Friday, December 30, 2011

GPS tracking demo gets interupted by Coydog



After a quick and successful pheasant hunt this morning at Hasting's Island Hunting Preserve, Bailey still had a ton of energy to burn. We had found four pheasant in a matter of 45 minutes and I had taken two and missed one and let one fly (flushed two at one time.)




The fun wasn't over.  Another interesting morning being a Vizsla owner.

We sometimes stop at "Hare Central" on the way back.   A vast housing development out in the "delta" that never finished getting developed after the 2008 collape.  Here rabbits and hare live by the hundreds if not thousands.

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/08/jackrabbits-and-vizslas.html

Today as I walked into the field and looked out about one mile ahead I was watching an spectacular "murmuration" in the next field of maybe 15,000 small black birds moving in huge dark clouds.  I grabbed my little Nikon camera and turned my camera to movie mode.  I wanted to capture this.

See below post.
http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/11/nature-of-birds.html

The birds had settled into the field and I was waiting to see if they would take to the air again so I could record it.

In the meantime, I thought I would show how the Garmain GPS tracker worked on Bailey as he ran happily through the fields.

My camera goes out of focus when I go to zoom in on the "coydog". 
The coyote was unlike any I had seen.    It must have been a mix of coyote and dog (Coydog) because it had an unusual reddish and dirty white coat but a coyote head. I have seen several dozen coyotes in the last couple years. This one was different. Bigger (about the size of Bailey @60 pounds) and stronger looking.  He was in full charge mode after my dog as Bailey high-tailed it out of the area.

http://www.apetsblog.com/pets-journal/coydog-coyote-dog-hybrid.htm

I never know what I'm going to come across out in the world with my dogs on any given day.
We just packed it up, got in the Jeep and got out of there. No harm, no foul.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

1 Vizsla - 4 Hunters - 13 Pheasant

Bird's Landing, December 28th, 2011. 

 Bailey earned his kibble today.  Went out with three friends this afternoon for a hunt in Field #2 at Bird's Landing Hunting Preserve.  
 My long-time friends, John and Mike, had never hunted behind a pointing dog.  I think they liked the experience.  Tommy had joined Bailey and me last year on a hunt. 
  Today Bailey worked the field very well.  He retrieved all the birds and didn't let any get away.  We hunters missed a few birds. 

We hunted the field in three 45-minute walks. This gave Bailey a chance to recharge his batteries. 

 He hunted a total of 2 1/2 hours.
  I could tell he was done after over a dozen birds pointed and retrieved back to me.
Field #2 at Bird's Landing Hunting Preserve. 
We hunted about 25 acres.
After the first 45-minute session.  Bailey was ready for more.
Bailey was one tired dog on the way home.

Quote from Jenny Hawthorn:
" Once the Vizsla owner comes to understand that they have a companion hunter, a friend with them in the bush, out on the tussock, or by the riverbanks, life just keeps getting better. Those who want a tool they can train and work and put away in kennels when not in use will never want nor appreciate the Vizsla. "

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Serenity of Being

 I know poets and song writers who can place words in lyrics and rhyme.
For me, I have no such talents. 
 Today, as I hiked the ridges of Briones Regional Park above the valley fog far below, I wished I had the poet's talent.  But words fail me and pictures do no justice to the feeling these walks bring to the dogs and me.
 Serenity of Being.  A state in which you are in the current moment completely and at peace.  This is the highest form of existence.


  I get so few opportunities in my day-to-day life when I can experience this state.  It is there for the taking with a little effort.
  When I do,
 I cherish those times.
In the hills this morning, there was no one but Bailey, Chloe, a few cows here and there, and a lone coyote off in the distance watching our movements along the trails.
 I experienced a great two-hour walk as the dogs had a fantastic
run.  They covered the hills and valleys like they were at home.  I kept up a steady pace through this breathtaking open space.


 We were at home. 
 I may live in a house, but I am most alive up in the hills.
So are the dogs.  My Vizslas live to run.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

Here’s A Dog Nativity Scene Even Jesus Would Love!

