Dog toilet at Sellátur

I came across this little and entertaining story from Sellátur, and it is Höskuldur Davíðsson who once again has the honor of sharing his childhood memories, for which I extend my best thanks. Stories like this give us a small insight into the intertwined lives of humans and dogs in the old days.

Höskuldur writes on July 19, 2024:

"The floor in the front hallway of the old house at Sellátur was made of sea-washed gravel from the shore. The dogs could relieve themselves there if the outer door was closed due to weather or other reasons at night. It was just cleaned up in the morning, and it was considered a rather unpleasant task for the youngsters.

In this picture from my sister Guðný's album, my foster brother Björgvin and I have clearly solved this troublesome issue and created an outdoor toilet for the dogs, so we wouldn't have to do the cleaning.

We failed to connect that the dogs only did this when they were locked inside.

This was clearly a big event and a reason to borrow the Icelandic flag, which was a sacred object and not used lightly.

At the farm, there was much talk about everyone needing to do their utmost to support the newly gained independence of the country, and we probably felt we had done our part in that matter.

However, we don't mention that the materials were likely "borrowed" from the construction of the farms power station and that our tools were scattered all over the field, coming up from the grass, rusty and broken in the spring, to my father's little delight. But the pride and feeling of having done something useful probably overshadowed the scolding and reprimands from the master builders.

Anyway, the need to continue building something remained with both of us, well into old age."