Askur-Laxi vom Rensberg

Askur-Laxi vom Rensberg is the oldest Icelandic Sheepdog I’ve ever heard of. He was a little over twenty years old when he passed away. Andrea, his owner, sent me photos and a few words about him.

Askur was born on February 5, 2005, in the Black Forrest, Germany. He came from the very first litter of the breeder Islandhunde vom Rensberg and had three siblings. His mother was the female Astrida van het Reutse Veld, a daughter of Smári, who was bred by Anders Hansen in Iceland in 1998. Smári was a son of Ýra Akkur.

Askur’s father was Laxi frá Thytur Stadir, born in the Netherlands in 1997. His lineage traces back both to Iceland and to Germany. Further back in his pedigree one can find the female Tofa von der Schreverheide, the daughter of Kári frá Ólafsvöllum, who was himself a son of Vaskur frá Wensum, bred by Mark Watson - but that’s a bit of a tangent.

Andrea and her family were allowed to choose their puppy first from the litter, and Askur was their choice. It soon became clear that he was the loudest pup of them all!

During his first year, he was diagnosed with a pancreatic condition but received medication that helped him digest food normally.

For many years Askur accompanied Andrea on horseback rides, until he was about twelve years old. Then it started to become too difficult for him to keep up, and later he was also diagnosed with dementia – something he clearly wasn’t too pleased about.

Andrea and her family always had more than one dog, and all the dogs loved Askur. He was gentle and kind around other dogs, always calm and friendly.

Once, Askur caught the attention of a photographer who had never seen an Icelandic Sheepdog before. The photographer took pictures of him, and one of them ended up on the cover of a dog magazine in Germany.

Toward the end of his life, Askur grew tired and had difficulty standing up and walking. When his quality of life had declined too much, he was peacefully put to rest with the help of a veterinarian on June 16, 2025 – a little over twenty years old.

Photos provided by Andrea and taken from the breeder’s website.