8SeasonsHuskies

Long endurance athletes

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  • Hello
  • Blog
    • Why the kennel name 8Seasons?
    • My story
  • Contact
    • Partners
  • English
  • German
  • Hello
  • Blog
    • Why the kennel name 8Seasons?
    • My story
  • Contact
    • Partners
  • English
  • German
  • Hello
  • Blog
    • Why the kennel name 8Seasons?
    • My story
  • Contact
    • Partners
  • English
  • German

Three huskies moving south

It has now been a year since our company had to declare bankruptcy. At the beginning of June last year, the bankruptcy estate was auctioned off. I still remember exactly…

read more
June 30, 2021

Interview with a retired non-sled dog husky lady

Age is relative. This not only applies to humans but also to dogs. Of course, there are clearly defined phases in a dog’s life. Like how a dog grows from…

read more
August 22, 2021

Johanna dealing with Corona

Now we would have time to enjoy our home together, but it is difficult to enjoy. Let me tell you about Johanna … Johanna and I have been a couple…

read more
April 13, 2020
  • Hello, I’m Superwoman’s maternity replacement!

    January 30, 2022 / No Comments

    A description of Johanna It’s still early in the morning and I’m sitting at the kitchen table and looking out the window. Our 6-week-old son Mikko lies blissfully asleep in my lap. After a really sleepless night with several feedings, massaging the tummy and repeadlingly changing the diaper, it is a particularly nice feeling when the child has finally calmed down and fallen asleep. Kathi and I already had coffee together at 5 a.m. and discussed the day. Now I can watch her through the window preparing and harnessing a dog team for training. It makes me very happy to see how, after the pregnancy and the physical limitations after…

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    June 25, 2020
  • Interview with a retired non-sled dog husky lady

    August 22, 2021 / No Comments

    Age is relative. This not only applies to humans but also to dogs. Of course, there are clearly defined phases in a dog’s life. Like how a dog grows from puppy to young dog. At the latest by the age of 2, the dog has reached his or her full physical growth, the so-called physical maturity. With sexual maturity, they turn into adult dogs. For females this can be as early as 6 months, males usually a little later, but at the latest when 12 months old. During this period one speaks of puberty or flailing time. After this time for larger dogs, such as our huskies at 18 months,…

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  • 8seasonshuskies, schlittenhunde im Norden

    Three huskies moving south

    June 30, 2021 / No Comments

    It has now been a year since our company had to declare bankruptcy. At the beginning of June last year, the bankruptcy estate was auctioned off. I still remember exactly how Johanna, Mona, and I sat in the garden and had to watch the buyers as they gradually carried everything from the property. I can still remember the feeling of anger, worry, uncertainty, sadness, and sheer horror. Back then, many people said to us that there is something positive in everything negative. I admit I couldn’t quite believe it. But now, in retrospect, all I can say is that you were right. The last year has influenced us all a…

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    Colourful autumn has arrived in the North

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    August 22, 2021
  • snowmobile 8seasonshuskies

    I often wish to be heavier

    March 11, 2021 / No Comments

    The challenge with the winter trails and my struggles with the snowmobile My team of 12 sled dogs runs silently through the snowy winter landscape of northern Sweden. Only the sliding of the sled runners and the steady trot of the working dogs on the freshly fallen snow can be heard. The cold winter air cools my cheeks, the rest is wrapped in warm clothes from head to toe. I stand on the sled and enjoy being pulled through the white landscape by my beloved dogs. Together we are an unbeatable team. It’s just a wonderful feeling to be out and about with the dogs. To explore new areas and…

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    August 22, 2021

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  • Luna – The End Of A Sled Dog Era

    February 6, 2021 / No Comments

    It´s February now; the sun is back and casting long beams over our homestead in Swedish Lapland. Our huskies are howling, as Johanna and her small team of sled dogs have set off on a short tour across the snow-covered lake. Only one voice in the choir is missing. Luna´s voice. A few days ago, Johanna and Luna went together on the last trip. The destination was the local vet in Töre who put down Luna for her final sleep – calmly and respectfully. During the last few weeks, when it slowly became clear that Lunas time was coming to an end, one sentence kept coming up repeated times: “With…

