The "Bergerac", since 2003 the "Bergerac de Hu" kennel.

I have started to breed Belgian Sheepdogs in 1990, but I had dogs all my life. My first dog was a Puli, then came some hunting dogs, three Cocker Spaniel and some Magyar Vizsla. By the time we got married in 1980 with Gábor Váradi, both of us were still going to the university of architecture. It took me 8 years to get him used to living with dogs. I have finished the economy university, too, and after that bought a new dog again. Gábor has managed to get used to them, 25 years have passed, but still would never come to any kind of race or show with me. My son is different, he would never miss a good agility race, but he is not interested in dog shows. To tell the truth, working with dogs is always more fun, even for me.
When we moved to a house of ours, we slowly collected 6 dogs. So, we moved to a bigger garden outside of Budapest, and here we have planty of place for gardens and houses! I have my own place, where I can freely work with my dogs around me, and my husband and friends can be in an other place, and they are not forced to be in contact with all of my pets. We have a guest room, too, because there is always someone, who stayes here for some time, coming with dogs.

That is how our house looks like from outside, and the dogs are not seen from the street.

After having my first Tervueren, I realized, that I would never want any other breed. So I bought my first Groenendael, this time for breeding, not only as a pet. In 1998 I decided to have a small dog living in the house, after my Cokker Spaniel has died, I decided to bring the first Schipperke in Hungary. It was love at first sight! I am happy, that now we have already about 7 Schipperkes at an agility race! My son, Váradi Péter is sleeping with three of them, so we made a tunnel from the garden to his bedroom, so they can run freely in and out. They are better then an alarm system!

Our dogs love to sleep in bed, even if it is outside, on their own terrace.

I have started training dogs very early, I had my first exam with my dog at age 14. When I have seen the first agility race at a dog show in Austria, I decided to make it myself, too. It was not easy, because by that time nobody made it in Hungary, so we have made the obsticles by our own hands, and tried to find out, how to do it. My first Tevueren, Astoria was there at the first agility race in Hungary, and since then, I am there nearly at every race. My son is as old, as the agility in Hungary (1991). He grow up with the dogs and the agility. I stoped training in dogs school, when I had no more free time for others, and made my own club in 2000, where only me, my son, and some of my dogs are training. We call it "Bergerac Agility Hungary". We race all over Europe, and we love to win, but that is not the most important part, we have fun, humans and dogs, too.

Only the males use the houses, when it is cold, but a female would never enter it!

I had many litters during these years, not all the females were living with us. Many of my friends allowed me to take the dogs to shows, and let me bring them to me, to have one litter. Many of my dogs had only one litter, and then we steped to a new generation. I would never push the owners to come to shows or to breed, if they don’t want to. The most important is, that they are happy with each other.
In breeding, I always wanted to have nice and healthy dogs, but I never used a dog with bad temperament. So, I am not realy show or working dog breeder, but somewhere inbetween. I have passed IPO working exam with 7 of my dogs, and all of them were good agility racers. I feel myself lucky, to had the opportunity to live with so wonderful dogs, and I hope, the new generations will be better then the parents. It is not easy!
Váradiné Halász Ildikó

Tha garden for puppies is open for the grown ups, when we have no puppies.

This is the agility playing field for the dogs, at the back of the garden. We work and play here every day, and the Bergerac Cup is organized here every year.

The garden, where the dogs are not suposed to be, it is for humans.

Our "big" house with the lake and the fishes, and the gate to the agility field at the back. Some of my dogs love to go and have a swim after agility.

p.s. In the end, my husband had left me after 27 years of marriage, after all he liked more an other women, then my dogs. Because of him, I had to sell my new, wonderful dogs, I hope, they will be as happy at their new homes, as they were here. This was not easy, but if I have to work at a full time job, it would have been hard for them. They were used to training every day, so this was the right solution, I hope.

My new boyfriend, Kálmán Cseh, likes my dogs (and me) more, but I still have less time for my 5 dogs. I am prefering agility now, then shows and breeding. As all of them are very talented, I can have less litter, not to miss the big agility races. I have finished my DVD about agility training, showing the method I used on Barka, and the other dogs. (It can be ordered from me by post.) So, I am happy again, and that is very important to have good results in dog sports!