It's almost been a month since I came to Iceland. Though it feels like much longer, because it has been a constant stream of work and learning moments. The dogs and I live in an austere corner of the world, where often time and electricity are forgotten. When I first got here there was no running water, but there was Wifi; which really shows the priorities of the Icelandic people. I love it. There are 28 dogs outside, Greenland Sled Dogs, one of the most ancient breeds of dogs. They are beautiful and mysterious and surprise me every day with their proximity to human emotion. Though they really are ferocious as a pack and are constantly challenging the established hierarchy. Today and many days before hence, I had to push a dog to the ground and then bite it's ear to reprimand it for a wrong-doing. I was told on my first day here that I was the Alpha Male, the lead dog, and if the dogs ever doubted that I would have a hellish scene on my hands. My first day I saw a dogfight and had to break it up with a shovel and some Russian curse words. I find that speaking French is soothing to the dogs and Russian scares them. Though mostly it might be my intonation when I fumble my way through those respective languages. Either way, every day is different and a challenge in literally being an animal trainer with no experience in such an extreme environment. There is no longer any snow so we are doing dog trolley tours daily, but once the snow descends again on the landscape I get to tackle skiing along side the wolves again. Life is always a challenge, but the struggle unearths a much more resonant beauty. Here are some pictures and I will post some more frequently as the adventure unfolds. Miss you all. Slobber from the arctic tundra.
