Last Firday, we participated in a special charity concert in the Nádor Hall. Beside music, the guide dogs were in focus in the sold-out performance, as the organisers supported the Baráthegyi Foundation for School for Guide Dogs with the income of the concert.

The organisers and the performers of the piano concert were Ágnes Kövecs pianist and Annamari Kardon. Annamari is directly concered in having more support for our Foundation as we have trained her loyal guide dog mate, Szikra. We raise money for training of the guide dogs by donations and the offers of 1% of income tax, therefore we are very grateful for the two involved artists. The three hundred- and thirty-thousand- Forint donation will be spent on the trainings. We are happy for every donation because the lifetime care of a guide dog costs more than five million Forint.

We had an amazing, kind and grateful audience, it was a pleasure to perform them. When Ági and me had dreamed about this concert, we had no idea that we will enjoy ourselves so much. Thanks to the several months of organisation, planning and announcement, lot of kind, open hearted people came together in the Nádor Hall, friends, relatives, familiar and unfamiliar persons. Naturally several four-legged guide and future guide assistants paid their respect as well, whom I am very proud of as they were behaving very well, whom arrived with the employees and the volunteers of the Baráthegyi Foundation for School for Guide Dogs. The applaud at the end of the concert was not only for the piano play, for Ági and me, but for the trainers, for the puppy raisers, for the owners and the dogs, and naturally for the donators as well, for the work of every team member of Baráthegyi Foundation

– said Annamari Kardon.

Annamari also told, that it is always a pleasure to be on stage together with Szikra. This Young Lady had also given a concert with Ági Szalóki in 2020, with her previous guide dog called Dandzsi on her side.

Please support the training of the guide dogs by offering the 1% of your tax! Our 1% tax number is: 18449149–1–05

How much does a guide dog cost?

There are more guide dogs needed in Hungary. There are lot of people waiting for this loyal mate at our Foundation. On average there are 40-50 people on our waiting list. At this stage there are 12 dogs in training and according to our plan there will be 30 puppies born this year, whom can be guide dogs in the following years.

All expenses, covering the lifetime of a guide dog is more than 5 million Forint. This period of time is about ten years. Expenses of covering a lifetime includes: breeding dogs, breeding, raising up the puppies, veterinary costs, supply, facility, training (1,5 million for job costs), training the owner, handing the dog over, examination, follow up and aftercare for 10 years, replacement of the facilities, extra costs of veterinary care of the aging dog, costs around the retirement, overhead expense, using of vehicles, etc. This makes the total expenses of 10 years more than 5 million Forint.

She has played on pianos placed in public areas for calling the attention to the training of the guide dogs

Annamari Kardon has practiced for the charity concert on pianos placed in public areas in Budapest. Earlier we published an article about it: she played on the piano at the metro station of Fővám square

Compositions played in the charity concert:

F. Chopen: Waltz on E major, op.posth.
F. Chopen Waltz on E flat major, op. posth.
Ferenc Liszt: Transcendent Etude in F minor
S. Rachmaninov – Z. Kocsis: Vocalise
S. Rachmaninov – G. Gryaznov: Italian Polka
F. Chopen: E major Noktürn op.72 no.1
F. Vecsey – Gy. Cziffra: Sad Waltz
J. Strauss – Gy Cziffra: Tritsch-Tratsch (Chit-Chat) Polka
F. Chopen: 24 Prelude op. 28
A. Durand: Waltz on A flat major

They run together
Annamari and Szikra do everything together, lately they tried cross-country running. Just now they are training together in the Baráthegyi Team for the Hard Dog Race cross- country competition held at the end of April.