The Dogs of Winter Wren Farm
At Winter Wren Farm, we share our lives with two incredibly special dogs. Kelly, (GCH Windkist Kelsey of H’Kusam CGN, HIT) and Phoebe, (Moonshadow Phoenix of H’Kusam). These amazing little Hungarian Puli, (pronounced Poo-lee, plural is Pulik), herding dogs, keep us laughing with their silly antics as they take care of the far more serious job of watching over our small farm homestead, and our poultry flocks.
The Puli is the ancient sheepdog of Hungary. It is believed to have been introduced by the migration of the Magyars over one thousand years ago. Records show that the Puli was working the planes of the Puszta as early as the 9th century. Evidence suggests that the Puli existed as a working sheepdog for thousands of years prior to this, possibly as early as 4500 B.C.
Our Pulik
Our first Puli, Sage, (Immerzu Summer Sage), came to me from Immerzu Puli Kennels, in 2003. Sage then went on to be joined by her mate, Yarrow, (Immerzu Yager Yarrow CGN, ADC). Together these two wonderful Pulik enjoyed many adventures together with us over the years, and had two lovely litters of Puli puppies. The second and last litter of puppies was born 14 years ago.
I dabbled in the dog show scene with both Sage and Yarrow, but found that fast paced and fun dog agility, was more enjoyable at that time in my life, and trained to a competition level with Yarrow, who went on to earning his Agility Dog of Canada Tital. Yarrow also earned a Canine Good Neighbour certificate and became somewhat of a celebrity while working as a volunteer with The City of Parksville’s Canine Goose Control Program. We will always remember these two exceptional Pulik and the Kennel that bred them. Twenty years with this unique and fascinating breed has brought us much joy. I can’t imagine our lives without a Puli!
Kelly and Phoebe at work herding our turkeys
About the Puli
The puli has long held an almost mystical relationship with its owners. The shepherds often quoted “It is not a dog; it is a Puli!” The nomadic shepherds greatly valued these dependable, small, herding dogs, and selectively bred the Puli to preserve the Puli’s greatest attributes, speed, agility and the willingness to work. To survive the rigors of the Hungarian plains, the Puli had to be both mentally capable, and physically sound. The Puli’s heavy coat protects the dog from the elements of both extreme heat and cold while providing protection from predator attacks.
Today the Puli is content to be both pet and protector, adapting to both home, small farm, and apartment life. This unique little herding breed has an amazing sense of property and boundary. The Puli is extremely intelligent, deeply loyal, and devoted to its owners. Wary of strangers, he does not seek attention from those he does not know. This breed is active, lively, extremely amusing, and at times intensely vocal. Despite lifestyle changes and the hundreds of years behind this breed, we will still say today, IT IS NOT A DOG; IT’S A PULI !
This unique and amusing breed is equally happy in both a suburban backyard or small farm, providing you spend ample time with your Puli, and he is very much part of your family. Our Pulik, Kelly and Phoebe, enjoy their jobs, on our small poultry farm, of warding off aerial predator attack from eagles and ravens, putting the run on any marauding raccoons and herding our Heritage Turkeys in, at days end, from foraging on our woodland pastures.
We greatly value our Pulik as our “early warning system” of any presence of man, bird, or beast on our homestead. Too small to be considered as a “guard dog”, on their own, a Puli is an excellent watchdog. A number of Pulik meeting you at the gate can be a somewhat formidable force to be reckoned with! Not a dog to be shut away in a kennel, or left out in the pasture with the livestock, the Puli insists on being very much part of the family.
Non-shedding and hypoallergenic, the Puli coat, once the cording has been developed, requires minimal daily maintenance to maintain. A cuddle and belly scratch with your Puli will suffice in finding the twigs and brambles that may have got into the coat. Once a week, a good going over your Puli will aid in detection of any ticks, twigs, or small woodland creatures that may have been picked up by the long cords. We bath our Pulik monthly to ensure their show coats stay sweet smelling and well kept. A sport clip rather than a shaven coat will work well to achieve the classic Puli look without the extra maintenance, if you do not plan of showing your Puli in Conformation based events.
The Show Scene
Our Puli Kelly has proven himself extensively in the show ring, having placed in the herding group over 30 times! In March of 2020 Kelly made history as he won the Herding group, three days in a row, in an exceptionally large and strong Herding group, at the Victoria City Kennel Club show, in Duncan BC. On the second day, Kelly won Best in Show, and achieved his Grand Championship tital. Kelly has his Canine Good Neighbour certification as well, and he has passed a rigorous Herding Instinct Testing evaluation and received his Herding Instinct Certificate.
Phoebe, born in February of 2020, was unable to compete in any dog shows or training classes until 2021, due to the C-19 lockdowns. We’ve shown Phoebe at a few shows and plan on getting bask in the ring in the summer of 2023.
Future Puli Plans
We plan on breeding Phoebe to Kelly this Spring, (2023) and hope to have puppies available by early Summer. Both Kelly and Phoebe have been extensively health tested for hereditary diseases, as have their parents and grandparents before them. All test results are available for public viewing at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website at ofa.org under the dogs registered name.
If you would like to learn more about this wonderful breed and go on the waitlist for one of our puppies, please contact us. We offer a lifetime of breeder support and are open to discussing breeding and non-breeding ownership contracts. Our puppies are home raised, and extensively socialized. We encourage and support individuals and families interested in showing, competing in dog sports, and herding trials with their Puli. We would like to see more Puli enthusiasts breeding to better the breed, while enjoying and preserving many more generations to come of this active, intelligent and unique little herding dog.
All natural and naturally delicious!