Craigslist Cast-off to First Vizsla of the Philippines

Story of a cast-off Craigslist Vizsla puppy who is becoming the

 first Hungarian Pointer of the Philippines

and the men who are making it happen.

Pressy hunting the planted birds of Bird's Landing

"In May, I received a call from a gentleman who was asking questions about what to consider when picking up a Vizsla. 

  He mentioned that there was a 9-month-old female that a family in the Bay Area of California had listed on Craigslist.  His interest was in having another family dog and a hunting dog.  That in itself was not a unique conversation, but where the dog would hunt was indeed interesting.

  As it happens, this man lived half the time in the Philippines and half in the San Francisco area.  He hunted worldwide.   He was obviously a man of influence and yet a much grounded person.  

Given the conversation, in all honesty, I attempted to talk him out of getting the dog.  I was of the opinion that the odds were not good that the dog would be without issues, temperament, hunting drive and ability, etc.  Often, though certainly not always, dogs surrendered have problems, and  some very significant.  His response to my opinion was that if she did not hunt, that was fine.  She would live a happy life with his Italian Greyhounds regardless.  His mind was made up before he called: he had the means and desire to save this dog, and that was that. 

  He would offer her the opportunity to develop to her maximum potential and accept her at any level she ultimately achieved. 

  That spoke volumes to me of the man named Ramon.

Ken (Willowynd's Vizslas) and Ramon discussing the coming hunt

After he picked up “Pippi,” he brought her to us and changed the name to Pressy, short for Precious. 

 I had the sincere pleasure to work with Pressy, expose her to birds and hunting, and we came to love her for her wonderful spirit, incredible family temperament, and very strong desire to hunt.   I was honored to work her for Ramon, his friend Archie, and Ramon’s daughter Ella on Monday, where Pressy started off a bit over-zealous on the birds but settled in as time passed.

  We returned on Wednesday and Pressy worked for Ramon alone, finding, pointing, and retrieving – working like the dog I knew.  I could not have been more pleased watching them together.

It has come time for Pressy to move with her owner for her time in the Philippines, where she will live well, hunt snipe and moorhen, and spend time, I’m sure, with Ramon’s lovely daughters.  One would think that would be the end of a good story, but in this case it is only the beginning.

  You see, Pressy is the very first Vizsla to be imported to the Philippines.   I can think of no more fitting rags-to-riches story of this wonderful cast-off dog living in luxury, representing the best attributes of the breed’s temperament, heart, desire to hunt and be part of a family.  She is not the most beautiful of Vizslas in structure and would never win a show title,

 but she is 100% a Velcro, Velvety Vizsla.

Pressy and pheasant almost her size

The story will continue and the breed will be getting a small foothold in the Philippines due to a dedicated few individuals.  As we worked with Pressy, Ramon obtained a second Vizsla pup (Ducati) who is with us now as he cannot go to the Philippines until at least 5 months of age due to import restrictions.  

Ducati with Ramon - the Alpha male of the Philippines, next to Pressy with Ken

 Ramon’s love for the breed is infectious. A congressman in the Philippines has also made a commitment to bring in another Vizsla (soon to be born).  This female will ultimately be Vizsla #3.

The foundation pair of Vizslas for the Philippines.  

I’m honored to have met Ramon, to witness firsthand his enthusiasm and dedication to the breed and play my small part in the vision he carries of bringing the Vizsla to the Philippines."  - Ken

Ramon hunting behind Bailey at Bird's Landing

My little part of the story, according to Ramon, is that it was through Redbirddog blog that he got excited about the idea of owning a Hungarian Pointer. 

 He knew all about Bailey.  He pulled out his I-phone and showed me the below picture as we went out in the hunting fields. 

Bailey, my CZ 20 gauge, and two pheasant taken last year

 Ramon enjoyed hunting behind the dog he had read so much about.  He even tried out my little CZ 20 gauge over-under with very good success.  A very good hunting day for Bailey and everyone involved.

Comment from Ramon added to main body of story November 15th.

"Hello Rod,

Working in the IT Sector, the power of the Internet and the commonality of the love of the simple pleasure of being with our dogs, never ceases to surprise and amaze me. 

I first saw a Vizsla when I was biking with my daughter in Central Park a few years ago. As we were enjoying the cool spring weather, I chanced upon a jogger with a rust colored handsome dog. Being a dog lover (having Italian Greyhounds, Whippets, and other breeds), I was perplexed that I could not identify the breed of this dog. I asked the jogger what breed this beautiful dog was and he replied, "A Vizsla!". I replied, "A what?!".

That evening started my search on the Internet into what was a Vizsla. Over time, I somehow ended up following your blog and the wonderful adventures of Bailey. I was intrigued by this man and his dog and also being an avid hunter made the blog even more interesting. I continued to follow both your and Bailey's "escapades" and finally got to the point where I subscribed to the VizslaWalk group.

I eventually was so intrigued I found the website of the Vizsla Club of Northern California and decided I wanted to explore bringing a Vizsla to join my family. I joined the Fun Field day and was graciously welcomed (a common trait of Vizsla owners). By the end of the day I had decided to proceed and inquired about various suggested breeders.

When I was back home in the Bay Area early this year researching on an appropriate breeder, I saw a call for help from some Vizsla owners regarding a young Vizsla posted on Craig's list by a family. To make a long story short, I believe in intuition, as well as second chances. 

I met the family and adopted the wonderful Vizsla my family renamed Precious or Pressy as a nickname. In the short time I was with Pressy, I could see she had "a strong heart" and wondered how well she could progress properly trained. Again, through your blog I learned about Ken of Willowynd Ranch. He politely gave me many reasons for possible failure, but that didn't matter. 

Last week, I and my daughter were ecstatic to have been able to see Pressy hunt with us and prove herself beyond anyone's expectations. I had the final benefit of meeting you and Bailey in person. Again, the experience was beyond expectation and I would like to Thank You, Ken and Bailey, if not for me, then for my daughter who flew across the Pacific Ocean to enjoy an experience to be remembered for a life time.

So I guess that Across the Oceans and Across Cultural Differences the Power of the Internet in this whole saga is amazing as is the mutual love of hunting, a man and time spent with his dog! Now the story is replicated not only in California, but Across the Ocean in a new Chapter of a Man and his dog and the love of the hunt!

We'll send you photos soon and hopefully it will be enough to entice you and Bailey to cross that ocean with Ken and experience another adventure that all can read through the redbirddog blog!

Our Best,
Ramon and Ella

PS The best friend of Pressy, out of our family of dogs is Ella's Toy Poodle...Talk about differences! "