Spanning husky farms, snowy landscapes and Switzerland, this is the story of Swea – a dog who changed her owners’ lives in a special way. It tells of Lapland, of trust between humans and animals and of those singular moments that can change everything.
Elisabeth spent five years in Lapland, Finland, working on a husky farm, surrounded by nature – and quite a few dogs. Her husband, Thomas, visited her regularly and soon fell in love with this special part of the world. Around 90% of the dogs on the farm were huskies – powerful, resilient and bred to handle the cold and long distances. For Elisabeth and Thomas, spending time in Lapland was a dream come true.
Then, the year before last, Elisabeth moved back to Switzerland. They had wanted a dog of their own for a long time, but they soon realised that Switzerland was hardly the ideal place for a husky. The temperatures, the surroundings and the available space are all very different. So the couple started looking for a breed that would be better suited to their new life.
By sheer chance, Elisabeth and Thomas found out about Finnish Lapphunds – a Nordic breed, still with plenty of energy but more suited to everyday life in Switzerland than huskies. In autumn 2024, they visited a breeder in the Bernese Oberland. Although Swea was described as rather shy, she was immediately drawn to Thomas and Elisabeth. Sometimes it’s the dog who chooses the owner. Swea was also visually striking: while Finnish Lapphunds tend to be black and white, she was white with brown patches. In November 2024, Swea moved in with Elisabeth and Thomas, and everything was fine to begin with. No one had any idea what was to come.
In the summer of 2025, Elisabeth went back to Lapland to help raise some puppies on the husky farm. She took Swea with her, and although she wasn’t very old, Swea took to her new surroundings like a duck to water. A few months later, the two of them returned to Switzerland.
In winter, the couple visited friends in the Ivalo region, and they took Swea to Lapland again for Christmas. Their friends also ran a husky farm. Swea loved it there and enjoyed being with the other dogs and playing in the snow.
One day, while out walking a route they had never taken before, they passed a husky farm. Dogs can sometimes escape in Lapland, for example, if a door is left open or heavy snow reduces the height of a fence. Suddenly, six huskies appeared and saw Swea as an intruder in their territory. The pack rushed at her and pulled her to the ground. Elisabeth and Thomas stepped in, trying to protect her, and were bitten themselves. The attack lasted two to three minutes, and it only stopped when a woman arrived with a kettle of water and doused the huskies with it. In the confusion, she was able to grab Swea and carry her away. Elisabeth and Thomas drove off the dogs. Swea was alive, but she was badly wounded.
They went straight to the vet in Ivalo, but because of the severity of Swea’s injuries, she had to be taken to an animal hospital in Oulu – 650 kilometres away. When she arrived, she immediately underwent three operations – on her kidneys, on her stomach and to treat numerous bite wounds. She also had blood poisoning. Days of uncertainty followed. The doctors didn’t know if Swea would survive. A neighbour of the family, a vet herself, was also involved. Thomas found it particularly moving to see people from different countries joining forces to save Swea’s life.
Two more days and nights in hospital followed. Then, they finally got the news they had been longing for on the third day: Swea would survive. However, she didn’t want to eat at first, and they had to tempt her with her usual food to get her to eat again. After a few days of observation, Swea was deemed fit to travel on 29 December.
The next morning, Elisabeth and Thomas picked Swea up and headed home. From Oulu, they drove 1,200 kilometres to Stockholm and stayed overnight in a hotel. Then they drove from Stockholm across Denmark to Hamburg and finally back to Switzerland. All in all, they travelled 3,300 kilometres in three days.
On the recommendation of the animal hospital in Finland, Swea was examined again at Marigin Animal Hospital after returning to Switzerland. Her wounds and blood counts were looking good, although she still had an irregular heartbeat, most likely due to shock. Another check-up at the end of January showed that Swea’s wounds had healed and her pulse was back to normal.
Today, Swea is fit, happy and full of energy. Her vet bills in Finland came to around EUR 9,000 – in Switzerland, they would probably have been significantly higher. A large chunk of the costs was covered by wau-miau pet insurance, which was a huge relief for Elisabeth and Thomas. The animal hospital in Finland still gets in touch with them on a regular basis to ask about Swea.
This story is one of courage, solidarity and love – and of a dog who chose her owners and decided to stay with them. It also shows how important it is to have the right kind of cover, because you never know when or where you might need it.
