Tugamania!

Miska and Tyro had a good game of tugging over a destuffed stuffie that Miska won at the Rio Salado Vizsla Specialty Show. It didn't take her any time to eviscerate the stuffie.  Somehow the toy became more desirable after being destuffed!

A little older, a little greyer

Toby's owner just sent me some recent photos of him taken this February. Toby turned 10 years old on February 21.  He has had several mast cell tumours removed but so far, thankfully none has appeared in the past year.  Here's hoping for several more wonderful years together with his humans.  Thanks to Kris B. for sending me these pics.  Big hugs to the Tobymeister!

Nika

Not long ago, I received some recent photos of Nika (CH Varazs Edes Veronika) who is a beautiful and talented Vizsla out of my Hudson-Nova breeding born June 2006.  Last year, she acquired a new fur-friend named Ginny, a Brittany Spaniel bred by my friends & field trainers, Donna and Mike Wilshire of Ruffwood Brittanies.  The photos of Nika and Ginny were taken by Matthew Scott who owns Nika.  Nika is a littermate to my dog, Tyro.

Happy 10th Birthday!

Toby in 2009

Happy Birthday!!

Today Toby (Ch Varazs Tobias Barat FDJ) and Sara (Am CH Varazs Sara's Full of Grace MH ROM) turn 10 years young. They were from my 2001 litter sired by Am CH Voros Vadasz Cyrus Barat MH and whelped by Am/Can CH Varazs Abracadabra TT

Sara in 2009

And the winner is . . . .

Westminster Kennel Club dog show is always very interesting to watch but it's not 'real' like a national specialty show is because Westminster depends on who gets their entries in the quickest since entries are extremely limited. And the kennel club restricts dogs to those that are already Champions which by virtue of the title infers some level of higher quality (although not necessarily because there is a lot of politics that go on).  Anyway, that's not to detract from the dogs that were shown and the one that won.  Congratulations to the Vizsla winner - Ch Cinnabars Aldebaran Epiphany - Best of Breed 2011.

Breed: Vizsla
Sex: Bitch
AKC: SR 44876903
Date of Birth: September 13, 2007
Breeder: Susan B Potocik & Katherine E Stookey
Sire: DC Arsla And Auburn's Sunny Boy MH
Dam: Ch Cinnabar's Annie Only
Owner: Debra Jean Becker & Alan S Becker
Photos: Breed judging


Unfortunately the Vizsla did not win Best in Sporting Dog group and therefore did NOT proceed to Best in Show in 2011.  Here's a video of the judging - unfortunately no subtitles or voice-overs to inform you of their registered names as they are being presented. PS NONE of my dogs were entered.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Created by Corrine, featuring Magnificent Milo!

Dog meets bird

Milo recently met Sebastien, a Macaw (I believe) which seems to be a permanent resident at the Small Animal clinic at the Ontario Veterinary College. I think that beak would be very painful!

Do I kiss it or eat it?

Scenes from UKC dog show

Someone put together photos from the last UKC dog show that I attended with Miska and Diva in late January. Go to the 4:52 minute mark to see a few slides that we are in.

Mr Double CD!

Yesterday, Tyro (whelped 2006) earned an extra and final pass with a score of 194 and 4th place to complete his American Companion Dog (CD) title!! He earned his title with 4 straight passes. Coming fourth in the Novice B class was quite an accomplishment since the competition in Phoenix. AZ was strong and included two obedience judges as fellow competitors!  This is Tyro's 9th title.  He's now:

CH Varazs Napkelte Tyrone Am/Can CD, Am/Can RN, Am/Can RA, Am RE, CGN

Off leash 'park'

We have recently discovered two spots not far from our AZ home where we feel we can 'safely' run our dogs off leash. (These locations will remain unidentified to protect the innocent - and the guilty!)  There are still dangers of cactus but fortunately our dogs are well trained and if they get close to cactus or too far away, we call or whistle and they return right away - well, 99% of the time!  I always carry pliers to extract thorns from their paws, just in case.

