Curator: Loránd Balla, Álmos Molnár
There is no other animal as closely connected to humans as the dog!
It is well known that the relationship between humans and dogs dates back to ancient times. The Hungarian settlers brought the Puli with them, while the medieval Hungarian aristocracy hunted in the company of the Vizsla. In the 19th century, the Hungarian bourgeoisie adopted the customs of the nobility, bringing dogs from rural mansions and estates into urban homes as companions. In addition to becoming a city dweller's pet, dogs also played a role in guarding ground-floor and courtyard houses in the suburbs. Various dog breeds were often seen as fashionable accessories for urban women.
As Pest-Buda became the country's center, the keeping of domestic animals became widespread, with nearly every second or third household having a pet. In the mid-19th century, there were about 20,000 registered dogs in Pest. Today, the estimated number of dogs in Budapest is around 350,000, while the number of cats is approximately 200,000—meaning that about a quarter of the city's population owns a pet.