By Michelle Collins
Fab Life editor Lauren Deiman forwarded this photo her aunt sent to her of an almost entirely accurate nativity scene made up of dogs and a very happy-to-be-included horse. The dogs, on the other hand, could not care less. Seriously, dogs, this is going to be forwarded to hundreds of thousands of relatives. Perk it up, pals

Now if they would have just used Vizslas the picture would have been different!


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Vizsla Rescue Haven - "We Won!"

"WE WON THE PETFINDER’S CHALLENGE CONTEST!!!
 THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED!
CHECK IT OUT!" - Kay Ingle

"Sorry for all the caps but I am SO EXCITED!!
What a great holiday surprise -- a special thanks to the person who
started us all voting – not sure who it was but I could hug you.

The Vizsla Rescue Haven will start the year off $7,000 better off.
 (But don’t let that stop you from year end donations!)
Vizsla Rescue Haven.
 Now if Auggie would just start eating regularly, my holiday would be complete.

Who says Vizsla people can’t unite towards a common goal?
Happy holidays to everyone!!!
Kay Ingle - Vizsla Rescue Haven


Weekly Winners:

Each receive a $1,000 grant to help animals!*

Week             Shelter Name      Location
11        Vizsla Rescue Haven    El Sobrante, CA
10  Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue   Reinholds, PA
9    Rikkis Refuge   Orange, VA
8    Humane Society of Grand Bahama   Freeport, BS
7    Basset Rescue Crew of the Southeast   Columbia, SC
6   Save-A-Pet  Grayslake, IL
5   Humane Society of McCormick County, Inc.  McCormick, SC
4   Oldies But Goodies (Northern VA) Cocker Rescue   Newington, VA
3    Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary   Lancaster, NH
2   The Oasis Sanctuary   Benson, AZ
Friends of Felines Rescue Center   Defiance, OH

Redbirddog note:  This was a great win for a great organization that places the hard to adopt Vizslas.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Petland USA relies on Puppy Mills

A happy hobby bred dog going to happy family  NOT A PUPPY MILL DOG
Like any other retailer, Petland USA relies on the holidays to bring in profits -- but the pet store chain makes its holiday profits by encouraging cruelty to puppies.

Mary Haight started a petition on Change.org to get Petland USA to stop selling puppies from puppy mills -- those breeding factories that churn out scores of puppies from the same mothers, over and over again. But rather than engaging in a real dialogue with Mary, Petland USA threatened to sue her.

More than 54,000 people have already signed on to Mary’s campaign. As the country's largest retailer bets on a jump in puppy sales in December, Petland USA needs to hear from you, too. Will you sign Mary's petition telling Petland to stop supporting puppy mills?

December is a huge month for puppy sales. Some industry sources report that puppy sales go up as much as 60% in December, compared to monthly averages from throughout the year.

Cruel conditions within puppy mills remain the same, despite the holiday sales -- dogs are bred again and again while living in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and without adequate vet care. When mothers reach five years of age, they're killed. And although the puppies from mills may arrive with a bow around their necks for the holidays, they are as likely to carry congenital defects from generations of forced breeding, as well.

When tens of thousands of people signed on to support her petition, Petland USA executives agreed to a dialog with Mary -- a hopeful sign, as Petland Canada stopped selling puppies last year after engagement by animal protection advocates. But hope for a real conversation with Petland USA quickly fell apart when the only answers Mary got to her questions about the franchise's puppy sales were either copied and pasted from the company's website -- or were personal attacks against her.

“More than 50,000 have joined this campaign since I started it,” Mary says. “This is great proof that people want the suffering of puppy mill dogs to stop. Petland's response? They're proud of their cruel business model.”

Petland USA has heard enough national outcry about its support for puppy mills to take offense. But it needs to hear an even louder chorus of concerned voices in order to take positive action. Please sign Mary's petition calling on Petland USA to stop selling puppies from puppy mills now:


Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Stephanie and the Change.org team
A hobby-bred Vizsla  Healthy mom, dad and pup


Dear friend,
While the puppies in Petland USA stores may look cute in their cages,
chances are the puppies have led miserable lives that threaten their health
from the day they're born.
Petland USA is the country's largest chain of stores that sell puppies. *Most
of Petland's animals come from puppy mills*, where thousands of dogs are
bred again and again to supply the pet trade. Dogs are kept in cramped,
unsanitary conditions, and they often lack adequate vet care.

