses and putting them in and out, as well as preparing the quad or sleds and also bringing them back when training is finished . As long as the lake is not frozen over, you can canoe and, if the lake is frozen, you can also walk dogs across the lake with Konstantin's permission.

Special experiences

My most valuable experiences were seeing the Northern Lights, which is an indescribably beautiful sight and made me understand the beauty of nature. Also the experience of ice bathing in a lake for the first time in my life, which I really wanted to do and was allowed to do there, and finally the sleigh and quad rides, as these were the highlight of the day and it was always nice to watch the dogs Watching running. The dark dinner we once organized can definitely be described as one of my highlights. There we deliberately ate in the dark and played games with more than 12 people, which was very fun and creative. In my opinion, the entire project has made me more of a reflective person, which is why my personality has been greatly influenced in a positive way and I definitely recommend this project.

Experience report from Ben, volunteer in the Husky project in Sweden, September to November 2023