I'm a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club and a member of the Vizsla Club of America. I've been "in the breed" since 2000 when my first Vizsla Remus came into my life.
I am deeply committed to educating others on responsible breeders versus irresponsible people like puppy-millers, high-volume and backyard breeders.
Please DO NOT EVER get a dog from a puppy-miller, high-volume breeder, backyard breeder, broker, or pet store. Most of these irresponsible people and places can easily be found on the Internet or in the newspaper. Go to the Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club's website to learn If the Vizsla is the Right Breed for You and How to Find A Reputable Breeder. Be prepared to do lots of research and have lots of patience in your search for a healthy, well-bred Vizsla with a strong and proven pedigree.
You can see the devastating impact irresponsible breeding has on animal shelters and rescue organizations. Irresponsible people who breed dogs usually don't care who their pups go to nor do they carefully screen the people/homes their pups go to. Once the "newness" or "cuteness" of the pup wears off, behavior or health issues arise, or lifestyle changes (decide to have children, divorce, move) the dog gets the raw end of the deal and is turned into an animal shelter or rescue organization. Reputable breeders DO NOT allow this to happen to a dog they've bred. They try to stay in contact with their homes and should, under any circumstances, take a dog back. They will care for the dog for the rest of his/her life or find a loving, forever home.
The point of this "soapbox lecture" is to impress upon you how important it is to get your dog from a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders DO NOT contribute to the problem of unwanted animals going into shelters and rescue organizations. It is the irresponsible people who breed animals that create the problem of overpopulated animal shelters and rescue organizations, and the unnecessary euthanization of so many healthy and adoptable animals.
Please consider adopting a rescue Vizsla from one of the following groups:
Colorado/Wyoming Vizsla Rescue Group
Utah/Idaho Vizsla Rescue
Vizsla Club of America rescue (list of regional coordinators)
Go to http://www.puppymillrescue.com/ and http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ to learn more about the horrors of puppy mills.
Now a bit more about me...
I'm a "home-grown" girl, born and raised in Denver, Colorado. My "real" name is Imelda Reveles, but because it was difficult for non-Spanish speaking people to pronounce it correctly and I didn't like the way my name sounded when it was mispronounced, I was given the nickname "Mel" by schoolmates and friends at a young age.
My love for dogs came early, perhaps even before I was a toddler. I grew up with two older human siblings, a sister and a brother, and a few four-legged siblings of the canine species. Most special to me was "Chato", a big male brindle Boxer who was about the same age as me and was my best friend until he died of old age (I was 12 years old). Chato was a great family dog, always gentle with his humans even when we weren't very gentle back (thankfully, times have changed and so has the way many of us treat our canine companions). He was a great dog to cuddle with. I have wonderful memories of him sleeping in my bed then stealing all the covers through the course of the night. I would wake up from being cold and there was my big baby of a dog wrapped warmly in my covers. Getting the covers back from him was quite an effort! Okay, maybe the memories of waking up freezing aren't so fond but I did love cuddling with Chato so much I guess the trade-off was worth it.
The first Vizsla I saw was in the summer of 1998 at Washington Park (affectionately known as "Wash Park" to the locals) in the heart of Denver. He was sitting like a statue watching with so much intensity as his human played a game of ultimate frisbee. I thought he was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. He was so athletic looking with his lean muscles showing through his gleaming copper-colored coat. I did the requisite inquiry that those of us who are in the breed now are so familiar with. It goes something like:
Me: "What kind of dog is he?"
Guy in the park: "A Vizsla."
Me: "A What? "
Guy in the park: "A Vee-shla."
Me: "A What? "
Guy in the park: "It's pronounced vee-shla, he's a Hungarian Pointer--a hunting dog with lots and lots of energy."
Me: "How do you spell it? "
Guy in the park: "V-I-Z-S-L-A"
So, off I went to research this breed and to learn if I might be lucky enough to add one to my family someday. I did (The Most Perfect Dog in the History of the World, Remus).
I love my Vizslas as though they are my children but I fully recognize they are not furry, four-legged versions of the human kind. Nor would I want them to be. That's the whole point of me choosing to have dogs instead of kids. I'm much better at raising dogs than I'm sure I would be at raising human children (never tried raising little humans though). I really "get" dogs and am fascinated with their behaviors and language. I'll readily admit I'm not as good at "getting" people although I do try.
In addition to loving my Vizslas to pieces and enjoying them as my companions, I've found training with them to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. My passion is training for field competitions and real hunting. Being an avid outdoors woman, spending the day in the field with with my dogs is akin to a perfect day. It's why, after training with Jon Hann of Perfection Kennels for many years I decided to enter the professional world of training bird dogs.
