You all might remember that recently I was given a book from Linda and Russ - "Song of the
Vikings" written by Nancy Marie Brown. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves our Icelandic Sheepdogs (or Icelandic Horses, or Icelandic Chickens, or especially the Sagas of the Norse peoples). It is fascinating reading. I just received the email below from Nancy's husband, Chuck.
They recently bought a gorgeous Icelandic Sheepdog puppy from Linda and Russ Hansen of Lokasteinn Kennels - look to the right above for a link to their website.
Isn't Edda (above) absolutely beautiful.
(Remember: - clicking on photos enlarges them.)
"I enjoy your writings about
Icelandic sheepdogs and have gotten much good
information from your blog. My wife, Nancy Marie Brown, and
I bought a puppy
from Russ and Linda Hansen this past June. Our dog's name is Edda, and we
are very pleased with her. She's
smart, happy, affectionate,
fun to be around, a good watchdog but not
an obsessive barker, and as pretty as can
be."
"I have had English springer spaniels
and one English cocker in the past, all working hunting dogs. I don't
hunt much anymore, and it was
Nancy's turn to choose a breed,
and she settled on an Icelandic
sheepdog. We know the breed from
Iceland, where we have traveled
many times, and some of our riding friends here
in the US have ISDs. Your
blog helped inform our search as
we looked for a
breeder producing the kind of dog we
hoped to find; we count
ourselves very lucky to
have connected with Russ
and Linda. (I understand
that Linda
gave you a copy of
Nancy's
book, "Song of the
Vikings". I'm glad you like Nancy's book. She's a very fine writer. My
favorite of all her books is "Far Traveler", which also deals with
an Icelander -- in this case, an Icelandic woman who was among the
first Europeans to visit North America (Newfoundland), well before
Christopher Columbus "discovered" this new land. "Far Traveler" is a
more personal book than "Song of the Vikings"; it's more in the
literary journalism genre. But I also like "Song of the Vikings"
too."
"I have been in contact with a number of folks in the ISD world. It
seems like a good community of people and enthusiasts linked by
their love of this breed. I can't say enough about Linda and Russ,
and of course about our Edda. She's amazing. I have had quite a few
dogs during my life, and I feel very lucky to have finally found
this breed (thanks to Nancy's wise choice!). Edda clearly belongs to
both of us; we're both involved in training her and having fun with
her, including hiking, snowshoeing, playing, and just plain old
snuggling. We allow her up onto the furniture, something we've not
done with previous dogs, and it is so wonderful to have this close
contact with her. One of my favorite times is early morning, after
I've made coffee and recharged the fire in the big soapstone
woodstove in our living room. Edda and I just sit there very
companionably, watching the fire and the day coming on."
"We live
on a 120-acre
farm in a part
of Vermont known
as the Northeast
Kingdom. We have
four Icelandic
horses, and next
spring and
summer we plan
to train Edda to
follow along as
we ride
on woods roads
and trails
near our
house. So
far, we've
been working
on general
obedience and
manners, and
enjoying
hiking with
Edda.
I should also mention that we use, in addition to encouragement and
verbal praise, a lot of high-quality treats in training. It's great
to have a dog with a high level of food desire. Edda particularly
responds to real Vermont "Seriously Sharp" Cabot cheddar cheese!
(Nothing but the best for our girl!) She's a
wonderful
member of the
family with a
great
disposition. We
train using
encouragement
and try to
keep things
fun for
everybody. It
seems to be
working!"
"Thanks
for writing so
well about ISD's on
your blog, and
keep up the
good work. I
attach a few
photos of Edda
taken recently
in our
hayfield."
With
best regards,
Chuck
Fergus
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