Who IS
Empyrean

Empyrean tries to connect people, dogs and the passion for the life in the North.

What started as a shared journey with trusted partners has now grown into something of its own.
From 2026-2027 winter onwards, Empyrean will be operating independently, continuing to shape experiences with the more care, values and heart.

Created by Victor and his team of huskies, Empyrean is built on years of learning, guiding and living alongside the dogs. What started as a passion has slowly become a place where every detail is personal and every experience is designed to feel real.

During the first season 2025-2026 Empyrean is grateful to have received the support from Wingrens Dogsafaris, Dieuwke Bosscha, Robert Funke and Greta Weston.
Thanks to them Empyrean had a satisfactory first year.

Empyrean Kennel + Self-Driving & Musher-Driven Tour

At our own kennel, guests can now experience both sides of husky sledding. Those looking for a hands-on adventure can drive their own team, feeling the rhythm of the dogs and the trail beneath their feet. For those who prefer to sit back and take it all in, professionally guided rides offer a calm and immersive way to experience the Arctic landscape.

Our dogs are at the center of everything, each one known, cared for and part of a team that genuinely enjoys what they do.

Continuing with Jaakko

At the same time, one important part of the journey remains. Jaakko continues to offer his musher-driven tours with his Siberian huskies. With years of experience and a deep, quiet connection to the dogs, his tours bring a different kind of presence: calm, steady and rooted in tradition.

Empyrean today is an authentic step forward, built from experience, shaped by people and dogs, grounded in the same simple idea: to share something honest, respectful and meaningful with everyone who joins us on the trail.

A young Husky dog with a black and white coat and blue eyes, lying on grass in a fenced yard, looking directly at the camera with an open mouth and tongue out.

  • Victor Jové Perez

    FOUNDER, ANIMAL LOVER & HUSKY CHAUFFEUR

    All the way from Spain, Victor arrived in 2017 and quickly fell in love with Lapland's breathtaking nature. He began working with reindeer and soon found his calling with huskies. His passion for these incredible animals has taken him to Alaska and Sweden, where he gained valuable skills in their care, welfare and training.
    The second CoFounder is Kettu (Doggie)!

  • Jaakko Raunio

    PARTNER, RETIRED RACER & FULL TIME MUSHER

    When Jaakko retired, he was hoping for a peaceful, relaxing life. But soon, he began welcoming guests to share in his love for Lapland. Throughout his mushing career, Jaakko won numerous husky sledding races and the kilometers he’s covered with his dogs could circle the globe more than once!

  • Sirkka Liisa Raunio

    SUPERVISOR, HOSTESS & FOOD ARTISAN

    For Sirkka-Liisa, every detail matters, and thanks to her thoughtful touch, our guests love their experience with us! Although she doesn’t seem it, Sirkka-Liisa retired from her nursing career some time ago. Now, she enjoys the tranquility of Lapland, sharing fascinating stories and insights from her life with our guests.

  • SOON NEW TEAM MEMBERS!

  • SOON NEW TEAM MEMBERS!

Meet our family

A young husky dog with gray and white fur looking up in a snowy outdoor setting, with a dog sled team in the background.

Kettu

★★★★★ Personality & Chaos

Born: October 2020

Position: Team Dog

Favorite Snack: Moose Bones

Loves: Butt rubs and telling other dogs how much she has travelled around the world

Favorite Season: Summer (holidays)

Mischief Level: 12/10

Kettu's Story

If Kettu isn't pulling the sled, she's probably telling everyone that she is the boss. She's the one that likes to be introduced the first to other new dogs.

Interesting Fact: Kettu has travel to Mid West US, Canada, Alaska & Sweden without paying a single cent.

Close-up of a happy husky dog with its mouth open, looking up, being held and hugged by a person wearing a black jacket and an orange outdoor jacket, outdoors on grass and twigs.

Dave

★★★★★ Lead & Barking expert

Born: May 2017

Position: NEWLY Retired

Favorite Snack: EVERYTHING that doesn’t contain medicine inside

Loves: Head rubs and police around.

Favorite Season: Matting (Girls are in heat)

Mischief Level: 7/10

Dave’s Story

Dave came to our kennel really shy, he was afraid of so many things. After a year, he became brave and started to enjoy his life!

Interesting Fact: Dave likes to bark when he is pulling the sled, playing, sleeping, breathing and eating.

A person standing behind a sled with children, pulling two Huskies through a snowy landscape with snow-covered trees in the background.

Darwin

★★★★★ Excitement to pull & Best Mommy

Born: June 2017

Position: Lead Dog

Favorite Snack: Chicken bits

Loves: Social distancing and judging everyone!

