In the summer of -98 I and the dogs moved from the greater Helsinki area to Hauho county and there to the tiny village of Eteläinen. Here we have a small red cottage built by my grandfather in the 1950s. This is where my mother and later we kids used to spend all our summers. The cottage, called Mäntymäki (Pine Hill in Finnish) is quite secluded among woods, fields and meadows with no immediate neighbors except occasinally in the summers. Even then they are out of sight behind a curtain of woods.
 
The property is nearly 3000 square meters, all fenced with 2 meter wire fencing. A length of wire mesh is fastened along the underside of the fence and along 40 cm of the ground in hope of deterring would-be Houdinis'.

I also have a smaller, 40 square meter puppy pen with 120 cm high wire fencing. I plan to heighten the fence so bitches in season can lounge outside unsupervised. All dogs can come and go in house and yard as they please.

Since I'm home all day are life is idyllic, peaceful and centered completely around the dogs, my passion. This means my relationship with them is very close and built on mutual trust. The dogs live freely in the house and share my bed and couch.

The cottage was initially built for summer use so when I moved here there was no insulation, no electricity or phone, nothing. As finances allow, in other words very slowly, I try to fix it up a bit at a time. Compared to the two rough winters we now live in the lap of luxury. Still no running water but electricity, phone, insulation and new walls and floors have been set up.

6 km from our cottage is the wonderful forest where I run my dogs. During elk hunting we keep to our own property.