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  • diego-8seasonshuskies

    Hola Diego, brave, cute little puppy

    October 28, 2020 / No Comments

    We have a new family member! Of course, it’s a dog! A real sled dog. Who would have thought that?! ? He is a male, his name is Diego and is now 15 weeks old.We hadn’t planned to bring a new puppy into the kennel right now.But when does it go the way you plan it …? Ok, let’s start from the beginning. A few weeks ago, a friend asked me if we can take over a puppy. My first reaction was: “No, not now when everything is so uncertain. We do not even know how next year will look like.” But I could not help asking about his pedigree…

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    April 13, 2020
  • blizzard and katharina

    Colourful autumn has arrived in the North

    September 17, 2020 / No Comments

    Like every year, it comes suddenly ?. Here at the Arctic Circle, the leaves change color from the end of August, the nights become cooler and the first frosty nights are not uncommon. Meteorologically, September 1st is the beginning of autumn. Here in the north it feels very appropriate. With autumn, winter approaches, my absolute favorite season! The wintertime in the life of a musher like me is the most intense and beautiful that I can imagine. Give me snow, give me dogs and you can keep the rest. (Knud Rasmussen / polar explorer) But before we go on the sled, we start on four wheels in autumn. At the…

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    June 8, 2020
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  • 8seasonshuskies - kat and kitkat

    It is good to change your perspective occasionally

    August 31, 2020 / No Comments

    I was on vacation. Ok, it was “only” 3 days of hiking around Skaulo (3 hours by car from our home in Miekojärvi). But these 3 days felt like a break, a reset, a long vacation from my current everyday life. As most of you know, we have been working in tourism for the past few years.  Many people experienced with us our Arctic Life in Northern Sweden. We loved to show and share our favorite landscapes and longing places with others. Our home was the starting point for many tours and a visit to our kennel with the huskies was often the highlight for our guests. But where and…

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    March 2020

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  • 8seasonshuskies, katharinakochhartke

    The stillness that follows the storm

    July 19, 2020 / No Comments

    Summertime Time is a strange thing. Especially the time division in days of the week. I grew up on a farm and I know Saturdays and Sundays, but even on these days the daily routines with the animals were done. Even back then I thought it was beautiful and absolutely natural. Animals and weather provide the necessary work. Up here in northern Sweden the conditions are more extreme, the weather is harder, and the seasons determine many of my daily jobs. I love that. There is something deeply satisfying, be it sawing, stacking and splitting wood to have enough firewood, shoveling snow in winter, fishing in summer for us and…

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  • Leo – a difficult farewell

    July 3, 2020 / No Comments

    Leo, our house dog, said goodbye forever last week. Leo was the only non- husky in our kennel and truly Johanna’s dog. He respected me and after several month after his arrival at our place we even became friends. But he belonged to Johanna. They found each other. I will let Johanna write this post about Leo. How she feels about the loss and she is also sharing the beginning of her book with stories about Leo. REST IN PEASE, my stubborn, beloved roommate. Johanna´s thoughts It did not come as a surprise. It had been emerging for a while. And yet it does not make things easier. Farewell to…

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12

About

katharinakochhartke-8seasonshuskies

How did I start with the dogs?
What was my  motivation to move from Germany to Swedish Lapland? How did we develop our kennel? Curious? You find the answers here…

Instagram

🌞❄️ Midwinter beauty ❄️🌞 The days a 🌞❄️ Midwinter beauty ❄️🌞

The days are obviously getting longer AND sunnier. But it's still fresh and cold outside, we had -22 degrees this night. 

My sisters are soon traveling back home so we enjoy the last days together! Little Mikko is definitely in the center of attention but we do also spend a lot of time with the doggies 😉 

#outdoorlife #passion #arcticlifestyle #mushing #hundekjøring #hunde #winterwonderland #swedishlapland #8seasonshuskies #miekoparadise
📺 8SeasonsHuskies on TV 📺 In the german pro 📺 8SeasonsHuskies on TV 📺

In the german production Terra Xpress from ZDF. 

You can find the link on today's story or 👇
https://www.zdf.de/wissen/terra-xpress/lockruf-des-nordens-100.html

It is a documentary about Northern Sweden with moose, reindeers, Northern Lights, forestry, mining and sled dogs. 

You can see our dogs, the kennel and some training sections from minute 12-18 in the documentary (all in German). 

