An unexpected call

My phone rang at 10:30 am on December 31st.
“Hello, this is Ingibjörg, a journalist from RÚV. I’d like to check if you’re available for a short interview regarding news from Britain – that the British Kennel Club has recognized the Icelandic Sheepdog as a breed and what this means.”

Well, I thought so! In addition to explaining what this recognition means for the breed, we talked about my project and the upcoming opening of the exhibition on the history of the Icelandic Sheepdog here at the farm.

How wonderful to get an unexpected opportunity to introduce the exhibition to the nation on the last day of the year! The interview was broadcast on the midday news and also appeared on ruv.is. I’m still on cloud nine – not least because RÚV reached out to me, having already heard about me and the project. It was fantastic to end the year with this interview!

For clarification regarding the news from Britain: the Icelandic Sheepdog was once a recognized breed by the British Kennel Club. For example, Vaskur frá Þorvaldsstöðum was selected as BOB (Best of Breed) at the Crufts dog show in 1960. Mark Watson brought him from Iceland to California and later to England. Only recognized breeds are allowed to participate in dog shows.

Later, as too few individuals were registered in Britain, the breed lost its recognition. Now, after years of effort by owners and enthusiasts of the Icelandic Sheepdog, the breed has regained recognition, and it will once again be possible to breed and show the Icelandic Sheepdog in Britain. Congratulations!

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Collection of links

News The Guardian december 31st 2024

News on RÚV december 31st 2024

Blogpost about Vask frá Þorvaldsstöðum, model for the HRFÍ logo