August 30, 2012

"Text From Dog"

If you have a dog (especially a Vizsla) and you haven't read Text From Dog, you are missing out!

I've been reading these for a while and wanted to post it to my blog for your enjoyment.

Just a warning - there are "adult" (swear) words in some of the texts, so if you are offended by that kind of thing, you won't want to go to the site.


Copied from textfromdog.tumblr.com

August 27, 2012

Sunol Hike & On-Leash vs. Off-Leash Comparison

Family picture at "Little Yosemite"

On our last day of vacation, we stopped at Sunol Regional Wilderness for a nice hike because it was on our way home from Tahoe. I wanted to try out Riley's new pack and I also had the brilliant idea to turn my SprintGPS fitness tracker on and put my phone in her pack to see her speed, pace, and elevation during the hike. I have always told people not to run their dogs on-leash because of the repetitive, sustained motion and the bad effect it can have on their joints. Today I actually was able to compare Riley's off-leash run to one of my husband's runs in our neighborhood.

Riley modeling her new pack

Link to my husband's neighborhood run: Reuben's 3.44 Mile Neighborhood Run

Link to Riley's off-leash hike at Sunol: Riley's 3.23 mile off-leash hike

Some important things to note here...

Riley's pace shows huge swings up and down on the graph while Reuben's is fairly level the entire run.

Riley's Pace
Reuben's Pace


While Reuben's speed remains fairly constant at around 6.5 mph, Riley's varies between 0 and about 12 miles per hour in short spurts.

Riley's Speed
Reuben's Speed
 It's nice to be able to actually have a visual representation of the difference between a dog's off-leash adventure and a person's run. Please don't run your dog on-leash until they are fully developed (around 18 months). As you can see, a pup's way of running is completely different from a person's and running them on-leash could have a terrible effect on their developing joints.



Both the hubby and I LOVE Riley's new Ruffwear Singletrack Pack! It has two water pouches on either side. I only filled them half-way with water to get her used to having extra weight on her back. It didn't seem to bother her at all. The pack fit really close to her back, so she was easily able to run under barbed wire and through bushes without it getting caught on anything.

We stopped for a break half-way and she loved drinking the water from her pack.

Opening up her water bottle

DELICIOUS! :)


I'm sad that our vacation is finally over, but we had such a great time with our sweet pup by our side!



Vizsla Artwork

I found my first piece of Vizsla artwork at Dog Dog Cat in South Lake Tahoe yesterday & it is so gorgeous I just HAD to post a picture of it on my blog! The artist is Ursala Dodge.

Ruffwear Singletrak Pack

I saw a store called "Dog Dog Cat" yesterday and decided to stop in and see what they had. This has to be, hands down, my favorite store for dog stuff! They had everything from dog toys (Tuffies!) to packs. I was so excited to see several shelves filled with Ruffwear for dogs! I've been trying to find Riley a specific type of pack for a long time, but no one has ever had it in stock. Dog Dog Cat had the pack in her size on the shelf! I had my hubby rush back to the cabin to get Riley so we could try it on her in the store. Sure enough, it fit perfectly! We ended up buying the pack along with some beautiful Vizlsa artwork, matching magnet, raw bones, a bully stick, and a new Tuffie toy. Here are some pics of Riley modeling her new pack. Today we will be going to Sunol Regional Wilderness and trying out her new pack for the first time! :)

If you're ever in the South Lake Tahoe area, please check out Dog Dog Cat



August 26, 2012

Kiva Beach Swim

Today we went to Kiva beach with the Ri girl. A beautiful spot in Lake Tahoe where your pup can run & play in the water. Riley swam for 1 hr after sticks & even took off into deeper waters after a small group of ducks! She met a male Queensland Heeler on the beach who shared his tennis ball with her & who she taught to swim. He tried to mount her (I found out he was also intact) and she quickly turned and gave him a swift correction! His owners were worried about him mating with her, but calmed down when I said she was not in heat & there was no way she would let him mount her. They smiled & said that was great - let her tell him off for it. It's so refreshing to meet other dog owners who not only have intact dogs, but trust another dog owner's advice! We went back to the cabin & fell asleep on the couch... a tired Vizsla is a good Vizsla! :)

