The History of Valhalla Icelandics

Had you asked me 10 years ago if I would ever be breeding dogs, the answer would have been no.  My          husband and I had 5 children between us and "pets" were a luxury we had little time for. During one short    period of time, we bought and raised a howling, chicken killing, livestock chasing Siberian husky who was    walked 6 miles EVERY day and kept coming back for more. I  loved that dog but my neighbors failed to           appreciate him as they noted him chasing my own horses around the pasture. Needless  to say, with much    sadness, Chinook was returned to his breeder and later rehomed on a large ranch in the mountains of          Northern  California. He became a sledding team member and excelled at it.  While giving him up broke our  hearts, we knew this    was a much safer situation for the dog as he was less likely to kill domestic l                livestock.  But even with his wayward ways, I was stuck on  the Nordic spitz.  I loved his free-spirit and          found his independence appealing.

Years past, the family grew up and started their own lives. For the first time, we had the time to devote  to    dogs. At the time breeding wasn't high on the list, we wanted a companion animal. We spent months               choosing the right breed for us and it would be the German Shepherd.  Like everything I do, I                          obsessed on lines and type.  I love the Americans beautiful movement  and topline when NOT over-               exaggerated and hated them being so let down in the rear. I loved the head and stoutness of the                    German breds but hated the roach back.  We looked at litters and parents for months. Eventually I                  found a "pet"  breeder with  a   German bred female and an American bred male. The male was 10                    years old and pre-dated the GSD squat I so despised.  In fact, he was line bred out of Manhattan                      "Hatter"  took BIS at Westminster.

So impressive was our female pup, that after 2 years we went back and purchased her full brother.                 Unfortunately, one thing became evident quite early, we would never breed the GSD and both                         animals would be altered.  We learned that placing a GSD is a scary proposition no matter what you know      of your buyer. Even the best training and stable temperament can not guarantee the  future behavior of        every GSD. They are extremely sensitive to their environment and improper handling can be                           disastrous.

The experiences with the shepherds shaped what I was looking for in our next dogs. I wanted child                friendly, animal friendly, non-aggressive dogs that would never be selected as a protection animal like         the GSD.  I wanted an intelligent dog with a strong work ethic.  Being that my favorite dog "type" had             been that of a Siberian husky, a nordic spitz with the ability to herd would be the perfect dog. Little did I        know such a dog existed.  The Icelandic Sheepdog would enter our lifes when our youngest  shepherd         was nearly three.

I had also been disillusioned  by two other issues that reoccurred with frightening regularity.  The first         were the numbers of  individuals who inquired about our dogs and our breeding plans, only to learn they     wanted aggressive dogs for questionable reasons.  Secondly, while looking for our own dogs, I was              amazed to see how many people claimed to supply dogs too law enforcement. While this is certainly true      of reputable breeders around the country, it would be rare for the "backyard" breeders to be doing the        same. If every breeder I met or talked too really did work with law enforcement, there would be a dog            for very officer in the country!  Given that the GSD can be like loaded gun with a hair trigger, and in the        wrong hands the results can  be deadly, we have elected not to breed them at this time. It is unlikely we       will ever feel skilled enough to take on the responsibility of breeding this noble , beautiful and intelligent    animal.

STORM AND VOODOO

BREEDING PRACTICES & PHILOSOPHIES here at VALHALLA ICELANDICS

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