Iceland’s only native dog was brought to Iceland with the first Viking settler, around 874 AD, and while Icelandic Sheepdogs were recognized by the AKC only eight years ago, this breed was a valued companion among the British aristocracy in the Middle Ages!
The ebb and flow of our dog breeds has become, to dog historians, a familiar story. The breed that was once so highly prized was all but extinct by the 1950s, and if a specimen could be found at all, it was in a remote Icelandic village.
Credit must go to Mark Watson for saving the breed by importing a few dogs to his California kennel and having a successful breeding program. The baton was picked up by Sigríður Pétursdóttir who studied Watson, and returned to her native Iceland to commence her own breeding program starting with just fourteen dogs.
Photo of “Tyr’ by Michelle Jansen appeared in the 2016 Dogs of National Purebred Dog Day calendar. The 2019 calendar is now available for purchase here. Proceeds help NPDD continue educating and promoting purebred dogs.
Looks a lot like my girls! All Icies as well. They love swimming in the ocean here on another volcanic island, Hawaii.
Lisa, this is a FABULOUS picture!!!
My Icie girls enjoying a day out on the boat 🙂 Can’t you just imagine these faces on the front of a viking ship?
Absolutely we can imagine them on a Viking ship, Lisa! What a very cool picture!!