Pumik in the US

Early Imports

Hungarians have been immigrating to the USA for many years, and they probably brought their dogs with them if they could, maybe even some Pumik.  We have no record of those earlier dogs since there was no registration body for the Pumi.  Therese Coucher, a Komondor breeder, imported several Pumik in the 1980s and bred a litter or two, but went no further.  A Hungarian family emigrated to the US and brought their Pumi, Iharos-Fürge Krajcár (Cseri-Subás Róna x Csenkevári Borcsa) who was whelped in 1994. She was later rehomed by the Puli rescue group and went to live with Delores Bleys of Portland, Oregon. Taru Parvin, who is herself from Finland, imported Vihriksen Csardas (Pihatuvan Gabor x Pugnose’s Aprilfool) in 1993. Three Pumik were imported into the US in 1998 and 1999.  Mary Reardon of Ohio imported Ménesvölgyi Raplis Jojo (Cseri-Subás Diák Dani x Borzasszegi Éhes Maszat), Wayne Fessenden imported Tuway’s Miss Eva (Rakenlov Tudatos Taktus x Rakenlov Valodi Ventany), and Tom & Chris Levy imported Szürkebarát Jófej Manó (Ebugatta Kristály x Pázstortúz Csillaga Parázs). Mary Reardon’s Jojo was the foundation bitch for Greenfarms kennel. Wayne showed Eva, but never bred her, and Tom and Chris’s Mano turned out to have hip dysplasia when they x-rayed him at 2 years old. That didn’t stop him from winning quite a bit in Europe – he was World Winner in 2001 and also a European Winner and Best in Show winner in the states in rare breed shows. The breeder of Mano (György & Tamara Langer of Hungary) felt badly enough about the hip dysplasia that they offered to lease their top-producing bitch (Somlyofalvi Szidike) bred to their top-producing dog (Ebugatta Kristály) and the Levy’s whelped the litter in July of 2003.

Taru Parvin imported two more dogs, Pusztai Altatódal Bolondos, called Tipli, (Napos Ravasz x Joyrunner’s Dolores) in 2001 and Scirpasta Chili, called Hupi, (Nyirsegfia Cipo x Scirpasta Pillango) in 2003. These two were bred and produced puppies that have made their mark in the US Pumi world with the Yippy-Yi-Yea kennel name. The Levys in the meantime imported two more Pumik in 2004, Galla-Hegyi Gömböc (Nyirsegfia Nyulbela x Anghihazi Borbolya) and Cseri-Subás Amál (Nyirsegfia Nyulbela x Cseri-Subás Rozi).

Dogs imported from Hungary between 1994 and 2004:

These dogs were imported from Finland between 1993 and 2004:

Although some of these dogs were bred, only 4 of them have contributed to the current breeding gene pool in the US: Ménesvölgyi Raplis Jojo (Reardon), Galla-Hegyi Gömböc (Levy), Pusztai Altatódal Bolondos (Parvin), and Scirpasta Chili (Parvin). As mentioned before, the two dogs owned by Taru Parvin were bred and produced a puppy that was bred to Galla-Hegyi Gömböc and there were 5 puppies in that Vidam Kertesz litter with titles in agility, obedience, rally, conformation, and nose work. Another puppy from that litter was a top winner in agility, Yippy-Yi-Yea Giddy-up-Go otherwise known as Chuy, owned by Stacy Lehman.

Later Imports

Mary Reardon bred Jojo to Karvakorvan Timotei which produced Greenfarms Tapestry Trace. Jojo was bred to a Finnish dog, Rakenlov Tudatos Taktus (Mysopan’s Ulvhedin X Rakenlov Halvany Hönsö), and produced Greenfarms Silhouette who was in turn bred to Taru Parvin’s dog, Pusztai Altatódal Bolondos and produced Greenfarms Velocity. Tapestry Tracy and Velocity have produced Greenfarms kennel’s winning dogs.

