Barking loudly, as if to issue a warning shot, the silver-gray dog dives behind a shrub in Marika Foreman’s Somerville backyard like a woolly speeding bullet. For a minute, it seems as if he’s left the scene. But as a blast of birds flees the thicket, the canine shows himself — master herder, full-time “goofball.”
That’s what his name, Bikfic (“Bic-fits”), translates to in Hungarian. His older half brother, a black dog named Csibesz (“Chee-bess”) — “rascal” — is never far behind.
With his eager amber eyes, corkscrew-curl coat and prominent ears that stand almost straight up, Bikfic is a pumi, a Hungarian herding dog, one of several new breeds eligible for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2017. Monday is the first day of the prestigious New York dog show’s traditional breed competition.
The two other new breeds this year are the sloughi (“sloo-gi”), sometimes called the Arabian greyhound, and the American hairless terrier, a close relative of the rat terrier.
But Bikfic, 2, is the only dog from New Jersey among the new set vying for best in breed and a chance at the larger group competition at Madison Square Garden, which is the precursor to best in show on Tuesday night. He’ll be one of seven pumis — or “pumik,” in Hungarian — competing Monday afternoon at Piers 92 and 94 in Manhattan.
Westminster dog show 2017 welcomes the pumi
The dog’s upturned, or “prick” ears, which move like fuzzy little satellite dishes, are one signature of the breed standard, along with a tail that curls up over its back.
“What makes them look so whimsical are the ears,” says Foreman, 70, Bikfic’s owner and handler. Bikfic, who was invited to compete at Westminster because of his high ranking, recently became a grand champion at the Boardwalk Kennel Club dog show in Wildwood.
“I never thought I’d make it to Westminster,” says Foreman, a retired high school physics teacher and former structural engineer whose hair is tinged just a slightly darker gray than her canine companion. She’s relatively new to dog shows, but that’s not the only reason why she thought the Manhattan competition wouldn’t be a possibility.
In order for a breed to join Westminster, it has to have been recognized by the American Kennel Club. The pumi became the 190th AKC-recognized breed last summer. Before that, Bikfic had to compete in the “miscellaneous” category at other competitions, where he was often the only pumi. There had to be 300 pumis in the U.S. spread over at least 20 states to meet AKC guidelines.
Pumis were first brought to the country as recently as the ’80s and ’90s, and the Hungarian Pumi Club of America formed in 2005. Foreman estimates that 360 pumis now live in 40 states, but because their genetic pool here isn’t that large, Bikfic’s breeder takes dogs to Europe for breeding.
Bikfic, at left, with his half brother Csibesz at home in Somerville. Bikfic, with his more curly coat, represents the current breed standard. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
While new to Westminster, the pumi is an old breed and has around since the late 17th century. Yet for hundreds of years, Hungarians didn’t distinguish between the pumi and the puli, another herding dog best known for its dreadlock-like cords. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the pumi was recognized as its own dog.
Csibesz, 3, is typical of an older-looking pumi, so Foreman wouldn’t enter him in breed competition (though he did win best in show at a United Kennel Club competition in the “altered” — neutered — category). Hungarian shepherds originally bred pumis with a looser coat, meaning they didn’t require that much grooming because they wouldn’t snag so many burrs and brambles. In the 1960s, city dwellers established Bikfic’s look as the new, stylish (and less practical) norm.
Foreman, who has lived in Somerville for 35 years and has two adult children — she affectionately refers to Bikfic as her “son” — hails from the Transylvania region of central Romania, which was formerly part of Hungary. She left in 1965 for a refugee camp in Italy and came to the United States in 1966.
Born on a sheep farm in the Castskills, Bikfic got an early taste of his ancestral job when he was just weeks old.
“It is instinct,” Foreman says. “The only thing you have to teach them is to obey commands.” She sometimes takes him to herding classes where he can put his skills to test on real animals.
Foreman cares for her two dogs, who eat a diet of raw meat, organs, vegetables and sweet potatoes, with the help of her husband, Paul, 70, who serves as photographer at Bikfic’s competitions. Before becoming pumi people, the Foremans owned a wire fox terrier for 15 years (Paul’s grandfather used to raise the dogs in England).
Marika Foreman owns and handles her pumi. The breed was added to Westminster’s 2017 competition after being recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2016. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media) for NJ.com)
While pumis can treat strangers with almost as much interest as a tantalizing squirrel — barking, pawing at and jumping on the invading party — they eventually settle down. It’s best to socialize the dogs at a young age and introduce them to any children when they’re young, Foreman says.
“They are not couch potato dogs, that’s for sure,” Foreman says, likening the breed’s liveliness to that of a terrier, though they are part of Westminster’s herding group.
Gail Miller Bisher, the new “voice” of Westminster who takes over for veteran spokesman David Frei at this year’s competition, says pumis, as dogs who also compete in lure-coursing events that simulate the animal chase, are supposed to be vocal and demanding.
High-energy and affectionate, the pumi needs time to get accustomed to strangers. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
“This particular breed had to herd very closely and be very close to large animals in western Hungary and have to keep them moving in a straight line,” she says. “They have to be bold.”
Though her dogs won’t be competing in Westminster’s agility event, Foreman has a hurdle set up in the backyard for them to practice jumps.
“They love to be trained, love to be challenged,” she says.
At home in the living room, however, Bikfic and Csibesz fancy themselves lap dogs. If they’re ever temporarily neglected in favor of a camera — or, say, a reporter’s notebook — they’ll nudge a human’s hand to pet them.
“We wake up laughing and we go to bed laughing,” Foreman says. “They are a lot of fun.”
Viewing information for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show:
- Portions of breed judging will air from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday, Feb. 14 on Nat Geo Wild.
- Daytime breed judging and the Masters Obedience Championship streams live from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at Fox Sports Go.
- Group competition (hound, herding, toy and non-sporting groups) airs from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 13 and from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 14 (sporting, working, terrier groups and best in show) on FS1 (Fox Sports 1). Visit westminsterkennelclub.org for more information.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
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