Favorite Season: Spring (Sun bathing)

Mischief Level: 3/10

Darwin’s Story

Darwin is a lovely mommy that loves to interact with other dogs, she is a bit shy with people but after three lifetimes she is happy to be pet by people.

Interesting Fact: Darwin came from Norway but originally was from Sweden. Now she will enjoy her retirement in Finland!

Close-up of a black and white dog with brown eyes, wearing a beige hat, being held by a person wearing plaid pants.

Tartok

★★★★★ Finnish & Gentlemen

Born: June 2015

Position: Retired

Favorite Snack: Salmon skin

Loves: Paying taxes, being called Mr Tartok and observe construction sites!

Favorite Season: Summer (holidays)

Mischief Level: -2/10

Tartok’s Story

Tartok worked plenty of years to be a happy retired gentlemen, sometimes he likes to join the humans to their house and sleep in pink beds like a real man.

Interesting Fact: Tartok is in excellent shape and time to time he joins for fun runs, he gets so excited that he wants to rip off all the ropes.

Close-up of a dog smiling with snow on its face during a dog sled ride in a snowy landscape with a person and two huskies in the background.

Jaguar

★★★★★ Escape Artist & Floppy ears

Born: June 2023

Position: Wheel Dog

Favorite Snack: COMIDA

Loves: Butt scratches, go between people legs to see if there is an entrance and remind the girls he is a boy.

Favorite Season: Whenever he can pull

Mischief Level: 23,5/10

Jaguar’s Story

Jaguar likes to tell how strong he is to other dogs, specially males. He loves to show he is such a TOP DOG and when no one looks loves to get kisses from Victor and being told how good boy he is.

Interesting Fact: When the heat season is on, Jaguar loves to dance with the boys so he can show the girls how talented he is.

Close-up of a husky puppy with snow-covered trees and another dog in the background during winter.

Amigo

★★★★★ Diggin expert & Addicted to work

Born: April 2021

Position: Wheel and Lead Dog

Favorite Snack: Meat Chungs

Loves: People, dogs, kick everyone in their faces, predict who will get in heat.

Favorite Season: Winter (PULL SLEDS!)

Mischief Level: ∞/10

Amigo’s Story

Amigo will appear soon in his own Netflix show: Husky King. They unravel his crazy stories about how he lives in a world of huskies and drama.

Interesting Fact: If you give him a day off he will let you know by escaping that he disagrees and he threatens to report you if you don’t put him in front of the sled.

Close-up of a black and white dog with its tongue hanging out, sitting outdoors near a wooden fence with another dog in the background.

Cookie

★★★★★ CEO of being a Menace

Born: August 2021

Position: Lead Dog

Favorite Snack: Chicken bits

Loves: Butt rubs, get jealous and be a menace (will mention at least 3 more times)

Favorite Season: Autumn (he knows we need him to lead first)

Mischief Level: (What buzz lightyear says)/10

Cookie's Story

Cookie has two personalities, WORK: When he is pulling the sled he is magnificent, tells the rest what to do and keeps pushing hard.
REST: or he is all over you or he is all over you.

Interesting Fact: Cookie has been capable of doing long distance races like Finnmarksløpet 600. He will still need cuddles in every stop.

Close-up of a husky dog with large ears standing in an outdoor enclosure with trees and wooden dog houses, taken with a wide-angle lens.

Bess

★★★★★ Hand & Face taster

Born: May 2022

Position: Wheel Dog

Favorite Snack: Your Face

Loves: To be in your personal space and pulling harder than any other male!

Favorite Season: Spring (She can get her tan)

Mischief Level: 5,5/10

Bess’s Story

Bess came from a small place in South of Norway. She loves to get attention and play hard with everyone.

Interesting Fact: Whenever you let her out to play, before anything she will clean your hands and jump all over your face to make sure you are pristine! Hygiene is important for Bess.

A person petting a dog on the chin outdoors, with a fenced area and fallen leaves in the background.

Galena

★★★★★ Gentle Love and eating all the plants she sees

Born: July 2022

Position: Lead Dog

Favorite Snack: Dog Cereals

Loves: Go on her own and some flowers and when humans are alone, go and ask attention.

Favorite Season: Winter (Ready to fly!)

Mischief Level: -10/10

Galena’s Story

Galena is a super star in the kennel, she is like Messi in Inter de Miami. Let’s see if she can pull the team to win the league for the first time!

Interesting Fact: She holds the record in eating the slowest ever in the world! She is hungry but she likes to count one by one each calorie.