The Levy’s Abiqua kennel had their first litter in 2003 with the leased bitch and then their “A” litter in 2005, with the dam (Szürkebarát Varazs of Abiqua) being from their leased litter, bred to Galla-Hegyi Gömböc. After their initial 3 imports, they imported a number of additional dogs from Hungary including Galla-Hegyi Nyiko (Szürkebarát Obsit x Galla-Hegyi Liza), Nyirsegfia Füge (Nyirségfia Kormos x Köntöskerti Civis Fürge), Pilisi-Kocos Jeles (Mariell de Marque Vilden Ydor x Pilisi-Kócos Ajnár) and 1 from Sweden, Mariell de Marque Fabel Fylgia Barn (Napos Gabor x Okoska Koroscenko). They also imported frozen semen from a Finnish dog, Karvakorvan Yltiopaa (Kaffogó Daru x Karvakorvan Poutapilvi) and a Hungarian dog, Kárpáti-Kerítő Ezis (Pilisi-Kócos Csutak x Borzasszegi Puszta).

Karen Beattie Massey in 2007, purchased Abiqua Cicelle, known as Bella, (Karvakorvan Yltiopaa x Szürkebarát Virgonc of Abiqua) to compete in agility, and compete she has – she is currently on the World Agility Team representing the USA. Bella is the dam of 2 litters now for her MayaLu kennel. Karen imported Akinnaz Knixa (Regi Vagyam Borizs X Pilisi-Kocos Cserfes) in 2012 from Sweden and Braviary Big Ben (Maktez Lhupusz x Fre To’s Sarinas Dama Froya) from Norway in 2013.

In 2008 Meir and Nancy Ben-Dror from Landrum, SC imported a male, Bohemia Vivace Ash (Cseri-Subás Cimbora x Hanka Koroscenko) from the Czech Republic. They have since imported 3 additional dogs from Hungary for their breeding program, Cseri-Subás Edes (Cseri-Subás Zeno x Cseri-Subás Csilli), Cuidado Upbeat Ugro (Lamkar Apollo – Cuidado Romantic Rozsa), and Pattogo Parazs Buda (Pilisi-Kocos Csutak – Cseri-Subas Sari).  These have formed the foundation for the Blueridge Vista kennel.

In 2008, Laszlo Sulyok and Ildiko Repasi purchased Abiqua Dogos Csupasz from the Levys. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 2 years of age. In 2010 they imported Felallo-Fulu Fruska (Napos Gabor x Pilisi-Kocos Csipke) from France, although the sire was from Finland and the dam from Hungary. In 2012 they imported Kaffogo Agyag (Karvakorvan Basso x Nyirsegfia Piros) from Hungary, although Basso was bred in Finland. Those two bitches have formed the basis of the Catskill breeding program.

Also in 2008, Ginger Butler purchased one of the Vidam Kertesz litter, Vidam Kertesz Zeneje, also known as Treble. Treble was bred to Holly Longstroth’s Pàsztortüz Csillaga Szömörce (Borzasszegi Frici x Pastortuz Csillaga Havaska) which was the beginning of the Szimfonia kennel. Ginger also imported several dogs from Hungary, Cseresznyéskerti-Csalfa Ügyes, known as Tango (Róna Réme Csacsogó “Dzsigit” x Cseresznyéskerti-Csalfa Ezüst), Nyirségfia Cserfes, known as Trumpet (Nyirségfia Ficsur x Nyirségfia Kacér), Cuidado Tallyho Tardos, known as Jazz (Lamkar Apollo x Cuidado Perfectly Pumilisusz), and Csunyatelepi Kincses, known as Lyric (Csunyatelepi Almos x Csunyatelepi Orgonavirag), to establish her breeding program.

In 2012, Debra Thornton of Cypress Bay Kennels purchased Abiqua Igen-Igen from the Levys and imported Hegyvidek-Eke Himes (Cuki) from Hungary.  In 2013 she imported Kemences Barita Aranygaluska (Boga) from Hungary and has had several litters sired by him with both bitches.

Later Breedings

Tammy Hall got a Pumi from the Vidam Kertesz breeding of Yippy-Yi-Yay Aniko to Surkebarat Vadoc of Abiqua (the litter imported in whelp in 2003).  Her puppy, Zu-zu (Vidam Kertesz Sugar) has made a mark in agility, winning the AKC/Eukanuba Invitational 16″ class in both 2013 and 2014.  Zu-zu was bred to the Levy’s Swedish import Mariell de Marque Fabel Fylgia Barn and has produced some upcoming agility winners for the Klipsan kennel.

Ginny Hayes purchased a puppy, Szimfonia Amerikai Csilla (Pasztortuz Csillaga Szomorce x Vidam Kertesz Zeneje) and later Blueridge Vista Adaz (Bohemia Vivace Ash x Cseri Subas Edes).  The breeding of these two dogs is the beginning of the Amerikai kennel.