The Mudi
“Hungarian herding and hunting dogs”
Face value: 2,000 Forint
Diameter: 34 mm
Edge: milled
Metal: brass (Cu75Ni4Zn21)
Gross weight: 16 g
Max. mintage: 20 000 pcs Proof-like
Designer: Áron BOHUS
The Mudi is a medium-sized herding breed from Hungary with a wavy coat, pointed ears, and coat colors that can include a unique merle pattern. As a working breed, Mudis are agile and intelligent dogs that can serve as versatile farm dogs and loyal protectors of their families. These alert, powerful canines are courageous enough to herd the most stubborn livestock while standing guard over their homes without an overly aggressive nature. The multi-talented Mudi is a hard worker that still makes a gentle, loyal family companion.
The Mudi is an energetic dog that does best with active families or homes that can provide a job for it to do. Whether you're working a farm or practicing agility training in the backyard, this dog is always up for new activities. Thanks to its intelligent personality and eagerness to please its owners, the Mudi is easily trainable and picks up on obedience lessons quickly. These dogs are also very affectionate with both adults and children, and they have a friendly temperament with other animals when raised together.
The Mudi dog has been around since the 19th century. The original name for Hungarians, the Magyars, began keeping sheepdogs around the end of the 9th century. At that time, the breed was only grouped into two categories—large or small—as pedigree breeding and the classification of dogs didn’t start until the second half of the 19th century.
It’s believed that the breed evolved from crosses of the Puli, Pumi, and German Spitz breeds. When breeding, the small dogs were typically divided from the larger ones and interbred. The Mudi shares its early history with both the Pumi and the Puli.
Sometime around 1930, Dr. Deszö Fényesi, a director of the museum in Balassagyarmat, was one of the first to breed the small Mudi sheepdog separately. He is credited for naming the breed, which was officially recognized in 1936.
World War II severely impacted several Hungarian breeds. Some almost disappeared, and the Mudi was already rare. In the 1960s, its population was rehabilitated, and a few years later a new breed standard was written by Dr. Zoltan Balassy when applying for FCI recognition. This accepted different sizes and colors. The new standard was approved in 1966, but few remained interested in breeding Mudi dogs.
The restoration of the breed continued over the next few decades, and another new standard was written in 2000 to include some of the original colors. In 2004, the Mudi appeared on a Hungarian postage stamp to honor the dogs, which are considered national treasures, and they were added to the Foundation Stock Service the same
Today, the breed remains very rare. There are only a few thousand Mudis worldwide, with the greatest numbers being in Hungary, followed by Finland. While it's difficult to find elsewhere, these dogs are still a sought-afterworking breed. They still actively herd with Hungarian shepherds and their flocks containing as many as 500 sheep.
Mudis have also been used as search and rescue dogs in Finland and the United States. The breed excels at agility, obedience, and flyball among other dog sports. They’ve been eligible to compete in companion events since 2008, and more recently, they were approved to compete in the Miscellaneous Class on June 27, 2018, represented by the Mudi Club of America.
Source: The SprucePets |
