Welcome to Matara Creek.
This is more than a kennel. It is our home.
Life here
We are David and Liisa, and together we share our everyday life with around 130 dogs, two cats and the people who help us care for them. Our family includes Alaskan Malamutes, Alaskan Huskies, Siberian Huskies, Scandinavian Hounds, Maremma Sheepdogs and, as Dave likes to joke, a few “village dogs” too — wonderful mixed-breed characters that have found their place here.
Our Maremmas are the guardians of the farm. Their flock is not sheep, but our dogs, our cats, our home and everyone who lives or visits here.
Our two cats, Ansku and Pena, were named after Liisa’s parents’ nicknames and have become just as much a part of Matara Creek as the dogs.
Where it began
Our story did not begin as a tourism business.
More than a decade ago, we met while working in the mining industry. We fell in love, got married and began building a life around the things that mattered most to us. Dogs had always been part of that dream.
Long before Matara Creek existed in Meltosjärvi, there was another place.
A quiet piece of land in Mataraoja beside the Kitinen River. There was no electricity, no running water and very few comforts. Just a small cabin, a caravan, a barrel sauna, a generator, a forest and our dogs.
It was there that we learned what “home” really meant.
Life later took us to Bulgaria, where we tried to build a new future. We returned to Finland carrying more experience, more dreams and an even stronger belief that one day we would find the place where both people and dogs truly belonged.
Home now
That place became Meltosjärvi.
We immediately fell in love with its peaceful forests, lakes and open landscapes. Today, many people from around the world are discovering the same thing. Meltosjärvi is a quiet village surrounded by nature, known for its birdlife, migration routes and beautiful seasons. It is a place where life moves a little slower.
Matara Creek is built on a former dairy farm in Meltosjärvi, Ylitornio and we continue to develop it every year. The old barn is being transformed to provide warm winter accommodation for our Scandinavian Hounds, whose short coats need extra protection during the coldest months.
Way of life
We still have our own professions outside Matara Creek.
Liisa is a geologist by education and works in sales within the mining industry. David operates heavy machinery and trucks and has spent many years working in mining and construction.
Matara Creek is built before work, after work, on weekends and often late into the evening.
This is not a hobby.
It is our way of life.
Our dogs are not something we leave behind when the working day ends. They are part of our family. Every morning begins with feeding, cleaning and caring. Every evening ends by checking that everyone is safe, comfortable and settled for the night.
Our dogs
We believe dogs should be allowed to be dogs.
They should have space to run, dig, climb, play and simply enjoy life.
Some of our dogs were born here.
Some have been given a second chance after circumstances changed in their previous homes.
Every one of them matters equally.
Over the past few years we have worked alongside larger tourism companies, learning what works — and just as importantly, what doesn’t.
Those experiences strengthened one simple belief:
There is only one way we want to do this.
Our way.
What guides us
At Matara Creek, our values guide every decision we make.
- Dogs come first.
- People matter.
- Quality comes before quantity.
- Kindness is never wasted.
When you visit us, you are not stepping into a tourist attraction.
You are stepping into our everyday life.
Welcome home.