I was told by a local veterinarian that snakes do make appearances in every month of the year here so we are still on the lookout.  Most snake bites occur to dogs that run off leash so this is still a big worry.  I must read up more on snake habitats so I have a better idea where they may hang out. The two spots we run the dogs are like construction sites - where the land has been cleared of most vegetation.  Not too interesting to look at but that means no cacti and very few plants in these areas.

Happy 13th Birthday!

LUCKY 13!

Bartok in 1998

Today I salute Amber (Ch Varazs On Point at Blackbullet) and Bartok (Varazs Bartok Bluebeardscastle), the 2 remaining littermates out of 4 from our 1998 breeding. This was the fourth and last breeding we did with our beloved Nekah (Am/Can CH Maritza of Kezdet Nekah Am/Can CD, CGC).  Amber and Bartok celebrate 13 years today - February 2.  Sadly, their brother Otis died last fall, just short of turning 13.  A big thanks to their owners for loving these dogs and taking such wonderful care of them! Big hugs and kisses and birthday wishes from your breeder-mom.

Bartok celebrating his 12 birthday (2010)

Bartok 12 years young

 

Amber, 6 weeks old (above)

Amber in her fav sweater (2008)

Amber

Diva's a Champion!

We 'missed' celebrating Diva's Canadian Championship because at the time, I miscalculated the number of points she had earned when she had her Group 4th placement at the Burlington Kennel Club show in late September.  According to Cdn Kennel Club rules, dogs can earn extra points if they take a group placement; the number of points are determined by the number of breeds present in the group.  That's where I went wrong. Diva needed 2 points to finish and I calculated there were only enough Sporting Dog breeds to make 1 point.  Perhaps I forgot to include Vizslas in the calculation because according to the CKC, she earned 2 points at that show and that was enough to finish her championship! It wasn't until I received her certificate in the mail 3 months later that I discovered she was a CKC Champion. And during that time, I thought she was sitting on the 'dreaded 9 point' position.

And so, this past weekend, I was showing Diva in United Kennel Club shows. Her mother, Miska, outshown her but the final judge of the day slightly preferred Diva over Miska and gave Diva the breed which finished her UKC Champion title on Sunday. She also earned a Group 2nd in the Gun Dog group but group placements in the UKC do not give any points. 

UKC shows are very relaxed shows as no professional handlers are allowed to exhibit dogs. Only  owners or breeders can exhibit dogs.  There are many breeds that aren't yet recognized by the AKC or CKC so it's an opportunity to view some unusual breeds.  I got to see my first Braco Italiano and Redbone Coonhound for which many people mistake Vizslas.  Unfortunately, these two breeds weren't present on Sunday when I brought my camera so I didn't get a photo of them.

Anyway, Diva now has acquired 3 Champion titles from three different organizations: 

1. Canadian Kennel Club (Sept. 26, 2010)
2. International All Breed Canine Assoc. (IABCA) (Dec. 12, 2010)
3. United Kennel Club (Jan. 30, 2011)

Miska earns her 4th Champion title

4th Champion Title for Miska!

At the age of 7.5 years, Miska acquired her fourth Champion title today, competing in United Kennel Club (UKC) all breed shows. This is her 18th title to date!  She also earned two Group 3rd placements in the Gun Dog group under judges Andrew (Gene) Mills of Bonita CA and Deborah Allen of Farmville VA. The green ribbons are the Group 3rd ribbons.  Miska is now known as:

BIS (Veteran) Am/Cdn/Int'l/UKC CH Varazs Kiralyi Kedvesem FDJ, FD, NAVHDA NA Prize III, JH, Am/Cdn CD, Am/Cdn RE, Am RAE, CGN
aka "Miska Monkers"

Celebrating Sasha's Life

How time flies by! Three years ago today (January 22, 2008), we said farewell to our beloved Sasha.  Time does heal one's grief and I can honestly say that now I can smile more than cry when I think about or look at photos of him.  He was a such a huge and important part of my life - we were together for more than 15 years and he was one of those "once-in-a-lifetime' dogs and an exceptional Vizsla with a superb temperament.  Here's to celebrating the life of my Sassy Sasha.



