Founded in 1973, the Middle Atlantic States Komondor Club (M.A.S.K.C.) was established as a gathering place for Komondor owners, breeders, and enthusiasts. From the beginning, the club was built on a fierce dedication to preserving the Hungarian Komondor as a bold, independent, and self-sufficient working guard dog. The founding philosophy was simple but strict: show stock, breeding stock, and working stock must be the same.
A Legacy of Publishing and Education
For over twenty years, M.A.S.K.C. served as the premier voice for the breed through its magazine, the M.A.S.K.C. Komondor News, published four to six times a year (most often four). Through this publication, the club accumulated the most extensive source of knowledge about the Komondor in English.
The newsletter’s excellence was recognized nationally, winning the Dog Writers’ Association of America (DWAA) award for Best Local Club Bulletin in 1980, and Best Club Publication in 1990.
The club also acted as a vital educational publisher. M.A.S.K.C. published the milestone booklet The Komondor in the United States: 1937-1976, which earned a DWAA Certificate of Merit, along with Irene Evers’ Our National Treasure: The Hungarian Komondor and Marilyn Gribble’s guide for livestock guard dog owners, The Hungarian Komondor.
Active Years and Record-Breaking Shows
During our most active years, M.A.S.K.C. hosted annual Fall Match shows in New Jersey and New York, providing a relaxed environment for socialization, training advice, and expert evaluation without the pressure of the formal show ring.
The highlight of the year was the club’s supported entry at the Trenton Kennel Club show, which historically drew the largest Komondor entries in the country—including a U.S. record of 53 Komondors in 1985. M.A.S.K.C. was famous for its weekend hospitality, hosting dinners at members’ homes and setting up a ringside club tent where a Hungarian flag proudly flew.
To maintain deep ties to the breed’s homeland, the club frequently hosted special “Gatherings” for eminent Hungarian cynologists, breeders, and judges, including Irene Evers, Ferenc Lehoczky, and Dr. Gyorgy Szemere, allowing them to evaluate American dogs and share their expertise.
Welfare, Rescue & Global Outreach
M.A.S.K.C. members have always been deeply involved in welfare work. The club maintained a proactive approach to rescue, spending countless hours on the phone offering grooming and behavioral guidance to struggling owners, which successfully kept many Komondors in their original homes. For dogs that did need rehoming, the club mobilized its network to rescue, foster, and place them with knowledgeable owners.
The club’s dedication to welfare extended far beyond the mid-Atlantic. In 1984, when a devastating Parvovirus epidemic threatened the Komondor population in Hungary, M.A.S.K.C. organized a massive international fund drive, successfully shipping 1,100 doses of life-saving Parvo vaccine directly to Hungarian breeders.
A New Chapter
Today, the club operates as a digital archive and educational trust. While the shows, match events, and rescue placements of the past have given way to online communication, the same mission endures: to protect the breed’s history, educate the public, and support the Komondor community.