During the early years of the twentieth century many changes began to take place on the Hungarian Plains. The Puszta had, for many years, been the working place for the Puli. Here on the plains is where the Puli would have been the continuously hard working assistant to the shepherd, an attentive, faithful companion and life long friend.

The Hungarian Plains brings forth romantic images of the past, herdsmen on horseback, herds of wild horses, Hungarian grey longhorns, flocks of Hungarian Racka sheep, together with mirages of trees, church spires and villages shimmering under the hot summer sun, or the cold and snow of winter.

With his over all uniqueness, his intelligence, his fast, nimble and agile movement, his coat, the Hungarian Puli had the best ever credentials for work as a herding dog. Indeed it has been said that a shepherd would be prepared to give a "year’s pay" for a good working Puli.

As the need for working sheep dogs became less, breeding diminished and should it not have been for a group of veterinarians and scientists who realised a national treasurer was about to be lost, the Hungarian Puli might well have been extinguished. This group of people did much research and put in place breeding plans, that saved the Puli and is responsible for the dog as we know him today.

Indeed it is said that the word "puli" reveals much of the history of the dog, and that there are many archaeological findings that tell a great deal about the ancient dog.

An ancient town was discovered during excavations for oil in Sumeria during the early 1900’s, the town was called Jarno, and dated back more than 8000 years before Christ. Here in one particular grave in the cemetery, was discovered the skeleton of man aged between twenty to twenty five years, together which a skeleton of a medium sized dog and a sheep. The grave contained other artefacts, and under a dish was found a long, coarse knot of light grey, almost white, hair. The colour of the hair is probably is not the original, but its make up was considered to be very like that of a Puli. There are indications that the Sumerians used Pulik to herd sheep in the years that followed, so the chances are remarkably high that the grave was that of a shepherd, and the remains of the dog, a Puli, his faithful helper to the last.

Interestingly clay plaques from the town of Eridu, reveal that Sumerians lived in cultured communities, with social laws and legal customs four thousand years before Christ. One particular clay plaque found during an archaeological survey, and which was intact, reveals the laws on animals. Lines on these tablets refer to a puli and also to a komondor.

Again in Eridu an undamaged statuette was found of a puli in the crypt of an eight to ten year old girl, who was probably the daughter of the sovereign. Other items were also discovered, including a sheep, all carved out of alabaster. Neither the dog or the sheep had been painted, whereas a cow had been painted grey, birds red-brown, brown and green, a cat striped like a tiger in yellow, black and white colours.

Other plaques have been found in Sumerian, their illustrations and cuneiform words clearly referring to the puli, and his presence in this area many hundreds of years before Christ.

Hungarian Pulis

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