Opening the four-day event, the agriculture minister said keeping dogs has always been important for the Hungarian nation.

“It is no coincidence that in addition to herding and shepherd dogs, Hungary is proud of its own hunting dog breeds: the Hungarian Greyhound, the Transylvanian Hound and the Hungarian Vizsla,” István Nagy said.

He noted that on the sidelines of the EDS, the World Cup of Hungarian National Dog Breeds drawing 360 entries has also been organised this year.

The minister said there were one million dogs in Hungary, “an outstanding number in international comparison”, adding that Hungary is presenting over 3,000 dogs at this year’s international show.

András Korózs, the president of the Hungarian Kennel Club (MEOE), said that the association had been asked by parliament five years ago to organise and host a large-scale international dog show as a closing event of the “One With Nature” World Hunting and Nature Exhibition Budapest hosted in October.

He underscored the MEOE’s experience in organising world events, noting the previous European show it hosted in 2008 and the world show it held in 2013.

The dog show is running until Sunday at the Hungexpo fairgrounds.

Click here for further info about the European Dog Show 2021