Dog shake

It's always fascinating to watch a dog shake.  In this case, I was able to get a fair number of shots of Diva beginning and ending a body shake.  Interesting how the skin on her muzzle flies around so much.

Oh - that sure felt GOOD!

Love to chew

We discovered that Ruby (aka Varazs Kiralyi Rubicund) from our 2003 litter who boarded with us for the past 2 weeks LOVES to chew.  She managed to devour about 4 rubber chew toys - fortunately my dogs weren't interested in them - and then started on the soft toys - which my dogs LOVE although they don't chew them, they just carry them around.   Ruby seems to like chew toys, sticks and soft toys and acoording to her owners, she LOVES TO CHEW and destroys toys in no time flat.

I don't know why one dog loves to chew and another doesn't.  Our dogs have destroyed plenty of toys in the past but not recently.  I wonder if it has to do with the fact that right now, my two of my dogs are getting a lot of training in agility and another in rally and so their minds and energy are focused on other activities.  What do you think?

Alligator teeth!

Diva, this is MY stick. Buzz off.

Partially chewed toy by Ruby

Can I chew this one Grandma? "No!!"

More 2003 litter "birthday" pics

The 2003 litter one of my favourites largely because of the wonderful sire, my beloved Sasha, and my lovely dam Nova.  They were among two of my favourite Vizslas and Sasha is my all-time fav male.  The ten puppies (yes!) in this litter all have exceptional temperaments, fantastic abilities, are very intelligent and have lovely conformation.  So far, all 10 puppies from this litter, which recently turned 9 years old, are alive and very healthy.   Here are recent (within a year) photos of 3 more from the litter: Hudson, Zsofi and Rachel.

HUDSON

Ch Varazs Kiralyi Fiu Am RN CGN

Hudson at the cottage (Summer 2011), age 8

ZSOFI

Ch Varazs Kiralyi Szofia FDJ NAVHDA NA PRIZE II

Zsofi and her owner Jill

Zsofi catching some ZZZzzzz's, age almost 9

RACHEL

Varazs Kiralyi Szepseg CGC

Rachel summer of 2011, age 8

Rachel enjoying the cottage

2006 litter - more "birthday" photos

Here are a few more recent and not-so-recent photos of 2 more Vizslas from my 2006 litter (Nova-Hudson) which celebrated their birthday on June 17. Thanks to their owners for sending me these photos.

LLOYD

CH Varazs Nyar Cigany

Lloyd at the cottage 2011

TUCKER

 CH Varazs Nyar Hot Sauce FDJ RN 

Tucker 2009

Tucker 2012

9 year old Puppy

There's no doubt about it.  Ruby1 (to distinguish her from another Ruby in our 2006 litter) from our 2003 litter which turned turned 9 years old on June 26, still looks and acts like a PUPPY!  Her owner kept saying that but I had trouble believing it until Ruby came to stay with us for a couple of weeks.  I hadn't seen much of Ruby over the years because she initially was sent out to live in British Columbia on the west coast of Canada.  Her owners then moved to Ontario but were busy raising a baby so it wasn't until a couple of years ago that we finally met up and I had a short reunion with Ruby.  However, it wasn't until she came to stay with us that I got a real opportunity to get reacquainted.  Not only is she still very puppy-like, she is a real sweetheart!  And boy, does she ever remind me of her mother, Nova.  Her eyes are like Nova's and she stands like Nova - and she HUMPS BEDS just like Nova did.  More about this behaviour later!  She doesn't have the build of Nova but Ruby certainly reminds me a lot of our beloved Nova.  And her muzzle reminds me more of her dad Sasha and her sister Zsofi.  All in all, she's an extremely pretty, fun-loving, playful and very sweet Varazs-bred Vizsla with a great temperament!

Ruby (L) with her sister Miska

 

Relatively speaking

I've been fortunate to see or visit with a handful of our puppies over the past couple of months. As a breeder, this always brings me joy since I love to see how our offspring are turning out.  Here are the dogs that have visited lately.

Charlie (formerly Tunder) born May 31, 2011

Charlie with his Uncle Tyro (born June 17, 2006)

L-R: Bodi & Elsie (littermates born May 31/11), Mama Miska, Vadasz and Quest

Ruby born June 26, 2003

Celebrating birthdays!

Sisters Ruby and Miska, 9 years old

3 littermates born June 26, 2003: Ruby, Miska & Vadasz

Littermates Diva & Quest born June 16, 2008

Mama Miska with son Bodi born May 31, 2011

Snake's alive! (Well, not quite.)

It wasn't a live snake but the shed skin of a harmless common garter snake that Bodi managed to sniff out in our garden.  We value these reptiles for their ability to eat small rodents such as mice and so never want them harmed.  We do NOT encourage our dogs to attack snakes because half the time we reside in AZ where there are plenty of venomous rattlesnakes that we want to avoid.

However, Bodi found this 'lovely' snake skin most likely from a female as the females tend to be larger than the males.  Garter snakes give off a foul smelling fluid from their postanal glands when they are handled or harmed.  This snake wasn't harmed or handled in the making of these photos so perhaps there is residue from these glands when they shed their skins because clearly the dogs picked up some kind of scent - particularly Bodi.

Uncle Vadasz to Nephew Bodi - 'You check it out first!  It may bite me!"

Bodi to Uncle Vadasz: "Crikey - what's that? 
Stay back Uncle Vadasz while I check it out!!"

Wow - an entire snake skin!

" Uncle Vadasz, "There's more than one skin here.  Here's another. It's a tail!!" [Bodi]

Belated Birthday Cake

We had several birthdays squeezed into 4 weeks but last month (June) I was very busy at shows and obedience and rally trials and there wasn't enough time or an opportunity to celebrate our dogs' birthdays.  So today we managed to do it with a walk and a cake.  Enjoying the outing today were birthday Vizslas:

• Miska, Vadasz & Ruby who turned 9 years old on June 23 oops s/b 26 (they are littermates from our 2003 litter; Ruby is visiting us for 2 weeks so stay turned for more pics of her) 
• Tyro who turned 6; he's from our 2006 litter
• Quest and Diva, brother and sister from our 2008 litter who turned 4
• Bodi from our May 31, 2011 litter who turned one.

Enjoying a cool(er) walk in the woods

Diva pointing something

Humans: "Blah, blah, blah-blah, blah; yadda-yadda."  Dogs: Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff.

Did someone say Birthday Cake?  [Diva]

"I don't care about cake! I need a nap!" [Quest ]

The yummy birthday cake

Employing great self-control - "How much longer do we have to wait for a piece of cake?"

Enjoying more family fun: Front: (L-R) Tyro & Ruby.  Rear (L-R): Quest, Vadasz & Bodi.