If you do own a dog, you have to pay special taxes on it. You get a tax break if you take the dog to a training school, but I’ve been told that “afterwards your dog loses all personality” if you do so. It’s true that most dogs here act very reserved – they don’t bark, they don’t jump up on you, some don’t even react at all when you pet or talk to them. The ones who act more normally tend to be puppies. People also bathe and groom their dogs extremely frequently, so they never feel dirty or smell bad.<\/p>\n I’ve been told that Reykjav\u00edk kids are taught to avoid dogs because their parents think the dog will bite them unprovoked. I’ve seen kids yelling at dogs that were only quietly whining while laying down, too. Most people here have cats, and while it’s very seldom that you see an unleashed dog, cats wander around everywhere and some don’t even have collars.<\/p>\n The above is from a free pamphlet give out by Hundar\u00e6ktarf\u00e9lag \u00cdslands<\/span><\/a> (The Dog-Raising Community of Iceland). They also teach some training courses. The pamphlet is something intended for you to read to your kids, and it explains common sense about dogs (don’t wake them when they’re sleeping or bother them when they’re eating, etc.) although some of the things in there seem a bit wrong to me. I for example, think it’s better to teach kids what to do if a dog does bite you than to teach them “if a dog of any mood comes towards me and I feel scared I should curl up into a ball”.<\/p>\n eigandi – owner (plural “eigendur”)![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/bdc8e3f0.jpg\")
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\nEven now you see a lot of “no-dog” streets, where it’s actually illegal to walk your dog (although I’m not sure how heavily it’s enforced).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/2aa400c5.jpg\")
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\nSometimes you see dogs tied up outside of shops while their owners are inside. All the dogs I’ve seen in the capital have been smaller than the average American dog, even the ones that are supposed to be a large breed.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/IMG_3497.jpg\")
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\n“I don’t know the dog!
\nI want to pet a dog that’s alone.”
\nmig langar – I want
\na\u00f0 klappa – to pet
\nhundur – (a) dog
\nsem – that is, which is, who is
\neinn – alone, one<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/IMG_3502.jpg\")
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\nWhat’s this white thing? A mailbox in Reykjavik!<\/p>\n
\nhundeigandi – dog-owner
\nd\u00fdral\u00e6knir – “animal-doctor” veterinarian
\ntaumur – leash (possibly multiple words for this, will research it and see which ones are used then come and edit this post)
\n\u00fej\u00e1lfa – training
\na\u00f0 sitja – to sit
\na\u00f0 liggja – to lay down
\na\u00f0 urra – to growl (only for dogs)
\na\u00f0 gelta – to bark
\na\u00f0 kasta – to throw (a ball)
\na\u00f0 bita – to bite
\na\u00f0 st\u00f6kkva – to jump, leap, gallop (maybe you can use it for “jump up”, for a dog?)
\na\u00f0 koma – to come
\nb\u00f3l – dwelling, lair, bed (this word is used to mean a doggie bed)
\nbolti – ball, bolt
\nskott – tail, trunk of a car
\nlaus – “loose, free”, it’s used to mean a dog off it’s leash, and probably a regular loose dog too.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/P1190319.jpg\")
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