Calling all dog lovers! On Monday, June 22 at 3:00pm ET, Sóley Ragna Ragnarsdóttir, in cooperation with the organizers of The Day of The Icelandic Sheepdog, will host a livestream presentation to teach you all about this wonderful breed and its unique characteristics!
The Icelandic Sheepdog is one of Iceland’s cultural inheritances; the breed is a descendant of the first dogs brought to Iceland by the original Viking settlers. Through the centuries, the breed has developed in the wonderful land of fire and ice. The rough Icelandic terrain has made the breed strong and hardy, yet they have kept their cheerful, happy temperament. The Icelandic Sheepdog is very friendly, inquisitive and playful, with a lot of confidence and a smiling face that is impossible to resist!
The Icelandic Sheepdog has played a vital part in Icelandic farm life, as the breed is great to herd and drive sheep. Aside from their working abilities, they are a wonderful family dog and the perfect companion on walks in the Icelandic nature.
The approximately 30 minute presentation will be followed by a Q + A session where viewers can ask any questions they might have about the Icelandic Sheepdog in the comments of the livestream, and Sóley Ragnarsdóttir will respond to them in real time! Be sure to RSVP to the event on Facebook here.
About Sóley Ragna Ragnarsdóttir:
Sóley Ragna Ragnarsdóttir is a young dog enthusiast with a special place in her heart for Iceland’s only native breed, The Icelandic Sheepdog. She is a licensed FCI judge for the breed and owns a wonderful Icelandic Sheepdog, named Kappi.
About The Day of The Icelandic Sheepdog:
The Icelandic Sheepdog was very close to extinction less than a century ago. At the annual general meeting of the Icelandic Sheepdog club in the spring of 2015, Þórhildur Bjartmarz, now project manager for The Day of The Icelandic Sheepdog, presented a proposal that the birthday of Mark Watson, who played a huge part in saving the breed, should be defined as “The Day of the Icelandic Sheepdog.” To honor Mark Watson, Pall A. Pálsson, Sigríður Pétursdóttir, Gudrun R. Guðjhonsen and the other remarkable people who saved the breed, the group decided that there should be a special day every year to thank them for their contribution.
Icelandic Sheepdog owners celebrated The Day of the Icelandic Sheepdog for the first time on July 18, 2016. They have a specific Facebook page named “Dagur íslenska fjárhundsins/The Day of The Icelandic Sheepdog” where they encourage people to post photos to show how they celebrate the day with their Icelandic Sheepdogs.
On Mark Watson and “The Day of the Icelandic sheepdog, July 18th”
To realize your dreams and to fulfill them in the way that Mark Watson did in Iceland is unique. To see a few dogs of a rare species in a distant land, and then to decide to save the dog-species from extinction says much about the person. In 1955–1960, it was not easy to travel to remote places in Iceland, but, at a great cost and with burning enthusiasm, Mark started searching for dogs with a certain look.
Mark Watson was a great dog person. He was one of the first people to realize that the stock of Icelandic Sheepdogs was on the verge of extinction. He decided to do everything he possibly could to save the breed. He bought, collected, and brought together dogs that were found and had in common the typical Icelandic Sheepdog look. The dogs were then sent to California, where Mark Watson lived for a few years.
Check out the following links if you’re interested in learning more about the Icelandic Sheepdog!
www.hundalifspostur.is
http://hundalifspostur.is/2015/12/15/the-honourable-richard-mark-watson/
http://hundalifspostur.is/2016/06/20/a-list-of-articles-on-the-icelandic-sheepdog-translated-from-icelandic-to-english/
We look forward to sharing more information about the Icelandic Sheepdog with you all during the livestream on June 22 at 3pm ET – be sure to bring your questions, and we’ll see you there!
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