Runnin’ with the RedBirdDogs!

Guest writer Maria's take on Monday late afternoon's adventures in the hills southeast of Walnut Creek.  We explored the Walnut Creek Open Spaces of the Diablo Foothills.  
Maria and husband Scott are breeders of a very rare and threatened with extinction breed.

The Transylvanian Hound

They created the website recently(website link below):

  http://californiakopos.com/

"Monday we took our “pack” out for our third run with the RedBirdDogs! That would be Rod and his Hungarian Vizslas. Our pack of Transylvanian Hounds, consists of parents Hannah (5) and Avar (2), plus their two 8-month old sons Adam and Attila. In her earlier years Hannah enjoyed off leash adventures in the hills around us, but since becoming pregnant last November she has only been out for on leash walks. Running in the open space is an entirely new experience for Avar who spent the first year of his life in Budapest, Hungary and of course for Adam and Attila as well. 

        Hannah, Chloe, Adam, Attila, Avar and Bailey exploring the hills.

        

For our inexperienced pack they are fortunate to have Bailey and Chloe, their Vizsla friends to show them “hunting etiquette” in suburban open space. Until we took Adam and Attila out for a short jaunt last week, “the boys” only had experience chasing squirrels in our back yard and could only dream of chasing the deer we’ve encountered walking the neighborhood on-leash.

Bailey, Adam, Avar, Attila, Chloe and Hannah streak across the hillside.

        

Transylvanian Hounds (Erdelyi Kopó) are scent hounds and were bred to hunt bear, boar, deer and lynx. They are also known as a driving hound as they are a game chaser, whose job it is to drive the quarry towards the hunter. They generally work in small packs of 2-4 dogs, with the older dogs teaching the younger dogs hunting skills. 

Hannah, Attila, Adam and Avar in the late afternoon sunlight

            

Like a kid in a candy store our pack’s exuberance was palpable! Unlike a kid in a candy store, they were relatively well behaved. Our purpose was to take them out to experience the “great outdoors” and to learn off leash behavior. We did expect them to catch scents and give chase, they did not disappoint! To hear their hunting cry echo through the hills as we watched them streak across the open spaces  giving chase was an absolute thrill. Then seeing them happily return, panting and grinning, was a very proud moment indeed. 

            Adam, Bailey, Avar, Attila, Hannah and Chloe running back to us

            

They tested their limits and gave chase again, feeling more confident in their abilities and more comfortable ranging away from us. We put them back on their leashes a couple of times to remind them not to range so far and so independently. Overall for a young inexperienced pack they showed remarkable skill and obedience. These Kopó have earned another jaunt into the hills with the RedBirdDogs as their leaders!"

        Heading for home, Bailey, Attila, Avar, Hannah, Chole, and Adam