Tag Archives: Agyag

Home Sweet Home…

June 6, 2013

We’ve made it! We are back home! The Wright Brothers (first in flight…) a.k.a Lufthansa has done it right at this time. We had smooth sailing, good food, excellent German wines and I was lucky enough to get a full center row to sleep and watch movies.

Laszlo picked us up from the airport and we drove home upstate NY.

a truck load of stuff and dogs back from Hungary and ready to be hauled upstate NY…

The rest of our pack, the two JRT-s, Csupasz the third Pumi, Nene the .auKelpie and Harang the Canadian Royal Komondor, were happy to see me after close to a month of absence.

As a surprise, Laszlo, the family’s Senior Shepherd and PR husband has organized and interview with the local Public Radio Station, WIOX’s, “MInd Your Business” program to talk about the WDS 2013 adventure of the “two local farm dogs.” (Fruska and Agyag) for tomorrow.

Gosh, I hope I can get up for the live interview. It starts at 8:00AM…

Famous Last Words… (Supertramp)

“He Who Rises Early…”

May 21, 2013

oh no… everyone is waiting for me at the gate. I am late again…

“…to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates.” Wisdom 6:14-24

This is certainly not about me. No one should rely on me at any gates that early in the morning. Sorry, I am not an early riser… and they make us to get up here at 5AM?!?!? Gosh… By noon time, I am ready to fall on my face.

Tom Levy and Gaby practicing…

We had a busy day today. After the 6AM breakfast, we had a 7AM training to beat the daytime heat which can be very uncomfortable. Agyag is turning into a monster… We have worked on her very hard today.

After the training we got a guided tour of the local museum and than went to see the Matai Stable. Later, we stopped by at a ceramic studio where we were also invited for lunch.

The famous lebbench leves. We also do outdoor cooking in New York when inviting our friends over. It just have such a magical effect…

We had “lebbencs leves” a wide noodle soup with bacon, onion, potato, and red paprika cooked on open fire. It smelled delicious. If for no other reason, one must taste it simply for its name, “SLAMBUC.” It sounds so playful, fluffy and light – just as it tastes. And of course we had the ever present shot of palinka before lunch to help increasing our appetite. (Do not get alarmed, we had the palinka after 12PM…)

After lunch, we have learned wood sculpting/carving that I enjoyed a lot. I like the idea of hands on experience of various crafts media.

yess…!

I also ran the trial field with Fruska today. She was great we had no problem. Agyag is a different story from a different planet…

Orb’s Triple Crown Bid Ends at Preakness, Kaffogo Agyag Falls Short of Quadruple Victory at WDS 2013 in Budapest… :-)

Orbs, the 2013 favorite or a creation of deprivation for "Feel Good Stories" of Triple Crown Championship Title has failed to fulfill hopes and prophecies.

Orb, the 2013 favorite or a creation of news media deprivation for a “Feel Good Story” of Triple Crown Championship. He has failed to fulfill hopes and prophecies.

May 19, 2013

Drama… Drama… Drama… in different dimensions at different places. Multimillion dollar thoroughbred vs. Pumi, an obscure Hungarian herding breed in the U.S. from an upstate NY fiber goat and sheep farm … while the stakes have been obviously strikingly different, the co-owners of Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner colt, have most likely felt the same emotional disappointment after losing the Preakness yesterday that I have felt today in Budapest. …we were so close… it was within reach… gosh…almost…

It was a bitter sweet day for us today, a contemporary imperfect Cindarella story… Kaffogo Agyag has fallen short becoming Junior World Winner in Budapest. How ironic human nature is…

We’ve been bruised at multiple occasions at AKC conformation shows traveling up and down along the Eastern Seaboard in the U.S the past six months. Inexperienced judges, color discrimination, obscure breed, etc. Excuses are endless and regardless wether they are justified or not, we have learned to accept failure as the price for paving the road for the Pumi in the U.S.

I am pretty exhausted while Agyag is desperately waiting for guidance.

Than on May 13, we traveled back to Hungary, the Mecca of the breed. During the week, leading up to Sunday’s ultimate WORLD DOG SHOW, Agyag has won every event – not surprisingly. Let’s admit, that in addition to her excellent breeding by Anna Varadi, she is an exceptional character.

At the end we have fallen short. We have come in second in Junior Class at the official WDS 2013.

Why? who knows … the mistake of Lufthansa in Dusseldorf… (the dogs were lost for hours locked up in their crates on the tarmac of the airport we lost our connection)? Exhaustion…?(she lives on an Upstate NY farm after all with not too much urban stimuly and after the third show, I have started losing my focus too…) Her mistimed full blown heat…?

…Or simply because PILISI KOCOS JELLEM was better today… Congratulations HOLDAMPF DORA!

We are gone to Hortobagy for the herding week…

p.s. Thank you Chris Levy to fix up Fruska and Agyag’s grooming.

woooow…

March 18, 2013

Things are going well – more than well… today, Kaffogo Agyag has become the “Junior World Cup Winner of Hungarian National Breeds” in the morning and she has also won back to back the very first Raisits Cup 2013, as the “Hungarian Junior Winner.” I am speechless, and whatever tomorrow, the day of the official WDS 2013 brings, ANNA VARADI of Kaffogo Kennel, thank you for selecting me Agyag. I would really like to know what you have been cooking in your Pumi Kitchen for the future…

"does this Junior World Cup Winner thing in the Conformation ring today compensates for my silly behavior in the herding arena yesterday...?"

“Mom, does this performance in the Conformation ring today compensates for my silly behavior in the herding arena yesterday…?”