Kira

★★★★★ Chief Engineer & Digging Specialist

Born: June 2020

Position: Team Dog

Favorite Snack: Your heart (in a loving way)

Loves: Digging, giving love to people and personally redesigning the kennel.

Favorite Season: Summer, is easier to dig the ground!

Mischief Level: <3/10

Kira's Story

Kira is an engineer without license.

Give Kira some soil and she immediately starts working on the next major infrastructure project. She was involved in the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia.

She digs holes.

She improves holes.

She investigates holes.

Interesting Fact: Kira believes every kennel needs an underground tunnel system.

We disagree.

Kira continues construction.

Ami

★★★★★ Angel With Four Paws

Born: April 2021

Position: Team Dog

Favorite Snack: Love. And possibly chicken.

Loves: Humans, cuddles, kindness and making everyone smile.

Favorite Season: Whenever she can get cuddles!

Mischief Level: -Googol/10

Ami’s Story

We have proof that angels exist.

Her name is Ami.

Some dogs have a special ability to make people happy.

Some make people excited.

Some make people feel safe.

Ami somehow does all three.

She is one of those dogs who doesn't need to do anything special. She just has to be there.

Interesting Fact: We still haven't figured out how she got her wings through the kennel gate.

Viva

★★★★★ Opera Singer & Pulling Diva

Viva’s Story

Viva is our resident opera singer.

Some dogs bark and some dogs howl.

Viva performs.

And once she gets going, the whole kennel knows that the concert has started.

But when it's time to pull, Viva doesn't sing about it.

She pulls.

Strong, focused and ready to perform.

Interesting Fact: Viva has never been accused of being too quiet. She loves to be pet and when she plays with her mouth she has to keep being noisy!

Born: July 2020

Position: Leader Dog

Favorite Snack: Caviar, preferably served with a glove and applause.

Loves: Singing, pulling and making sure everyone knows she's there and sticks.

Favorite Season: Winter, time to sing!

Mischief Level: 5+4/10

Warrior

★★★★★ Shy Professional Copycat

Born: November 2023

Position: Wheel Dog

Favorite Snack: Whatever the dog next to him is eating.

Loves: Pulling and pretending he already knows what is happening.

Favorite Season: Winter: finally, everyone has a job!

Mischief Level: 3/10

Warrior's Story

Warrior is a little shy at first, but put him in front of a sled and suddenly he remembers exactly why he was born.

He is also a professional copycat. If another dog does something, Warrior immediately thinks: “Oh! So that's what we're doing?”

He watches the other dogs carefully and learns from them. Sometimes he copies the good things.

Sometimes… not so much.

Interesting Fact: If one dog starts running, Warrior runs. If one dog starts barking, Warrior barks. If one dog discovers something interesting… Warrior is already there.

Frigg

★★★★★ Chubby Love Machine & Professional Food Thief

Frigg’s Story

Frigg may be carrying a little extra winter insulation but don't let that fool you. This boy is convinced that life is one giant cuddle party. He loves everyone.
People? Best friends.
Dogs? Best friends.
Someone holding food? Best friend immediately.

Frigg has never met a stranger, only a future friend who might possibly drop a snack.

Nobody can hate Frigg. It is physically impossible.

Interesting Fact: Frigg has developed an advanced food-stealing technique where he doesn't run away with the food. He simply looks completely innocent and waits for everyone to forget that he took it.

Born: June 2020

Position: Wheel Dog

Favorite Snack: Anything that was supposed to belong to somebody else.

Loves: Cuddles, playing, food, people, dogs, and basically everyone he has ever met.

Favorite Season: Every season. There are snacks in every season.

Mischief Level: 2,49/10

Lady

★★★★★ Quiet Princess & Professional Cuddler

Born: June 2022

Position: Team Dog

Favorite Snack: Little pieces of dried meat.

Loves: Love, gentle attention and peaceful moments.

Favorite Season: Summer: warm naps!

Mischief Level: -79/10

Lady’s Story

Lady is exactly what her name suggests.

She's quiet.

She's cute.

She's gentle.

And mostly, she just wants to be loved.

She doesn't need to be the loudest dog in the kennel or the centre of attention.

Give Lady some affection and she'll happily stay beside you, carpe diem.

Interesting Fact: Lady's idea of a perfect day is simple: good food, good people and someone to scratch behind her ears.

SOON MORE DOGGIES!

Jaakko’s dogs

Close-up of a Siberian Husky with one blue eye and one brown eye, sitting on grass, looking up at the camera.

Usva (She is like American candy, gives you diabetes)

Close-up of a Siberian Husky with blue eyes and fluffy fur, sitting on snow with a person in an orange and black jacket in the background.

