Nekah - who started it all

Am/Can CH Maritza of Kezdet Nekah Am/Can CD,CGC

Sylvia with Nekah in 1999

Today, our foundation bitch would have been 20 years old if she was still alive. She was born in New York state and came to be known as Maritza of Kezdet Nekah.  "Nekah" was our first Vizsla puppy and first female as we had adopted two adult Vizslas before her.  I can still remember so clearly picking her up in Syracuse, NY from Judy Vernon (now Judy Saddlemire).  Nekah wasn't Judy's litter but Judy had 'supervised' the breeding.  We didn't have a crate because we didn't know how big Nekah would be. So we tried to fasten 2 laundry baskets together to bring her to her new home in Canada.  It was about a 5-hour drive and Nekah screamed the entire way!

I dearly loved Nekah.  She became the first Vizsla that I handled to her Canadian and American Champion titles. I also earned her American & Cdn Companion Dog title.  She eventually became, Am/Can CH Maritza of Kezdet Nekah Am/Can CD,CGC.  We lost Nekah at too young an age but she started the Varazs legacy. She was dam of:

• 1993 VSO Booster Best of Breed: BPIG Am/Can CH Varazs Kiraly Sassy Sasha Am/Can CD, Am/Can CDX, FDJ, Am RE, Am RAE, TT, CGC, CGN (Sasha)

• #3 Vizsla in Canada in Conformation (1998):  Ch Varazs Blackbullets onthe Wing - Rex

• Best Cdn Bred, Vizsla Canada National Specialty Show (1998, 1999) - BPIG Can/Am CH Varazs Abracadabra TT (Abby)

• #4 Vizsla in Canada (1999): Ch Varazs Blackbullets onthe Wing - Rex

• #5 Obedience Vizsla (1998): BPIG Am/Can CH Varazs Kiraly Sassy Sasha Am/Can CD, Am/Can CDX, FDJ, Am RE, Am RAE, TT, CGC, CGN - Sasha

• #3 Obedience Vizsla in Canada (1999): BPIG Am/Can CH Varazs Kiraly Sassy Sasha Am/Can CD, Am/Can CDX, FDJ, Am RE, Am RAE, TT, CGC, CGN - Sasha

• Best of Opposite Sex, 1999 Vizsla Canada National Specialty Show & Vizsla Society of Ontario Specialty Show: BPIG Can/Am CH Varazs Abracadabra TT - Abby

• 5 Group Placing Dogs - Sasha, Rex, Abby, Tasha, Amber (1993, 1998, 1999, 2000)

• My first Agility-titled Vizsla (Keira), my first Rally-Obedience (AKC)-titled dog (Sasha, 2005)

• VSO 2007 Tibor Reiter Trophy winner for versatility - Sasha

• Varazs Summer Solstice (Bob), who was the inspiration of the book, Mr. Bob's Magic Ride in the Sky

And she is the grand-dam of:

• #4 Obedience Vizsla (2002) & #1 Obedience Vizsla in 2003: M-OTCH Szuni's Shooting Star CD CDX UD FDJ FD FDX TD AGN AGI AGDC AADC (Mila)

• Best of Opposite Sex, 2004 N. California Vizsla Club's Specialty Show: Am CH Varazs Sara's Full of Grace MH ROM - Sara

• IABCA Best in Show Veteran: Am/Cdn/Int'l/UKC CH Varazs Kiralyi Kedvesem FD, NAVHDA NA Prize III, JH, Am/Cdn CD, Am/Cdn RE, Am RAE, CGN - Miska

• First Vizsla in Canada to earn the RAE (rally) title from the Cdn Kennel Club: RMCH Varazs Mokany Ficko FDJ, Am/Can CD, Am/Can RN, Am/Can RA, RAE AgNJ, AGN, RACL (CARO), RVCL (CARO), RXCL (CARO), SSGDC, SADC, CL1-R, CGN CGC - Milo

• Our first AKC Master Hunter and our first Registry of Merit (Vizsla Club of America) Vizsla - Am CH Varazs Sara's Full of Grace MH ROM (Sara)

• Group placing or puppy group winning dogs:
•      BPIG CH Varazs Vidam Lolamae - Lola
•      Am/Can CH Varazs Kiralyi Vadaszat FDJ, Can/Am CD, NAVHDA NA Prize II, JH, RN   (AKC), RA (AKC), CGN - Vadasz
•      2X BPG CH Blackbullets Heart of Varazs - Cooper

Thank you Nekah for being a big part of my life, although not for long enough, and for starting it all.  Happy 20th Birthday! You are still loved, greatly missed and will never be forgotten.

Best of Breed with Judge Nigel Aubrey-Jones (1994)

New Patio Mats

My dogs absolutely LOVE Bowsers' Beds.  However here in AZ I didn't want to place any Bowsers' Dutchie & Donut Beds outdoors where scorpions and other nasty critters could find a new home. I thought seriously about buying elevated beds for them.  But one day I popped into Bed Bath & Beyond in Chandler, AZ (love that store but the prices in its Canadian stores are ultra-high) and saw these bone-shaped, memory foam mats and bought 3. They look like they will wash easily and they are cushiony enough to provide comfort while lying on the patio.  Tyro and Diva try them out.

PS - they cost me $29.95 $29.99 each.

Tyro gives one a test try

It works outdoors!

I think I like it!

Diva models one

Weaving

On and off for the past while, I've been trying to teach Miska and Diva to weave using Susan Garrett's 2 X 2 method. I say "trying" because the training hasn't been serious. And then, Companion Dog training school, where we training last summer didn't use the 2 X 2 method. They use the channel method so the dogs were switched to that method. So when we came to AZ this winter, I brought 5 stick-in-the-ground, made-at-home weave poles with me to resume teaching them the 2X2 method. It was a challenge setting them into the ground here. Our backyard is xerascaped so we have no grass; it's all granite gravel over soil. Since the ground is rock hard, the poles wouldn't stand straight but it was better than nothing. More successful was going to a local park where there is grass. But when we started classes with the local agility club, I learned that they teach the straight method using guide wires. Yet another method!

To make a long story short, I ordered some new training weave poles and guide wires from the local pet supplier. I set 6 poles up in our bedroom (which is HUGE) to restrict the 'habitat'(one of Susan Garrett's terms). After 1-2 sessions where Miska and Diva went through the poles a couple of times, I set up my video camera to film the results. Miska (at 7.5 yr of age) made more mistakes initially - jumping over the guide wires or going under so I lowered the wires for her. Here are the results after just 2-3 practice sessions lasting 1-2 minutes.

This is Diva (aged 2.5 yr)

This is Miska (aged 7.5 yr)