Oh, and I always enjoy interesting conversation paired with a nice bourbon. :-)
I am deeply committed to educating others on responsible breeders versus irresponsible people like puppy-millers, high-volume and backyard breeders.
Please DO NOT EVER get a dog from a puppy-miller, high-volume breeder, backyard breeder, broker, or pet store. Most of these irresponsible people and places can easily be found on the Internet or in the newspaper. Go to the Rocky Mountain Vizsla Club's website to learn If the Vizsla is the Right Breed for You and How to Find A Reputable Breeder. Be prepared to do lots of research and have lots of patience in your search for a healthy, well-bred Vizsla with a strong and proven pedigree.
You can see the devastating impact irresponsible breeding has on animal shelters and rescue organizations. Irresponsible people who breed dogs usually don't care who their pups go to nor do they carefully screen the people/homes their pups go to. Once the "newness" or "cuteness" of the pup wears off, behavior or health issues arise, or lifestyle changes (decide to have children, divorce, move) the dog gets the raw end of the deal and is turned into an animal shelter or rescue organization. Reputable breeders DO NOT allow this to happen to a dog they've bred. They try to stay in contact with their homes and should, under any circumstances, take a dog back. They will care for the dog for the rest of his/her life or find a loving, forever home.
The point of this "soapbox lecture" is to impress upon you how important it is to get your dog from a responsible breeder. Responsible breeders DO NOT contribute to the problem of unwanted animals going into shelters and rescue organizations. It is the irresponsible people who breed animals that create the problem of overpopulated animal shelters and rescue organizations, and the unnecessary euthanization of so many healthy and adoptable animals.
Please consider adopting a rescue Vizsla from one of the following groups:
Colorado/Wyoming Vizsla Rescue Group
Utah/Idaho Vizsla Rescue
Vizsla Club of America rescue (list of regional coordinators)
Go to http://www.puppymillrescue.com/ and http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ to learn more about the horrors of puppy mills.
Now a bit more about me...
I'm a "home-grown" girl, born and raised in Denver, Colorado. My "real" name is Imelda Reveles, but because it was difficult for non-Spanish speaking people to pronounce it correctly and I didn't like the way my name sounded when it was mispronounced, I was given the nickname "Mel" by schoolmates and friends at a young age.
My love for dogs came early, perhaps even before I was a toddler. I grew up with two older human siblings, a sister and a brother, and a few four-legged siblings of the canine species. Most special to me was "Chato", a big male brindle Boxer who was about the same age as me and was my best friend until he died of old age (I was 12 years old). Chato was a great family dog, always gentle with his humans even when we weren't very gentle back (thankfully, times have changed and so has the way many of us treat our canine companions). He was a great dog to cuddle with. I have wonderful memories of him sleeping in my bed then stealing all the covers through the course of the night. I would wake up from being cold and there was my big baby of a dog wrapped warmly in my covers. Getting the covers back from him was quite an effort! Okay, maybe the memories of waking up freezing aren't so fond but I did love cuddling with Chato so much I guess the trade-off was worth it.
The first Vizsla I saw was in the summer of 1998 at Washington Park (affectionately known as "Wash Park" to the locals) in the heart of Denver. He was sitting like a statue watching with so much intensity as his human played a game of ultimate frisbee. I thought he was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. He was so athletic looking with his lean muscles showing through his gleaming copper-colored coat. I did the requisite inquiry that those of us who are in the breed now are so familiar with. It goes something like:
Me: "What kind of dog is he?"
Guy in the park: "A Vizsla."
Me: "A What? "
Guy in the park: "A Vee-shla."
Me: "A What? "
Guy in the park: "It's pronounced vee-shla, he's a Hungarian Pointer--a hunting dog with lots and lots of energy."
Me: "How do you spell it? "
Guy in the park: "V-I-Z-S-L-A"
So, off I went to research this breed and to learn if I might be lucky enough to add one to my family someday. I did (The Most Perfect Dog in the History of the World, Remus).
I love my Vizslas as though they are my children but I fully recognize they are not furry, four-legged versions of the human kind. Nor would I want them to be. That's the whole point of me choosing to have dogs instead of kids. I'm much better at raising dogs than I'm sure I would be at raising human children (never tried raising little humans though). I really "get" dogs and am fascinated with their behaviors and language. I'll readily admit I'm not as good at "getting" people although I do try.
In addition to loving my Vizslas to pieces and enjoying them as my companions, I've found training with them to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. My passion is training for field competitions and real hunting. Being an avid outdoors woman, spending the day in the field with with my dogs is akin to a perfect day. It's why, after training with Jon Hann of Perfection Kennels for many years I decided to enter the professional world of training bird dogs.
Oh, and I always enjoy interesting conversation paired with a nice bourbon. :-)