First dog show in Iceland

In 1969, the Icelandic Kennel Club (HRFÍ) was founded at Hótel Saga in Reykjavík by 29 enthusiasts dedicated to breeding the Icelandic Sheepdog. One of the club’s key objectives was to preserve and promote the breed.

On August 25, 1973, HRFÍ held the first dog show in Iceland, which took place in Hveragerði. Jean Lanning from England was the judge at the show and received a special exemption to officiate, as the event was not internationally recognized—HRFÍ had not yet been registered as a breeding club abroad.

A total of 60 dogs were entered in the show. The largest group consisted of Icelandic Sheepdogs (23 in total), followed by Poodles (13), Collies (9), and various other breeds.

Among the guests at the show was Mark Watson.

In 2011, Þorsteinn Thorsteinsson, an Icelandic dog breeder and judge, interviewed Jean Lanning, in which she reminisced about this first dog show in Iceland and her acquaintance with Mark Watson.

I would like to republish a part of Þorsteinn's article here, with his permission. The full article can be read in Hundalífspóstur.

Excerpt from Þorsteinn Thorsteinsson’s Article

"The first dog show in Iceland was organized by the Icelandic Kennel Club at Eden in Hveragerði in August 1973. However, it should be noted that this was an unofficial show, and no championship points were awarded. The judge for this event was none other than Jean Lanning, who found the progress since then to be remarkable. 'If I recall correctly, the show was held in a large glass building. I was sent to Iceland at the invitation of the honorable Mark Watson, a noble and wealthy Englishman who admired Iceland and the Icelandic Sheepdog. I believe your country awarded him the Falcon Order.'”

Jean Lanning operated a busy dog hotel, where she first encountered the Icelandic Sheepdog.

"From time to time, a sweet little female dog named Kim stayed with us. I believe this was in the 1950s or 1960s, and her formal name was Hrefna of Wensum. Her family had to give her up, so we took her in. She was a delightful dog, and we grew very fond of her. She was successful at championship shows in the Y-group, which was the category for unrecognized breeds at the time.”

"One day, Mark Watson visited us. He had just returned from Iceland and was concerned that the breed might go extinct there. At the time, Sigríður Pétursdóttir was breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs on her farm but needed new bloodlines. Mark asked us to breed from Kim and another female dog living in Southampton. Both of these pairings were quite inbred, but Mark was finally able to give Sigríður two puppies. He also bought a pair from her, which he gave to me. We continued breeding the dogs for a while, but I was not entirely satisfied with the soft coat of the new dogs from Iceland. The dogs from Mark Watson’s line had a coarser coat, which I preferred. However, I understand that the breed standard for Icelandic Sheepdogs allows for two coat types. When I have judged them in Iceland, I have been very pleased with the breeding standards. The breed owes a great deal to Mark Watson and Sigríður Pétursdóttir.”

She continued to talk about Watson and the Icelandic Sheepdog:

"I understand that he took his first dogs to California, but when he returned to England, the population had dwindled somewhat because he lost many dogs to a virus known as Hard Pad at the time. Eventually, he lost interest in breeding dogs and moved to London, where he ran a fine antique shop on Old Brompton Road. I said that he was a distinguished English gentleman—I believe he was the son of some noble lord.”

Jean noted that no one else had continued breeding Icelandic Sheepdogs in Britain, and unfortunately, the breed died out there. The reasons were a lack of interest and a small breeding population.

"We bred a beautiful female (she appears on many postcards today) who lived with a lovely family in Guildford. They intended to breed from her, but sadly, she was killed in a road accident. Perhaps someone will bring the Icelandic Sheepdog to England again. It would be nice if that could happen.”

My reflections on the Breed’s Recognition in Britain

I find it remarkable that these are the only records I have come across so far regarding the puppies that Sigríður Pétursdóttir received from Mark Watson.

I am also thrilled that the breed has finally been recognized in Britain, as I have written about before. It took many years, despite the fact that the Icelandic Sheepdog was highly sought after in Britain during the Middle Ages and despite Mark Watson’s efforts in the 20th century to breed and exhibit the Icelandic Sheepdog there.

Additional Articles (in Icelandic only)

To conclude, I would like to add two articles about Jean Lanning and the dog show in Iceland in 1983:

• Morgunblaðið, September 7, 1983
• Vikan, October 27, 1983