As a natural extension of our connection with Hungary and its traditions (e.g., language, history, music, cuisine, etc.), the adventure of the Altit family and its members, Michael Altit, lawyer in São Paulo, grandson and son of Hungarian immigrants, his wife Monica and their children (Fernando and Carolina), trustees of the Emek Hayarden kennel (Jordan Valley), with the Kuvasz (plural Kuvaszok) breed began in 2015.
Our kennel is in our residence. It has no stalls, but a garden of 800 m² in which our dogs play and exercise. Their daily routine and management is organized with the help of caretakers (fixed and temporary) and includes socialization – very important for the breed – regular walks (on the street and on the property), food and veterinary care.
Our Kuvaszok are part of our family. Our pack is currently composed of 7 dogs: 2 sires (Nádas-Kincse Delceg Gege and Nádas-Kincse Gobe), both imported from Hungary and originally breed by Nádas-Kincse Kuvasz Kennel, and 4 bitches, Nina Prince of the Dogs, Golda Szenes Prince of the Dogs, Emek Hayarden Chlóe and, also imported from Hungary, Nádas-Kincse Csini, also breed by Nádas-Kincse Kuvasz Kennel.
Our Kuvaszok are part of our family. Our pack is currently composed of 7 dogs: 2 sires (Nádas-Kincse Delceg Gege and Nádas-Kincse Gobe), both imported from Hungary and originally breed by Nádas-Kincse Kuvasz Kennel, and 4 bitches, Nina Prince of the Dogs, Golda Szenes Prince of the Dogs, Emek Hayarden Chlóe and, also imported from Hungary, Nádas-Kincse Csini, also breed by Nádas-Kincse Kuvasz Kennel.
Born in June 2015, Nina has an important history of success in national and international exhibitions. She holds the title of Brazilian, Argentinean, and Uruguayan champion and best Kuvasz of Brazil in the Confederação Brasileira de Cinofilia – CBKC and Dog Show rankings in 2016. In 2021, Nina was awarded the tittle of American champion, granted by the American Kennel Club – AKC, an unprecedented achievement for a Kuvasz born in Brazil.
Born in April 2016, Golda Szenes Prince of the Dogs won in that year the title of best Kuvasz puppy of Brazil in the CBKC and Dogshow rankings. In 2017, she received the title of Uruguayan champion.
Recently, Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco and Emek Hayarden Erdély Simba Lofranco, born on November 16, 2021, joined our kennel. Both are the result of the successful insemination of our champion Nina Prince of the Dogs with the frozen semen of Lofranco’s Zar of Gem-Mar, deceased more than 25 years ago. Zar’s semen is controlled by Darla Lofranco, curator of the important Lofranco Kennel in Canada. Darla has been breeding the Kuvasz for over 40 years. Zar is the son of Kurucz Bátor (male) and Gödöllőkert Avar Tisza (female). Both dogs were brought into Canada in the 1990s. Kurucz Bátor and Gödöllőkert Avar Tisza, and consequently Zar, carry the genetic heritage of important Kuvazok bloodlines that no longer exist or have simply been diluted over the years. We hope that the birth of Emek Hayarden Erdély Simba Lofranco and Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco will allow the salvage of this important genetic heritage. See Section Our Dogs, Males and Emek Hayarden Etéd Frosty Lofranco for details of this history.
(I) Hip Dysplasia, Hüftgelenksdysplasie or, simply “HD”, a most often hereditary disease that affects the bone and joint connections of animals, particularly large dogs, such as the Kuvasz;
(ii) Osteochondritis dissecans, Osteochondrosis dissecans des Schultergelenks or simply “OCD”, characterized as one of the clinical manifestations of osteochondrosis, representing a pathological condition of the articular cartilage resulting from a disturbance of the endochondral ossification, which affects dogs of rapid growth and especially large dogs; and
(iii) Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Generalisierte Progressive Retina Atrophie or simply “PRA”, characterized as a slow process of degeneration of the retinal tissue. PRA is a genetic disease transmitted by recessive genes.
Our kennel is assisted by competent professionals with many years of experience, such as, for example, the handler Gerson Trani, owner of Gerulani Kennel, Fernando Coelho, who acts as our veterinarian and is an important Sheltie breeder in Brazil and, finally, the animal’s coach Elias Oliveira, founder of “Alternativas”, one of the most traditional companies dedicated to entertainment and marketing with dogs in Brazil.
We at Emek Hayarden are inserted in the global “Kuvasz” universe. We know and understand the breed, its standard and are concerned with its preservation and developmen
We have developed partnerships with relevant breeders and fanciers of the breed in Hungary, Canada, USA and, of course, in Brazil. There are fanciers’ clubs and associations in Argentina, USA (2 clubs!), Canada, Germany (3 clubs!), Scandinavia and, of course, Hungary.
Unfortunately, we have discovered in the last few years that Kuvasz breeders in Brazil, although few, do not collaborate, exchange experiences, but, on the contrary, insult each other. In Hungary itself, homeland of the breed, the level of cooperation and articulation among breeders and associations cannot be classified as “optimal”. We do not agree with this kind of attitude. For us, breeding of purebred dogs is a collective enterprise.
Over the past years, we have become regular participants in the dog show circuit of in Brazil and abroad, entering our dogs in major competitions held, for example, in Argentina and Uruguay, with expressive results. In this process, dogs from our kennel participated in 2021 in specialized and “general” competitions, with sometimes more than 3,000 dogs entered, held in the US, considered the most organized and competitive in the world.
