Happy 3rd Birthday!

Wishing our Brick-Miska puppies born May 31, 2011 a very Happy 3rd Birthday!!

Here's to:

Bentley -  Varazs Kedvesem Final Edition

"Bodi" Varazs Mokany Kiralyi Orban

"Charlie" Varazs Kedvesem Final Frontier 

"Elsie" Varazs Kedvesm Grand Finale 

"Stella"  Varazs Kedves Final Dance

"William" Varazs Kedvesem Final Legacy

Mama Miska and her new born babies.

Bently, the first born

 

Will's Wild Weekend

WILD = FUN!

Will(iam), a.k.a. Varazs Kedvesem Final Legacy from our 2011 litter, spent 3.5 days with us over the Labour Day weekend. I had only seen Will once since he went to his new home at 8 weeks of age, so I was thrilled to get to know him as a two-year-old dog.  I decided to make it a really fun weekend for him.  After all, when "Grandma" (me) does a dog's nails, teeth and bathes him, something has to make up for those 'hardships'! LOL

So, on this weekend, Will went to a United Kennel Club (UKC) dog show, his first show ever!!  Below, it's not a perfect stack, but he was quite a natural at this 'beauty show' stuff.  Will came home with his first dog show ribbons and some UKC points!

The biggest and best fun, however, was Lure Coursing!!  Will had never done before either!

Day 1, Lure Coursing

I gave Will a practice run for his very first time on a course and he was perfect!!! Unfortunately, that practice run didn't count towards his title.  :-(

Will, watching the coursing from a comfortable spot.

That's a bunny??

Watching how the greyhounds do it

At the end of the practice run, he went to check out the 'bunnies' and got a little spooked by what they were - plastic bags.  When it came time to do his official run, he started off well but then turned around about 1/3 of the way through and didn't return to the lures.  No Q (Qualifying score) on Day 1.

Day 2, Lure Coursing

Will started off the course really well, and then did what any bird dog is bred to do - he POINTED the "bunny". And then, he abandoned the course and ran back to me.  He was more confident getting closer to the bunnies but didn't attack them (which is strongly encouraged by the judges!!).  I gave him two more practice runs and he wasn't perfect but he was improved so I decided to plunk down money for Day 3's test.

Will in a classic point with his L front leg lifted

Getting a little up close and personal with the 'bunny'.  Hmm, this doesn't smell like a rabbit!

Day 3, Lure Coursing

Will was definitely getting more excited by the coursing.  Last night, I "practiced" getting him all excited about a white plastic bag brought one with me to the test to tease Will and that really helped!! The weather was by and large, much cooler than the previous 2 days, although still quite humid.

On his first run, which if he did well, it would be Will's test run and if not, it would be his practice - LOL.  Will started out really well - YES!! And then he stopped and pointed!  Aarrggh.  If this were a field/hunt test, I would be jumping up and down for joy!! But it's a lure course where the dog is expected to chase (exactly what we don't want them to do in field tests).  Anyway, he wandered off a bit but then the light bulb went off in his head and he returned to the lures and started to chase them and went all the way around the course!  Whooppee!! But did Will pass?

 

Yes he did!!

 
We had an opportunity to do a practice run after getting his Q just to give him more experience.  I really wanted to video it for Will's owners and since my regular video camera wasn't focussing properly, I filmed it on my IPod. As a result, there is no zooming but at least it's clear(er).  And now Will has NO fear of those plastic bunnies any more!!

 Will - last run of the day (literally!)

Was this fun Will?

Zzzzzzzzz

I think so!  Mission accomplished!

Family visit - Will

Today, William (aka Will) from our 2011 litter with Brick & Miska came for a visit. I hadn't seen him in about a year and a half so it was really wonderful to see how nicely he had turned out.  (He was Mr Turquoise as a puppy.) In the photo he is on the far R.  Thanks for the visit Karen!!

