However, great misfortune was to befall the Kuvaszok. During World War II, invading armies plundered the areas of Hungary and Poland. So fierce were the Kuvaszok at defending their families and flocks, the invading armies sought them out and shot thousands of them, almost completely wiping out the breed.
One can only humbly marvel at such nobility in sacrifice by an animal for their master. When I learned of the fate of the Kuvaszok, my heart filled with great sadness. History is replete with the horrors that befall the innocent by humans devoid of virtue, and bent on control through destruction.
I was now determined to meet one of these noble dogs, and bring the breed to Blue Maples. As luck would have it, a nearby farmer raised alpacas and had a Kuvasz (singular). He allowed us a visit. While the friendly alpacas headed gaily towards us from behind their corralled fence, the Kuvasz watched us intently from behind the same pen. Soon it began what could only be called a series of stealthy,strategic maneuvers as it moved toward us. Never taking its large, brown eyes off of us as we walked along the fence, the Kuvasz kept subtlety inserting itself between us and the alpacas.The dog never barked, but that steady gaze and purposeful movement left little doubt about who was in charge of this visit. Pointing at the Kuvasz, my son said simply, ‘Mom, that’s the one’.
Within a month, we had found a reputable breeder in Canada, ordered our puppy, and picked her up in June 2010. May we introduce you to our eight-week old Bella Layna of Huron Reg’d Kennels, just weighing in at twelve pounds!
Little did we know that within two years, she would weigh-in at 140 pounds (63.50 kilograms), with the upper body and shoulder strength that would be the envy of many a hockey player!
As we grew to understand more about this intelligent dog breed, and the service this breed performs for humanity. we couldn’t be more pleased.