Pat Putman's Visit

In the summer of 2025, we had the great pleasure of welcoming a special visitor on Icelandic Sheepdog Day (July 18th). 

Patricia (Pat) Putman once worked at Mark Watson’s Wensum Kennel, helping him care for the dogs he brought from Iceland to the United States in 1955 and 1956. At the age of 83, Pat finally fulfilled her dream of travelling to Iceland and visiting Glaumbær. She visited the Heritage Centre at Lýtingsstaðir, where she met many Icelandic Sheepdogs and their owners, and later gave a talk at Glaumbær Heritage Museum. Her visit was unforgettable for everyone who met her.

Before travelling north to Skagafjörður, she stayed in South Iceland, where she met members of the board of the Icelandic Sheepdog Club of Iceland (DÍF). Sóley Ragna Ragnarsdóttir had the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with her about her time at Wensum Kennel and her views on the Icelandic Sheepdog, past and present. Pat is the chair of the Judges’ Education Committee and the AKC Delegate for the Icelandic Sheepdog Association of America (ISAA). 

The interview was published on Icelandic Sheepdog Day this year, and Sóley kindly gave me permission to share it here. I encourage everyone to read this fascinating interview, and I sincerely thank Sóley for preserving Pat’s memories in this way.

Photo taken at Glaumbær on 18 July 2025. Berglind Þorsteinsdóttir, museum director, introduces Pat Putman to the guests outside Áshús.