Borrow a buddy

When Covid-19 hit, everything stopped at Tromsø Villmarkssenter over night. We suddenly had a situation with 300 fully trained sleddogs and no guests.

Even with our best intentions, it was impossible to keep up the necessary daily training with them all. That‘s when the „Quarantine Buddy“ idea was born; We invited the people of Tromsø to borrow our dogs for the quarantine period. The program was very successful – we got 400 emails in two days and lent over 150 dogs to friendly homes in two weeks. Tromsø and the surrounding areas were full of people being walked by our dogs!
As the quarantine period was extended, «Quarantine Buddy» turned into «Borrow a Buddy». No one could predict how long the pandemic would last, we had to lay off employees, and for the good of the dogs we had to downsize the pack. Since many people really fell in love with the dogs they had borrowed, we saw an opportunity that would benefit all parties in the best possible way; We decided to retire older dogs, and in 2 years we found «forever-homes» for over 100 dogs.

As of today, we have 200 dogs in the dog yard. We continue “Borrow a Buddy” in summertime, when sledding season is over and vacation time is on. We try to lend out older, more mature dogs (7 years old +). It is good for them to learn about life outside the dog yard, as they most likely will be adopted in a few years’ time.  The young dogs still have many working years ahead, and a stable and active outdoor environment with their “peers” is the best to keep their spirit high.

If you are interested in borrowing a friend, drop us an email!  💌gintare@villmarkssenter.no

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, we decided to reduce the number of dogs and ran very successful „Borrow a Buddy“ and „Adopt, don‘t shop“ programs. We ended up finding retirement home for over 100 dogs. As of today, we have 200 dogs at the kennel.

We visited to experience the dog sledding and were totally blown away by the whole day. The ethos of the place is to maintain the dog’s welfare first and foremost. The staff are so knowledgeable and friendly and our musher gave us loads of info during the sledding experience. I can highly recommend Villmarksenter and we are planning another visit already. This is a must do trip for anyone who loves dogs and being out in the beauty of the wilderness.

5/5
Chris

A wonderful experience snowshoeing across beautiful landscapes. We did about 5k in total, with a stop half way through for hot drinks and biscuits (supplied by the guides). The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and were more than happy to answer any question we had. We took 2 dogs on the hike, which I enjoyed very much! We spent time in the dog yard after snowshoeing, which was amazing

5/5
katie b

LOVED the experience! We had a very patient and kind guide Krystof. I’m actually afraid of dogs, but the dogs were friendly and if you don’t want to you don’t have to be in contact with them. Also, the views up there were magical. Would definitely recommend it to everyone?

5/5
Siti

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VILLMARKSSENTER
Straumsvegen 601 9109 Kvaløya Troms, Norway
OFFICE IN TROMSØ
Storgata 61 9008 Tromsø
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