I don’t have enough photo’s, we didn’t go to Norway for huskies after all, but I do have the most amazing, wonderful memories. I went to Norway for Alana (Thanksgiving Duck), my bonus kid-for-the-year. I’ll be going back again for Jeger & his husky team.

If you’ve been reading me for a while,  you know I love Airbnb. I love not just the affordability, but even more getting to know the people. I try very hard to find the uniquest Airbnb wherever we go. I thought I’d never top our Night at the Museum but I was wrong. I found the Husky House outside of Elverum, Norway. I found Jeger.

I’ll admit, Jegers’ house looks a little remote. A little Stephen-King-Misery. And I’ll admit that a whole pack o’Huskies had me worried too. I love dogs, but I also have a healthy fear of dogs. What if they were mean, bite-y, scary? There were more of them, then of me. It was a reasonable fear. I needn’t have worried.

Jeger had wonderful reviews (minus the one weirdo that complained of dog hair in a house advertised as full of dogs), he was lovely in the pre-going there emails. I had GPS coordinates, and after only one false turn, we did find his cabin in the woods, in the snow, in the middle-of-nowhere. I found huskies.

He’s been cleaning in preparation for our arrival, and the boys were in the run outside, the “old man” Jack on a lead and his youngest girl on another lead. We very carefully, and slowly, made our way up the drive & parked in front of the house. All of our hearts beating a little bit faster at the reality of so many huskies.

And then the front door swung open and a larger-than-life Norwegian came bursting out.  The epitome of friendly and outgoing, Jeger instantly won my heart. He’s loud, warm, gentle & kind. He is amazing with his dogs, and it was instantly apparent that his personality had flowed over into his dogs. He has a symbiotic relationship with them that is beautiful to behold. They listen. They behave. They are phenomenal.

I have never been surrounded by so many dogs, with so many teeth, and felt so secure. Even when the alpha, Misha, my favorite, of course, disciplined the younger pups, I felt safe. She was teaching them to behave. To be mindful of me. Jeger explained their behavior as we talked over the weekend, it was a crash course in huskies & love. He raises them using positive reinforcement and it showed in everything he did. In everything they did.

I don’t have an innate fear of dogs. I do have a healthy respect of their strenght and teeth. And yet on the first night I was already down on the floor, in the middle of a husky pack, happy to my very bones. By the time we left, Alana too was down on the floor. Sitting amidst a pack of huskies. Alana does have a fear of dogs. She has been bitten. They do worry her. But. She is working hard to overcome her fear, and really, who doesn’t love dogs?

It is a true testament to Jeger that Alana sat down, on the floor, surrounded by his pack. I may not have words enough to tell the story but look at the photo of her sitting there. Five of the dogs in the photo with her (there were eight, nine at one point). And she is smiling!

Alana. Smilling! And Tess, Liana, Talisa, Misha and Tyrion (I think)

My favorite photo of the weekend LOL! Pretty sure that is the puppy, Liana, Talisa, Misha & Tyrion

Talisa, wanting me to stop bugging her. Obviously.

Tyrion says “No Pictures!”

Liana, she’s six months old & adorable

This was the extra, this is Svex

Jack loves to drive!

How can you say goodbye to this face?

Me & five-of-eight. HAPPY!