#schlittenhunde #passion #arcticlifestyle #outdoorlife #hunde #nordwärts  #dogs #mushing #zdf
❄️ winter-wonderland ❄️ Even if the days ❄️ winter-wonderland ❄️

Even if the days are getting longer we are very happy about the fantastic headlamps. Makes the training runs and care-taking of the dogs easier and more enjoyable! 

And yes - I am back on the runners! 
After pregnancy and C-section! 
Feels sooooo good! Impossible to describe that feeling! 🙏🤗🙏

Johanna did an outstanding job with keeping the dogs in good shape and happy mood. She even trained her own leaddog. Flash is now running in lead, preferable next to her brother Thunder. 

Maybe you see her in lead during the Finnmarkslöpet 2023?😉

Can't wait to go out again with the doggies! 

#finnmarksløpet
#passion
#lifestyle #dogs #sleddog #hunde #mushinglife #swedishlapland #outdoors #winterwonderland #lupine #napfgenuss
Say hello to little Mikko. Our son was born a bit Say hello to little Mikko.

Our son was born a bit earlier than expected, at the 8th of December. 

But he is happy and healthy! 
I'm still recovering from the C-section, will take some time to get back to full strength. As you can see I'm still a bit tired 😉

🙏 Also very happy and thankful that my mother could come earlier from Germany to our place. An extremely important help for us, she took care of the dogs during the time we had to stay in the hospital. 🙏 

The doggies said 'hi' to Mikko as well, especially Saphir and Lava can't wait to meet him again. They fell in love immediately! 

Johanna is busy with trail making and keeping the dogs in shape. Very proud of her! 🥰

Daniel, the father of Mikko, will meet him in some weeks. He is traveling further south right now. Great to be able to have video calls nowadays. It is not a replacement for personal meetings, but better than nothing. 

Wish you all some last wonderful days in 2021!
We wish you happy holidays and all the best for 20 We wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2022!

It was a bit quiet around us the last weeks. 
I will let you know soon the reason of it 😊

Until than I hope you have a wonderful time with your beloved ones and that you can enjoy the little things in life as well. 

All the best from all two- and four-legged members of the team #8seasonshuskies.
Katharina & Johanna The 2 humans behind the team Katharina & Johanna

The 2 humans behind the team 8SeasonsHuskies. 

Our life is dedicated to the life with sled dogs in the North. More precise Northern Sweden.

We love the daily challenges of life in a  remote village with only 16 inhabitants.
And we are fascinated by the energy of the sled dogs.

 I (Katharina) love physical and mental challenges, so quite naturally I got interested in competitions of long distance sled dog races like the @finnmarkslopet some years ago.

To live, train and travel with our sled dogs in this wonderful arctic nature never gets boring. So thankful for this opportunity. 

In some weeks we will hopefully welcome a new family member in our pack, this time a little human 😊 

We are looking forward to this new adventure together with Daniel. 

It is very exciting and a bit scary at the same time. In my option exactly like new adventures should feel like. 🤗

And to be pregnant was until now my biggest challenge so far, more challenging than travelling 600 km with a team of sled dogs over the Finnmarksvidda in harsh winter conditions. Not to forget the intense training months before. 😅

Life never gets boring, that's for sure.

Wish you all some positive energy for the coming months. 

/Katharina, Johanna & the 8SeasonsHuskies
DIEGO & BLIZZARD New dream team? Diego is a big b DIEGO & BLIZZARD

New dream team?
Diego is a big boy now. Running more often in lead position and is much calmer now.

Blizzard enjoys his company in the dogyard. They are playing a lot and I think they even share a doghouse during the night 😉.

We were not training the last days, simply too icy. Waiting for some new snow before we will hit the trail again. 

In the meantime we worked on our new webshop with designs from our doggies and much more! It will be soon online 👍

Sooo excited...!!!