Peikko (The Playboy)

A Siberian Husky dog sitting in the snow, chained with a chain, with a blurred background that includes snow-covered ground and some wooden structures.

Zorro (He is like your ex, never changes)

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Pargu (Selective Hearing)

Four Siberian Huskies running and playing in the snow in a fenced outdoor area.

Yamaha (No Mechanic can fix him)

Close-up of a white dog with blue eyes, being gently touched on the face by a person in a winter jacket, on snow-covered ground.
Close-up of a Siberian Husky dog with black and white fur, piercing blue eyes, lying on snow with a green leash attached, outdoors in winter.

Juuma (Either he is a good boy or a good boy)

Äasi (The Victoria Secret Model)

A husky dog team pulling a dog sled in a snowy environment, with the musher standing behind them.
A Siberian Husky pulling a sled through snow with another Husky in the background.

Urhi (The living carpet)

Vasko (Impersonification of a surfer)

A dog lying inside a wooden doghouse, resting its head on the entrance, behind a wire fence, with snow on top of the doghouse.

Zumba (Free solo climber)

Black and white close-up photo of a Siberian husky with heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one brown, outdoors with some plants in the background.

Väino (Happy Barking Angel)

A Siberian Husky dog with a happy expression, wearing a harness, standing in the snow with other Huskies in the background.
Close-up image of a Siberian Husky dog with icy blue eyes, a black nose, and black and white fur, standing outdoors on snow with a blurry background.

Halti (The George Clooney)

Ursa (If your name is Jaakko Raunio then she likes you)

Close-up of a Siberian Husky dog with a black collar, sitting in front of a person wearing an orange and black jacket.

Zero (Not a Dog person)

Close-up black and white photo of a Siberian Husky dog looking directly at the camera.

Rasmus (Most Loyal Angel)

A person holding a Siberian Husky dog's head, both with relaxed and content expressions, in a black and white photo.

Minnie (Fluffiest angel ever)

A Siberian Husky dog laying on snow outside a fenced enclosure, with a wooden dog house and a water bowl in the background.

Veeti (The Dog Termite)

A Siberian Husky dog running in the snow with blue eyes, wearing a red harness, in a dog sledding area with many other huskies and a person in the background.

Paju (Glove Quality Taster)

Bella (No habla inglés)

Group of Siberian huskies playing and running in the snow, some with collars, under a cloudy sky.
A Siberian Husky dog walking on snow-covered ground with a fenced outdoor enclosure and trees in the background.

Sisu (Just Sisu)

Ruska (Likes all the humans that are called Jaakko Raunio)

Close-up of a white and black Siberian Husky dog with its tongue out, standing outdoors on a leash.

Saana (Takes motherhood really serious)

A man in a green winter coat holding a large white Siberian Husky puppy outside in a snowy area.

Aave (Jaakko’s Favourite)

A happy young husky dog with grey and white fur is being held by a person's hands outdoors in a grassy yard, with a fenced area and some buildings in the background.

SOON MORE DOGGIES!

Close-up of a Siberian Husky dog's face in black and white, showing its eyes, nose, and fur markings.
A Siberian Husky lying down on snow with a wooden background, looking at the camera.

Viivi (The ADHD girl)

A dog with light-colored fur and dark markings on its face, sitting on snow while looking up at the camera. A person's hand is gently touching the dog's head.

Riitu (Angel that was World Champion in cuddles)

Noora (Best Angel Mommy Ever)

A Siberian Husky running in the snow with a focused expression.
Close-up of a white and grey Siberian Husky dog standing on snow, facing the camera with a curious expression, during daylight.

Balto (The young promise)

A Siberian Husky dog inside a tent, surrounded by two people in winter clothing, one on each side, with their hands near the dog.
A woman in a purple and gray winter jacket and glasses is playing with a light-colored retriever puppy lying on its back in the snow on a bright, sunny winter day. Several other people are sitting or standing nearby on the snow, dressed warmly in winter clothing, with a forest of pine trees in the background.

Pihla (Happy Carpet)

A close-up black and white photo of a Siberian Husky dog with its tongue out.

Huge (Best barking Angel)

A close-up profile of a Siberian Husky dog with a snowy background, showing a light-colored coat, erect ears, and a black collar.

Mirkku (Best Sister Angel)

Four Siberian huskies running on snow, harnessed together for dog sledding, with a snowy background.
Group of sled dogs in the snow with parked vans and vehicles in the background, surrounded by trees.

Oodi (Born to be a Leader)

Ressu (Never looks back)

Muusa (Friendliest Angel)