Highlights from March

March has been quite eventful, and I'm happy to share the latest updates here.

The building that will host the exhibition is almost ready, and we can soon start setting up. I've finished writing all the texts for the exhibition panels, which are currently with the designer and will soon go to print.

This has been a significant and extensive project, and there will likely be eight panels in total. Initially, I didn't intend to have too much text, but after two and a half years of gathering materials, it didn't feel right to shorten everything significantly, especially since it's been carefully organized. Still, what appears on the panels will only be a fraction of what I've written. I'm also planning to better organize the content on this website to make it more accessible and coherent with the exhibition.

Recently, I was asked whether this should be called an "exhibition about the Icelandic Sheepdog" or the "Icelandic Sheepdog Heritage Center" (Sögusetrið Íslenska fjárhundsins). After careful consideration, I believe "Heritage Center" is more appropriate, as the exhibition will be ongoing.

At the beginning of the month, Darren Adam, a reporter from RÚV English radio, visited me and interviewed me about the Icelandic Sheepdog and my project. You can listen to the interview here.

On March 8th, we hosted a small event we called "Puppy Cuddling with the National Dog." Connie from Breiðanes kennel visited us with her puppies, sired by my dog Sómi and Breiðanes Björt, who is featured in the December month of the DÍF 2025 calendar. We had wonderful visitors and both, young and old, enjoyed cuddling the puppies, There was a lot of engaging conversation about dogs and breeding. Two beautiful male puppies from this litter of seven are still looking for their forever homes as I write this, and I hope they find their families soon. 

If you are interested, please get in touch with me!

Quite unexpectedly, one puppy remained with me that day, but I had long dreamed of having a puppy from Sómi. That's how Fönn entered our lives, and the picture above shows her. Now there's lots of joy on the farm, and it's delightful watching her grow and thrive. She is incredibly friendly, gentle, and clever. It's essential to closely monitor what she learns and adopts. Luckily, Sómi and Hraundís are well behaving dogs, so she has excellent role models. Fönn shows great interest in the horses we care for daily and even greets the rams housed in the stable. Lambing season is approaching, and this brings to mind the words of Reverend Jónas Jónasson from Hrafnagil, in his book Íslenzkir þjóðhættir: "A dog raised in late winter (þorri or góa) is ideal because it's suitably aged for introduction to lambs in spring."

Last Friday, Fönn greeted her first group of tourists and did so admirably. When I was showing the guests the turf house, Hraundís led her onto the turf house roof, where she sat for the first time.

You can follow the daily life of our Icelandic Sheepdog team at Lýtingsstaðir on Instagram using the hashtag #fjarhundur.

Finally, I'm excited to share that a short film recorded in January premiered last Friday. In it, I tell my story here in Iceland and describe my relationship with the animals. The dogs (only two at that time) also have a small role. You can watch the film here.

That's all the news for now!