Notable dogs

In my research on the history of the Icelandic Sheepdog, I have come across many interesting stories about dogs and people. I'm trying to structure all the material I've read and gathered to present it on this site and also in the exhibition. For this, I read many things more than once to better understand all contexts.

For instance, I just revisited an article about Kátur from Keldur where it states:

"Kátur from Keldur, ID number 11-68, passed away on December 22, 1978. This notable dog, from whom most if not all Ólafsvellir dogs trace their lineage, was born at Keldur in October 1959 and was thus in high age when he died. He spent the first years of his life in Írafell in Kjós but came to Sigríður and Kjartan in Ólafsvellir in 1964 and remained there until his death. Kátur from Keldur was a much-indulged dog in this large household and enjoyed various privileges, as there were always many dogs there. In the last two years, his health deteriorated, his sight and hearing failed, and he became arthritic. Kátur was a very beautiful dog at his best. Red-golden, with a white spot on his neck, white paws, and light in the tail. He was big and handsome, perhaps a bit too long if anything, but otherwise well-built. His temperament was especially good, and no one doubted his intelligence who knew him. He has a vast lineage. Kátur's parents were Klói from Sellátrar and Pollý from Keldur, and all currently living Icelandic dogs trace their lineage back to these notable dogs. G.S."

The picture of Kátur that accompanies the article reminded me of the picture I used in the blog post about Strútur, Kolur, and Mark Watson. That picture is of Kolur, Strútur's father.

I started looking into the material Salín sent me about Strútur, and among other things, there is a copy of Strútur's pedigree. There I saw that Kolur, Strútur's father, is not a son of Kátur, but Strútur's mother is a daughter of Kátur from Keldur. Her name was Píla from Ólafsvellir and her mother's name Táta from Keldur. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that Táta, Kátur, and Kolur's mother, named Skotta from Sætún, were all siblings. Look at the picture above for a better understanding! Their parents were, as mentioned above, Klói from Sellátrar and Pollý from Keldur. Klói had four offspring with Pollý, but according to the DÍF database, Pollý also had Snotra. Snotra was a son of Tryggur, who was a descendant of the siblings Kátur and Skotta. Snotra is not listed in the ISIC database as far as I know.

This clearly illustrates the challenge at the time of breeding the Icelandic Sheepdog from a very small stock of dogs, and it's truly an incredible achievement that it was successful.

I decided to include Strútur's pedigree (with thanks to Salín) with this post, and pictures of Klói and Pollý can be found in the ISIC database.