White logo of Tromsø Villmarkssenter depicting a dog sledding team under the enchanting northern lights.

From 2 dogs to 200 dogs

When Tove moved back to Tromsø in 1988, she only had two dogs.

Her fondness for dogs couldn’t stop there, so she had a litter of puppies and soon had her own team that she could take to the mountains to enjoy the beautiful arctic nature. Tove didn‘t see dogsledding as a tourist attraction. She dreamt about racing at Finnmarksløpet – the longest dogsledding race in Europe.
One day, Tove was asked by a friend to take some foreign guests out with a dog team.
This thought has never crossed her mind before, but she agreed. After the trip, she saw how happy the guests were and has decided to try and do it again. Since then, her passion for dogs and life in nature has taken her on an exhilarating journey. The company was slowly growing until it reached its peak in 2019 with 100 international employees and 300 dogs.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, we decided to reduce the number of dogs and ran very successful „Borrow a Buddy“ and „Adopt, don‘t shop“ programs. We ended up finding retirement home for over 100 dogs. As of today, we have 200 dogs at the kennel.

Built on Passion.

Villmarkssenter is founded and run by Tove, whose lifelong passion for dogs and Arctic nature forms the heart of the company. She remains closely involved in the daily operations, with a strong focus on animal welfare and authentic guest experiences.

Living at the center, she is actively engaged in everyday life at the kennel. Her son Alex contributes by developing new technological solutions for the company.

Each winter, the Villmarkssenter family expands as 60–70 seasonal employees join the team, creating an international community united by a shared love for dogs and Arctic adventures.

Experiences
Meet the dogs

From 2 to 200 dogs

Racing

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