In Search of the Last Shetland Sheepdog Breeders in Shetland
AN ADVENTUROUS QUEST FOR THE ORIGINS OF THE SHELTIE
ARTICLE BY KARL DONVIL PHOTOS COURTESY OF KARL DONVIL
A fter a journey to the Faroe Islands in 1998, I fell in love with the scenery offered by the Atlantic coastline and its islands. And as a dog lover, I decided to put Shetland on top of my list for any future exploration. Those islands are similar, though less dramatic, and I could turn my visit into a search for the last Shetland Sheepdogs, a breed that I like very much. Flying to the Shetlands from Belgium is not that easy, as there are only flights from Aberdeen in the north of Scotland. So, I had to go via Prestwick with Ryanair, and from there to Glasgow airport to Aberdeen with British Airways. Flight schedules were not fitting nicely and I had to book a night in Prestwick. But this offered a way to climatize a little, though the weather was still good for September. I was only wondering if it would also be good enough in Shetland. The climate in Shetland is not the sunniest, and the weather can easily ruin your whole trip. Winters can be harsh, mainly due to the winds that make the temperature feel a lot worse than it is,
in fact. In reality, temperatures are rather moderate. Winters are rarely very cold, and summers are never very hot either. This is thanks to the milder influence of Gulf Streams. Anyway, you have to be prepared for every possible scenario, whether you go in sum- mer or winter. The islands can be very foggy, sometimes for days in a row. And if there is no fog, most of the time this is thanks to the winds, which can blow you off the cliffs if you are not careful. But in general, the climate is much milder than certain people tend to believe, with an average of 2°C [35°F] in winter and 14°C [57°F] in summer. Locals say that you can have four seasons in one day. Luck traveled with me and it all looked very promising when I arrived with a small propeller-operated aircraft at the airport of Sumburgh. It was sunny, and the contrast of the green rolling hills with the dark blue ocean (edged with foaming waves like lace bor- dering a royal blue robe) was all topped with a blue sky with bright white dots formed by the clouds. It was 4 p.m. and it would stay clear significantly longer than in Belgium, as the islands are situat- ed as high as Bergen in Norway. I had booked a hotel for a night in
74 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2021
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