BACK IN FINLAND

“When will you get a new puppy?” Many people have asked me this question over the past few years. My answer was always the same: “I will. Soon.”

“Are you looking for something specific?” Not really. I somehow knew that destiny would send me the right one at the right time.

It’s been almost three years since I retired Eliot from agility. Did I miss it? Of course! The rewarding feeling after training, the adrenaline rush at competitions—I love it, and bloody hell, yes I did miss it. But I’m also aware that we can’t have everything.

My heart and soul were missing the big travel. I did plenty of short trips, but I wanted to experience something deeper—to get lost in adventures for longer periods. I wanted to travel outside of Europe, to places I’d never been. Most of those places were complicated or even impossible to travel with a dog, so I left Eliot with my parents and I went.

Over the past three years, I’ve traveled around the world. Twice. I tried to stay everywhere for at least one month, even longer when possible, to really experience each country from a local perspective—not just as a tourist. To feel the vibe.

That journey started with no clue how far destiny would take me: Mexico, India, Nepal, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Hawaii… but more about that later.

The same voice that once called for adventure started calling again in April this year—this time for new agility adventures. Truth is, it was there all the time, but the exploring voice had been louder.

On May 1st, my friend Stefi from Estonia—an agility judge and breeder—wrote to me about a free poodle puppy she had available. The moment I got that message, I knew: this was it. My new agility buddy.

Yes! I’ll take her.

I wrote back within a few days (time I allegedly took “to think about it”), but you know how it is—once you feel it, you can’t do anything about it. The feeling was stronger than all the rational voices in my head questioning the timing.

So we hit the road as soon as I got a spot on the boat to the mainland. First, a short 25-minute ferry from our home base in Fuerteventura to Lanzarote, then a longer journey from Lanzarote to the Spanish mainland—30 hours to Cádiz—followed by 4,600 kilometers north to Estonia.

A bit of a crazy story, but we managed it. After 10 days, we finally met.

She was the cutest puppy I’d ever seen. (Did I say the same about Eliot back then? Well, you know—your puppy is always the one and only!)

Since I was already so close to Finland, and because I wanted to hug my Finnish friends after three years away, and because I missed that unique Finnish mentality, and those thousands of lakes, and this green, lush country where you can sometimes drive for hours without meeting another car (maybe not even a reindeer if you’re lucky), where you can walk the forest and get completely absorbed by its beauty, and the days when the sun almost never sets, and yes—even the mosquitos that are almost as big as your head and everywhere, all day long (not joking!)… I decided to continue up north!

For all I mentioned and even more. Who knows what’s next – but I’ve learned that’s exactly the point. The best adventures start with a feeling, not a plan.

I shouldn’t forget to mention: my new lady’s name is SISU!

I learned this word while living in Finland years ago, and it somehow crossed my mind when thinking of what to call her. As Elisabeth Lahti beautifully described in her article: “Sisu is a 500-year-old Finnish construct, relating to mental toughness and the ability to endure significant stress while taking action against seemingly impossible odds. Sisu is a way of life, a philosophy, which has impacted the lives of generations of people.”

So here we are! Sisu, Eliot, and I, rolling in our VendaVan—our home on wheels—through this country that holds such a special and unique place in my heart.

Thank you, Jessi, for bringing me here back then!

I’m happy to be back for a few weeks and hope to see you on the road, my dear Finnish friends, and maybe even some people from beyond. Perhaps we’ll meet at the Midsummer Agility Festival next weekend!

Until then, take care, smile, and treat yourself.

With love,
Vendula