Pumi

The Treasures of the Carpathians: 100 Years of the Pumi

/Canis familiaris ovilis villosus terrarius-Raitsitsi/

The Development of the Pumi from the 18th Century to 1924

Nowadays, the Pumi breed is becoming increasingly popular not only in Hungary but also in England, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. But where does this Hungarian dog breed originate from?

After the Turkish wars, trade between Western Europe and the Kingdom of Hungary began to flourish again. In the 17th and 18th centuries, sheep and cattle imports, especially from France and Germany, increased significantly. Along with the livestock, several terrier-type herding dogs arrived in Hungary. These dogs mixed with the existing local breeds, laying the foundation for the Pumi's development, although it took until 1924 for the breed to be officially recognized.

The word "pumi" first appeared in János Földi's 1801 work Natural History as a term for a shepherd dog. By the late 19th century, the renowned Hungarian naturalist Ottó Herman documented two distinct small shepherd dog types: the Puli and the Pumi. However, at the time, he still considered them to be the same breed and believed they descended from the Pomeranian Spitz. He also noted that similar dogs appeared in different regions of Hungary under various names.

Another distinguished cynologist, Dezső Suk, thoroughly studied the shepherd dogs of the Hungarian plains. He identified two types of Pulik: those with drooping ears and those with erect ears. At this point, one might think of the Mudi, another Hungarian breed with erect ears. However, historical breeding records from the 1920s and 1930s show that many Puli-type puppies were born from Pumi litters. There is no evidence, however, of Mudi-type puppies emerging from Pumi lines.

In 1916, a young cynologist named Emil Raitsits emerged. In his article The Hungarian Dog, published in Nature, he described the Pumi, but only as a geographically distinct variant of the Puli. The first major breakthrough for the breed came in 1919 when Sándor Lovassy, founder of the Balaton Museum, described the Pumi as a distinct regional breed from Transdanubia in his book Hungarian Shepherd Dogs.

A breed is considered officially established when its precise breed standard is documented. For four Hungarian dog breeds, this happened in 1924. That year, Dr. Emil Raitsits published Hungarian Dogs, a foundational work that defined the Kuvasz, Komondor, Puli, and Pumi breeds. This put an end to the longstanding confusion between the Komondor and Kuvasz, as well as the Puli and Pumi, and led to the first official breed registry for Hungarian dog breeds. Raitsits described the Pumi as a distinct breed from the Puli, highlighting its terrier-like characteristics and unique temperament.

Dr. Emil Raitsits (1882–1934): "The Savior of Hungarian Dogs"

Although not widely remembered today in cynology or historical studies, Dr. Emil Raitsits was a pioneering veterinarian and cynologist who led the Polyclinic. He established the Hungarian Dog Breeds Studbook and worked to preserve the Kuvasz by placing breeding pairs in villages around Encs. He also initiated the first Hungarian dog exports to America. Additionally, he edited Nature, Dog Breeding, Hungarian Dog Breeding, and the Fox Terrier Yearbooks.

Together with dental technician Andor Kövesi, Raitsits performed Hungary's first canine dental restoration. Through strict selection, he clearly separated the Puli and the Pumi as distinct breeds. Even the royal families of Naples, Monaco, and Morocco requested Hungarian dogs from him. New York's mayor at the time even sought to acquire 40,000 Pulik and Kuvaszok for the city.

Raitsits also organized the first veterinary ambulance service at the University of Veterinary Medicine, where he tirelessly treated all animals, from pet canaries to zoo elephants. Although the breed standard was not officially written until 1924, the Pumi was already introduced to the public at the Budapest International Exhibition on May 15–16, 1921.

One of the earliest registered Pumis was Ficzkó, a male born in March 1920. He was bred by István Salamon in the village of Csány, Heves County, and later owned by his son, Balázs Salamon. Pumi registrations began under the Hungarian Kennel Club (MEOE), where Emil Raitsits led the Hungarian Shepherd Dog division. The breed remained popular until the end of World War II.

The Hungarian Dog Breeds Studbook (1924–1947)

During this period, the Pumi was recorded in three studbook volumes. The first volume was likely lost during World War II, but it is known that 199 Pumis were registered between 1924 and 1931.

Among those who started breeding Pumis at that time was Gyula Gömbös, Hungary's former Prime Minister, and his wife Erzsébet Szilágyi. Their Tétényi kennel produced several award-winning Pumis. Count Dénes Andrássy also began breeding Pumis at his estate in Tóalmás. Thanks to their efforts, the breed began its early but short-lived rise to popularity in Europe. Many noble families, intellectuals, shepherds, and farmers joined in preserving the breed, including Countess Györgyné Pallavicini, the Mende estate, the Eger Cathedral estate, and several shepherds from Ajka.

In total, 613 Pumis were registered across the three studbooks. The last entry was made on February 10, 1947.

With the centralization of the Communist era, independent dog breeding organizations were dissolved and merged into the National Association of Hungarian Animal Breeding and Studbook Organizations, under the Ministry of Agriculture. This marked the end of the Hungarian Dog Breeds Studbook and the beginning of the National Hungarian Dog Studbook.

International Recognition and Breed Standard

In 1933, the MEOE succeeded in having Hungary recognized as a leading dog-breeding nation by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), founded in 1911. At the same time, the Hungarian Purebred Dog Breeders Association joined the Union Cynologique Internationale (UCI) and submitted breed standards for Hungarian dogs, including the Kuvasz, Komondor, Puli, Pumi, Mudi, and the Shorthaired Hungarian Vizsla.

However, after World War II, the UCI lost its significance, and the FCI officially adopted the Hungarian shepherd dog standards based on descriptions published by the Komondor Club in 1924 and later by Lajos Ilosvai-Hollóssy in 1928. The FCI formally recognized these standards in 1936.

Following this, Lajos Ilosvai-Hollóssy published a multilingual booklet titled Descriptions of the Breed Characteristics of Our Hungarian National Dog Breeds.

Today, two breed organizations oversee the Pumi in Hungary under the Ministry of Agriculture. The International Pumi Association continues to uphold the traditions of past breeders, ensuring that future generations can still admire the Pumi—the "clown of the dog world"—in its original form.

Pumi Breed standard

https://fci.be/en/nomenclature/PUMI-56.html

https://fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/056g01-en.pdf