#sleddog #husky #schlittenhunde #hunde #outdoorlife #mushing
#arcticlifestyle #passion #hundekjøring #8seasonshuskies #dogphotography
❄️❄️❄️ . Winter is coming ☺️ New s ❄️❄️❄️
.
Winter is coming ☺️
New snow, harsh winds and temperatures below 0 degrees are a true sign of the beginning of the 6 month long winter.
.
I love to wear the woolen long johns again, not to forget the woolen sweater, heat, mittens, insulated jacket and warm boots.
.
Takes a while to get dressed for the colder season but I'm always so thankful for the great clothing. Makes life at the Arctic Circle more comfortable! 🙏😃
.
The dogs love the snow as well, only Jet is sleeping from now on inside. She is our oldest dog in the kennel with 13years. She feels much better in the warm and cozy cabin, her old bones simple don't like the cold anymore. 
.
Hope you all will have a great winter! And stay warm 🥵😉

#arcticlifestyle #outdoorlife
NUMIT . Our little beauty queen, always in good mo NUMIT
.
Our little beauty queen, always in good mood and excited. He developed a lot during last winter. 
.
Our relationship changed a lot! In the beginning of the last season I didn't know what to expect from him. He was always working good but somehow I haven't had a close connection to him.
.
That changed a lot after some camping and mountain trips together. 
.
We are very close now, feels like I understand him much better. And he enjoys working together with me. 
.
Now he is running in lead position, and he enjoys the responsibility. Very proud and happy with his new task. Of course he has still to learn a lot. Like keeping the team lined out during breaks, not happily running towards me ... 😉
.
It's never getting boring with him, always up for surprises. 
.
Love to see how these doggies develop. 

🙏 Jerome for the sponsorship of Numit 🙏

#mushing #sleddog #dogs #hunde #arcticlifestyle #passion #outdoorlife #huskies #8seasonshuskies
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Recent Posts

  • Hello, I’m Superwoman’s maternity replacement!
  • Interview with a retired non-sled dog husky lady
  • Three huskies moving south

YouTube

Get an idea about the autumn training from the sleddogs at the kennel 8SeasonsHuskies. 
Located in Northern Sweden. Preparing for long distances races like the Finnmarkslöpet 1200km. Nothing is impossible :) 

Big thanks to our families, friends, supporters, dog sponsors and partners. We also want to name our dryfood supplier from Germany @napfgenuss and supplement supplier from Sweden @trikem.

#sleddogs #dogs #hunde #passion #arcticlifestyle #mushing #schlittenhunde #8seasonshuskies
Glimpse of a training day in autumn (vertical)
YouTube Video UCTe0GJpLAcVO_jPTECOP1gA_1jB3q0_M5kI
Ich nehme euch mit auf eine Schlittentour mit Lagerfeuer im Wald.
Johanna und Svenja sind auch mit dabei und sie bringen die Hunde Finn und Diego mit zum Pauseplatz. 

Finn ist unser Frührentner und läuft manchmal frei mit. Diego ist unser jüngster Husky und lernt gerade die Basics kennen. Quasi Grundschule der Schlittenhunde. Heute lernt er das Pause machen im Wald, eine sehr wichtige Eigenschaft für zukünftige Langdistanz-Schlittenhunde.

Willst du mehr erfahren über unser tollen Huskies?
Schau  einfach hier vorbei
https://www.8seasonshuskies.com/de
Oder bei Facebook und Instagram unter @8seasons.huskies

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Join me during a sled dog training run with a break in the forest.
Johanna and Svenja are coiming to the campfire as well, together with the dogs Finn and Diego.

Finn is our early retired sled dog. He is not running in front of the sled but joins some tours free running. Diego is our youngest sled dog and is just getting to know the basics. Kind of elementary school for sled dogs. Today he is learning to take a break in the forest, a very important skill for a future long-distance sled dog.

Do you want to find out more about our great huskies?
Just have a look here
https://www.8seasonshuskies.com/
Or find us on Facebook and Instagram via @8seasons.huskies
Huskies & forest coffee
YouTube Video UCTe0GJpLAcVO_jPTECOP1gA_aBXPOrsp_d0
I share with you some random thoughts about new breeding plans, dog pee, life, and death. The most important topics are covered ;-)

Just realized that I might spend too much time with the doggies - just kidding. You can not spend enough time with dogs, especially with huskies.

Hope you enjoy the video. I would be happy if you like to subscribe to my Youtube channel. And feel free to leave a comment or wish for new video ideas.

Wish you all the Best,
Katharina & the 8SeasonsHuskies

www.8seasonshuskies.com

Kennel location: Swedish Lapland
30 huskies, 1 cat, 2 humans
Chit-chat in the dog kennel
YouTube Video UCTe0GJpLAcVO_jPTECOP1gA_-dlS8TtizIw
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