L-R Uncle Tyro, half-sis Diva, Mama Miska & Will

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Our 6 puppies: Bentley, Stella, Bodi, Elsie, Charlie, and William born to Brick and our beloved Miska on May 31, 2011 turn two years old today!

 

Happy 1st Birthday!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to our 2011 litter. 

Minutes to a couple of hours old on May 31, 2011

Happy Birthday and best wishes to the 6 puppies born May 31, 2011 to Mama "Miska" and Papa "Brick". Four boys and two girls (the exact same combination as in Miska's first litter):  Bentley (Mr. Green), Bodi (Mr Blue), Charlie (Mr Black), Elsie (Miss Yellow), Stella (Red) and William (Turquoise).

Bentley, first born and just minutes old

Exhausted Mama Miska with her six newborn whelps on May 31

The following head shots were taken on June 4, 2011 when the pups were four days old.

Bentley

Bodi

Elsie

Charlie

Stella

William

Pets on Furniture

Karen Johnston (one of my puppy clients) long ago gave up on the idea of keeping her Vizslas off furniture (haven't most of us?). While she dog sat my Miska and Diva during our vacation, she snapped a photo of Miska, Diva and Miska's son Will(iam) on one of her couches and submitted it to the Desire to Inspire Blog.  Click on the link below and continue scrolling down until you see the backs of 3 Vizslas on a grey sofa (4th photo from the bottom of the post).

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/2011/10/10/mondays-pets-on-furniture.html

Vacations

When is our mom coming to get us?

Anyone who owns a Vizsla knows this breed doesn't do well when placed in a commercial dog kennel - unless you own multiple dogs and your Vizsla can board with its canine family members at the boarding facility (or dog spa as many call it).  When possible, I try to avoid kenneling my dogs when I go on vacation, although this isn't always possible.  Recently, we took a 12-day trip to Galapagos (more about that later) and had to find spots for our 4 Vizsla family members.

Varazs Family Blogs

Stella is the latest Vizsla that we've bred or is related to our dogs to have her own Blog.  Here's a list of Blogs and websites featuring Varazs-bred or sired dogs.

Pets on furniture

Sleeping on soft, cushy furniture must be in a Vizsla's DNA.  After all, they were bred and raised by the nobility of Hungary - although some of the castles I've seen in Europe were furnished pretty sparsely so I don't know about soft surfaces in Hungarian castles.  Nevertheless, Vizslas gravitate to think it's their right to sleep on sofas and beds and also think it's below their stature to sleep on something hard, 

Update on Will (Mr Turquoise)

I am like a "mother" when it comes to my fur-kids, i.e., the puppies I am responsible for bringing into this world and so I am always anxious (in a good way) to hear how they are doing, no matter what their ages.  Of course, I always prefer happy news but I know that part of being a breeder is you have to take the bad with the good.

Big paws to fill

Four of our Miska-Brick puppies born May 31, 2011 have gone to homes where the owners previously had wonderful Vizslas. Tunder (Mr Black) and Bodi (Mr BLue) have gone to Toronto with Corrine Sellars who sadly lost Milo in March of this year (yes, 2 puppies to one home which I said I would never do!).  Will (Mr Turquoise) now lives in Oshawa with a family, Karen Johnston and Doug Wheeler. who had had 2 vizslas from me: Bob (1995-2009) and almost 15 yr-old Rita who passed away just 2 days before Will arrived at their home. Miss Yellow, now Elsie, went to live with Christopher and Christine Maloney of Buffalo NY who just lost their Vizsla named CSidney in May 2011 at the age of 13.  So our puppies have big paws to fill and I am know they will  never replace these dogs who were previously owned by these families and individuals but they will create their own unique places in their hearts.

Chris and Christine Maloney with Elsie (Miss Yellow)

Miska saying farewell to Black (Tunder) and Blue (Bodi)

Will (Turquoise) with his new humans and Miska (standing in for dearly and recently departed Rita)