Felallo Fulu Fruska has earned “Excellent” in the Open Bitches Class of the Hungarian National Breeds competition and received a “NJ,” (Very Good) evaluation at the Raisits Cup 2013.

naughty ring behavior…

Tamara Prohaska, again, thank you for the photos…

Uncorking the Racka Sheep and Re-imagining the Feszty Panorama

May 17, 2013

Finally the day of the long awaited Herding Seminar at the Opusztaszer Heritage Park has arrived. After 4 hours of sleep, I packed up the Pumis and drove to the seminar. Fruska and Agyag have been eager to start the practice but they had to wait through the presentation part of the day.

This group of racka seems eady to uncork the expat Pumis

This group of racka seems ready to uncork the expat Pumis

During the break we checked out parts of the park, including the monumental Feszty Panoramic Painting about the invasion of the Karpat Basin by the ancestral Hungarians. It is a breath taking work of art on1800 square meters of canvas with the necessary gruesome images of war, pagan rituals, sacrifice, rape, killing, pillaging and of course heroism painted in the style of romanticism with a strong influence from the Munich Landscape Artists.

the seven chieftains of the Hungarians with the cart pulling gray cattle

the seven chieftains of the Hungarians with the famous cart pulling group of gray cattle in the forefront (detail from the painting)

could the seven chieftains ride cubist/expressioninst blue horses...?

could the cubist/expressionist depiction of the seven chieftains maintain solemnity on these blue horses…?

I am wondering what would have been the result if a Cubist or an

can you picture the cart pulling oxes in expressionist style?

a possible alternative for the cart pulling group of gray cattle in expressionist style…

Expressionist painter had been commissioned to create this painting…

After the break, we started practicing. Agyag was somewhat temperamental. Her young age, inexperience with different herding environments, new stock and the effect of her hormonal imbalance due to her beginning heat cycle combined, have taken their toll on her. Her overall performance however, was pretty reassuring for the future.

bullpumidog…

"for a chase like this I get yelled at on the farm at home"

“for a chase like this I get yelled at back home on the farm…”

...I have a rather strong opinion about your opinion

“…take it or leave it Mom”

Fruska, however, was in complete control. A real diva of the herding arena. Confident, strong and commanding. It is a pleasure to watch her working. It must be the combination of her Hungarian blood, French sophistication, and American flamboyance… I love you girl!

"A rose is a rose is a rose" so what is the Pumi?

“A rose is a rose is a rose”
so what is a Pumi…?

It was a smart decision to participate at the seminar. We had a great time, have met some great Pumi people and learned some nice tricks to correct some specific problems. Thank you Krisztina Menyhart and Tari Jozsi!

some advice from Krisztina Menyhart to correct problems…

hope to be back in the future…

Tari Jozsi one of the Men in Black…?

Tamara Prohaska, thank you for the great herding seminar pictures.

Day Trip to the Country, Pumi History, Palinka Festival and Nostalgia…

Kate Pinches’ Magic Pumi Carpet. My Pumis would have been safer to fly on it to Hungary from the U.S. than on Lufthansa…

May 16, 2013

Thursday I went to visit Anna Varadi, Kaffogo Agyag’s breeder in Alsopahok at the western tip of Lake Balaton. Agyag and Fruska was thrilled to play and run in the countryside with Anna’s dog after their high-rise building experience at my sister’s home in Buda.

An animated sequence while talking to my husband Laszlo via Skype...

An animated moment while talking to my husband Laszlo via Skype…

While on the road, I’ve also visited Lovasz Gyorgyne in Kapolnasnyek an important figure in the history of the Pumi in Hungary. It was an interesting experience to leap back in time and listening to old stories of the breed.

Once back in Budapest, in the evening, my sister’s family took me to a Palinka Festival to Erzsebet-ter on the Pest side of the city – a very Hungarian way to finish a great day – I may add… The evening brought back old memories from the

From right to left, my sister Zsuzsanna, my nephew Raymond and me. (Everybody Loves Raymond…:-))

1580’s when I used to live in Budapest after moving here from Transylvania…

HPJ Excellent 1…

May 15, 2013

We had a good start at the WDS 2013 after a bad travel.

Kaffogo Agyag has won “HPJ” “Excellent 1” in Junior Class at the Budapest Grand Prix CACIB Show, as part of the FCI World Dog Show 2013. today.

Felallo Fulu Fruska has won “NJ” or “Very Good” in the Open Bitches Class.”

Tomorrow we are off. The plan is, that we will pay a visit to Anna Varadi, Agyag’s breeder in the western part of Hungary.

Tamara Prohaska thank you for the pictures…

“Nonstop you…”

May 13, 2013

We arrived to Dusseldorf around 4AM, Tuesday. I was greeted by a Lufthansa official with the frightening news that the airline has lost the two dogs, Fruska and Agyag and could not locate them. As a result, we’ve missed the connection to Budapest and I had to put up with the rudest most uncooperative customer service and airport police. We were driving around the airport on the tarmac from building to building trying to find the dogs for hours. Finally they drove me back to the gate where we originally arrived. The two dogs have been left there in their crates on an open luggage trailer without supervision for several hours. After a full day of delay, finally, they found a connection to Budapest which was obviously difficult because these days “every dog” flies to Budapest to the WDS.

So much about Lufthansa’s superior treatment of animals. Waste of money not even an apology.

Hey Dr. Reinhold Huber! what happened to “Nonstop you…?”

By the way the dogs have been completely quiet in their crates during this several hours long ordeal – according to one Lufthansa or Airport official that was the reason why they did not find them – why not to blame it on the dogs…

One of the lessons of this micro horror story is that the Pumi is a non-barking breed after all…

Countdown…

May 9, 2013

Four days left until our departure to Hungary to the WDS 2013 and Hortobagy. The girls are ready to floss with Racka hair…

Catskill Pumi

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