bird dog: April 2014

Wirehaired Vizsla gets full AKC Recognition

A wonderful breed finally is recognized in the US

Post from AKC about the Wirehaired Vizsla introduction modified to just reference this breed.

... An expert hunter joins the AKC Family
(Monday, April 28, 2014)The Wirehaired Vizsla Gains Full AKC Recognition
New York, NY

The pack has expanded!

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) announced today the Wirehaired Vizsla will be welcomed to its litter of recognized breeds this year, growing AKC’s family to 180.

...Wirehaired Vizsla is an athletic breed with an excellent nose for hunting and tracking, the Wirehaired Vizsla joins the Sporting Group. The breed originated in Hungary as a hunting dog that could withstand extreme weather and rough field conditions, which is why they have a long, dense, wiry coat. They are gentle, outgoing, friendly dogs that make wonderful companions. Because of their athletic nature, Wirehaired Vizslas do best with active families. Additional information on the breed can be found on the Wirehaired Vizsla Club of America’s website at www.whvca.us.

The breed will be eligible to compete beginning July 2nd of this year.

To become an AKC recognized breed there must be a minimum number of dogs geographically distributed throughout the U.S., as well as an established breed club of responsible owners and breeders. Breeds working towards full recognition are recorded in AKC’s Foundation Stock Service® (FSS®). More information on the process can be found at akc.org.

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The Road Less Traveled

by Kit McCallum

How often we must bear the challenges of life;

The endless roller coaster between happiness and sorrow;

The constant ups and downs of daily strife.
And always the question remains .... why?

Life is not an easy road for most;

It twists and turns with many forks in the road,

Although always, and inevitably, we are given a choice ...

Do we turn to the right ... or the left?
Do we take the high road ... or the low road?
Do we take the easy path ... or the difficult one?

Decisions are not easy for those struggling for direction ...
And sometimes the many choices and signs become overwhelming.

While standing at a crossroads in life,

The urge is to take the most comfortable path;
The road with least resistance ...
The shortest or most traveled route.

And yet, if we've been down that comfortable road before;
Have gleaned its lessons in life, and learned from our experiences;

Do we yet again follow the known?

Or does our destiny lie in another direction?

The fear of the road less traveled is tangible and all too real;
It manifests itself in many ways,
And tends to cloud the issues that might otherwise be clear.

It is in these times of confusion,
That we must seek peace and solitude;
Time to contemplate on our life,

Our experiences and our choices past;
Time to look back, and reflect on what we have learned
Without fear or confusion.

For only each of us knows our own personal thoughts;
Our unique past and personal history;
The experiences that brought us to the crossroads we now face.
We can always learn a small degree from others experiences,
And yet ... no one person can walk in our shoes,
Others know not the trials and tribulations faced in private ...
For each is individual ... unique ... and personal.

And that is why ... while standing at a crossroads,
Only "we" can formulate the decision for ourselves;
The true direction that lies within;
The choices we must deliberate on with clarity and wisdom.
For it is only through personal reflection,
That we can now choose our destiny; ...

Our next adventure;

... And the future we will embrace.

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Vizsla as Psychotherapist.

"Take a look at this Vizsla video.

It was made by psychotherapist Kalila Borghini and shows how our dogs can be very useful in helping people with their problems."

Personally I love the concept of these dogs as therapist.

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REDBIRDDOG.COM is Now Active

One day I may want to take my passion for Vizslas one further step.

REDBIRDDOG.COM

Not sure if I will ever take this anywhere but a friend of mine told me about how to go about getting my own .com.

Now it is mine.

Almost five years as part of BlogSpot (Blogger) has been wonderful. Very easy to post pictures and our stories.

Still having a great time.

Happy trails.

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Turkey Treed by Bailey and Chloe

Bailey and Chloe enjoyed the hill run last night.

About 45 minutes into the hike I heard the turkey, then saw its flight, and its not so graceful landing into the oak tree pictured.

Bailey and Chloe pointed the big bird out to me.

"Hey dad! Get it!" They seemed to be saying as they barked at the treed bird.

They just could not understand why I didn't do my job as a hunter. They had done their job.

How do explain that to your dogs that we are in the 'burbs?

To them that big fat bird should be dinner. I couldn't blame them.
That big turkey would have fed a family of four for a week.

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Silly Looking is the new Smart

We can have a great time while still staying safe!

Tonight Bailey and Chloe ran and swam wearing their "Outfox Protection Head Gear."

We hiked for a little over an hour with the inventor of the Outfox in the hills above our town. The dogs wore them comfortably for the whole hour.

The other dogs, that we came across, looked "naked" with their noses and ears unprotected.

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Out Fox Protection

"STOP! I know better",

I told myself Sunday as I hiked the hills above our town.

Foxtails are now the thickest I have ever seen them and they are drying out quickly. Billions of them. Each one dangerous to the health of my dogs as they dry.

A nasty barbed weed in the nose is an immediate emergency trip to the vet and a $500+ charge.

Monday I went out again into the same area. This time Bailey and Chloe were wearing their Outfox headgear.

The rattlesnakes were out on this warm spring afternoon. Our rattlesnake avoidance classes came in handy as the dogs avoided the two poisonous snakes we came across.
Link to my 2011 post on rattlesnake avoidance training

But the dogs did not have to avoid the foxtails. They could run with abandon through them.

This invention has taken the fear of the hills in the late spring and early summer away.

Great job Diane (local business woman) for developing this fine product.

Here is a link to another friend that sells them:

Huntin' Dawg

Happy and safe trails.

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Bailey ate my I-Pad

In an updated version of "The dog ate my homework!" Bailey enjoyed munching on my Apple I-Pad last Friday night when my wife and I went off to a restaurant. It's dead.

Was it that I had been on the Hungarian Vizsla Forum too much?

Looking at pictures of other Vizslas?

At almost six years old Bailey started about a year ago with an annoying by lovable habit. He chews on my clothing that has my body odor on it when we are away.

Since I place the I-Pad on my lap, the leather case holds my scent and becomes the target of his desire.

So this year the totals are something like:

8 shirts,

6 pairs of pants

4 pair of shoes (just the tongues)

2 sweatshirts

3 jackets

1 Apple I-pad

This is an unexpected owning expense but I never catch him doing it and he never does it to any of my wife's clothes, the items around the house or anything of mine that is washed. Just those items with my sweat.