There's hope to stop puppy mill sales at Petland stores. Last month Petland
Canada ordered its stores to stop selling puppies, in part due to
continuous pressure from animal protection advocates. So Mary Haight, a
Change.org member from Chicago, wants Petland USA to do the same. *She
started a petition on Change.org asking Petland USA to end puppy mill sales
in its stores.

Walk into any major pet store like Petco or PetSmart, and you won't find
puppies for sale. Those stores work with local animal shelters to find
homes for the countless animals waiting to be adopted across the country.
Yet Petland stores prioritize profit by selling animals from puppy mills,
propping up this cruel business.

Puppies bred in puppy mills are often plagued with poor health. Kept in
cramped conditions and often housed outside in all types of weather,
animals in puppy mills lead a pitiful existence. Puppy mill operators are
also known to in-breed puppies, leading to other health and behavior
problems.

Each Petland store in the US is an individually-owned franchise, meaning
Petland USA's corporate headquarters can't ban puppy sales in stores on its
own. But Petland USA can stop any new stores from selling puppies, and a
strong statement from the corporation would go a long way to putting a stop
to its existing stores that buy animals from puppy mills.
*Please join Mary Haight in calling on Petland USA to support adoption and
speak out against its stores doing business with puppy mills.

Sign the petition:

- Cristina and the Change.org team

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Belle, Bailey's "Little Girl" comes over

The annual Northern California Vizsla Club Christmas Party was yesterday.  Julie brought Belle along and we dog sat while Julie and Vince got the place ready for the party. Belle is now eight months old.
 For a couple hours we had three dogs at the house.
  Quite fun actually.
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Quick stack of Belle at Vizsla Christmas Party

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Bailey, Chloe, and Belle waiting for turkey bits

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The "girls" working it out

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The girls: worked out 30 seconds later

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Bailey and Chloe show Belle how a dog door works

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Belle is smart and had the dog door figured out in no time

Chloe really enjoyed Belle after just a short period of time.  Bailey really couldn't have cared less after the initial meeting.   She weren't no bird.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

A Vizsla on Point

There is not much that can top this in my world.

The Point




To think I didn't even know this world existed four years ago.
When your dog is on point, the world slows down.  It is just you, your dog, and the hidden bird. 
Bailey can smell the pheasant.  He ignores the smells of the crow, the hawk, the sparrow, the pigeon, the starling.  It is all about the pheasant smell.  And he will stay on point to let me know where it is until I get there.  Team work at its best.

Hungarian ParAgility



"Agility is a kind of sport in which a dog is involved and where both pet and owner must work hard to gain success. What attracts a lot of people to take up this sport is its manifoldness, since no identical exercises are to be done during a competition. An auspicious competitor must know exactly what is going on in the dog’s mind and must be able to draw precise conclusions about his/her dog’s body language in order to forsee how it will react in different situations. It is essential that the dog should trust its handler and the handler should consider the dog as a partner rather than a manageable machine. With the majority of sports done with dogs, the physical condition of the owner is not relevant. In the case of agility, however, it is of great importance. A good competitor must also pay attention to his/her mental fitness, since he/she must give meticulous commands at a number of obstacles in moments of time. During the demonstration you will see another, more challenging version of the sport, requiring perfect harmony, congruous cooperation and a lot of training both on the part of the dog and the handicapped in order to achieve triumph." - Budapest, Hungary June 8, 2008



Some comments from You Tube viewers.

I almost cried watching this! It is absolutely the most beautiful and perfect agility run I have ever seen. What a powerful bond between Father, Son, and Dog.


Beautiful.... love how the dog pays so much attention to his handler.


One of THE most special, most beautiful Agility runs I have ever had the privilege to watch on the net, fantastic handler team, fab dog, a brilliant reminder of what agility is supposed to be all about xxxxx


Oh my goodness! What a blessing to be able to watch this precious little one work her dog through this course. What a privilege to be able to feel the love that is in this ring in this video. Great job!!!!