And here's a video showing just how wonderful Sasha's temperament was. He's playing with Merlin, a visiting male Vizsla who boarded with us while his owners were on their honeymoon.

Happy 2011!

I received a delightful, as always, card from Corrine Sellars who owns Milo (born June 2002). She has given me permission to post - thank you Corrine and thanks for the wonderful card! 

So on behalf of Corrine, Milo and me (representing all Varazs Vizslas), I want to wish my puppy buyer clients, and Blog and website followers and visitors a very Happy 2011!

Snow in Phoenix!

Well, we and the dogs are trying to escape winter weather by staying in Arizona. But a storm from California has brought cold, and wild weather to AZ, including high winds, cold temps, hail, thunder storms, rain AND hail and snow showers!  Snow in the Phoenix-area is very rare but we got some today!!  Brrrr!

Miska is a Grandmother!

Miska is a new Grandmother to 5 girls and 3 boys born December 15/10 to Jewel, the mom (Ch. Blackbullet Varazs Legacy NAVHDA Natural Ability Prize ll) bred by Sherryanne Farr and Wes Daniels of Blackbullet Reg'd kennel in Alberta, Canada. The father is "Blaze" (Varazs Kedves Quasar NAVHDA Natural Ability Prize III) who is Miska's son born June 16, 2008.

Pups have been doing well although Jewel has been having a very rough time after the whelping.  There are always risks to the mom (dam) of any litter as well as to the new whelps and it's easy to forget this sometimes. Our biggest hope is that Jewel stays on the road to a full recovery and good health. In the meantime, they have been getting a lot of extra care and tube feeding by breeders Sherryanne and Wes.  Thanks to Sherryanne for the photos of Miska's grand-kids.

Jewel with her babies on Dec. 17

2 weeks old, Dec. 29/10

Best in Show Veteran!

As well as written critiques provided by each judge, the IABCA does run group and best in show competitions. Diva took two Group 2nds & and a Group 3rd. Veterans such as Miska were judged for a Best in Show Veteran competition and Miska took a Reserve Best in Show Veteran on Saturday, Dec. 11 won two all-breed Best in Show Veteran competitions on Sunday Dec. 12.

Miska with her Reserve & Best in Show Veteran rosettes!

2 New International Champions!

Both Miska and her daughter, Diva, strutted their stuff at a recent International All Breed Canine Association (IABCA) all breed dog show in Tucson AZ on Dec. 11-12 and each earned an International Champion (UCI CB) title.  This type of organization is quite different from the Cdn or American Kennel Clubs because the shows are not competition-based. Each dog is judged against the breed standard.  Each judge gives each dog a written critique encompassing 12 different parts of a dog's body and movement. If a dog does well (gets the top score at each show), an adult dog can earn an International Title in three shows. Group and BIS competitions do not affect title points and missing a group or a BIS has no effect on title standings and points.

Both Miska and Diva accumulated four V-1 ratings which is equivalent to "Very Excellent" (the top rating for adult class) although only 3 are needed for an International Title.

Proud Vizsla mum with Diva (L) and Miska (R)

Miska (L) and Diva (R) posing with their IABCA medallions

Hike at Sedona AZ

Yesterday we took my step-daughter & our 3 Vizslas, Miska, Tyro & Diva for a drive and hike to Sedona AZ.  Sedona is re-known for its beautiful red rock formations and definitely worth a visit.  The hike we took was a fairly easy hike along Boynton Canyon.  The rocks were spectactular!  Unfortunately it was very overcast so the red colours were muted.