Me, Bree, Chrissie and Riley in front of Lake Tahoe
Fetching her favorite stick of the day
The water was nice and shallow!
Posing with my beautiful girl <3
The water was so clear we could see her swimming
Happy family passed out on the couch after a day of fun
Chrissie, Bree, Reuben and Riley posing for a picture
Are we there yet?!?

August 25, 2012

Cascade Falls Hike

We had an awesome 2 mile hike today with Riley to Cascade Falls. It was absolutely breathtaking! The lake was gorgeous & Riley had a blast exploring all the rocks and bushes. We think she may have found a snake in the rocks because she smelled something then jumped backward & took off! :D (Good thing we invested in a snake aversion course!)

My red mountain goat on top of a large boulder with Sean and Reuben
Brief stop for a picture in front of Cascade Lake
She's very patient now when I tell her to "wait" for a picture! :)

August 23, 2012

NuVet Supplement Scam

I've noticed several breeders of questionable reputation force people adopting pups to sign a contract saying they will feed their pup "NuVet" supplement on a daily basis, otherwise their health guarantee is "null and void" (not mentioning names here - but one of them also says their Vs are from "Hungry").

Here is some specific wording from a contract I found:

"This guarantee will be null and void if Buyer does not supply the dog with NuVet Plus for Canines® on a daily basis. Buyer is required to use NuVet Labs ™ NuVet Plus for Canines® on a daily basis, during and after the guarantee period, failure to do so will make this guarantee null and void.  NuVet Plus for Canines® may be ordered @  (800) 474-7044  order code # ------, make sure that you use the order code number when ordering, it allows us to track your purchase of vitamins."

(Code removed to prevent purchases under the breeder.)

I'm guessing that these breeders get some kind of a kick-back from NuVet for requiring the supplements...  ::) I've never heard of a reputable breeder requiring buyers to give their puppies a supplement (and using a signed contract to try and force it).

A reputable breeder would NEVER force you to sign a contract saying you will give your puppy a specific supplement or food. They will recommend food brands - pay attention to what they feed their dogs. Good breeders won't feed cheap kibble full of fillers (corn, grains, and soy).

August 20, 2012

Puppy mill on my beloved Vizsla forum - time for a break!

Recently a puppy mill owner started posting on my favorite forum EVER, so I am going to take a break from posting before I blow my top. This despicable man had over 100 animals on his property at one point and was actually put in jail for operating without a license. I am SO angry about this that I even refuse to post the name of said puppy mill on my blog for fear of directing more traffic to his site. I am getting so many daily views on my blog (thanks y'all!) that I've realized the places I link can really have a big impact.

Therefore, I will take this time to shamelessly promote Vizsla Rescue Haven in Northern California. I have personally met the lady who runs the rescue and she has an absolute heart of gold. If you're looking to add a new redhead to your family and would like to go with a rescue, please check out the website! :)

Riley & I have been relaxing for a while due to my hubby being in Marine Corps training in Hawaii for the past 2.5 weeks. He comes back tomorrow, though, so I guarantee there will be new adventures posted soon! Stay tuned for a blog about our upcoming vacation to South Lake Tahoe this weekend! I'll be sure to review all the best spots to take your crazy redhead. :D

August 9, 2012

Impact of Injury on Vizsla Stance

I never realized how much of an impact an injury could have on a dog's stance. Riley's knee injury has absolutely ruined the way she stands. I've tried many times to get good pictures of her standing since the accident, but I've given up now. Here are some pictures to show just how much an injury can affect the way a pup stands. I'm expecting her to have more leg issues down the road. If not with her left leg, with her right leg - it has to compensate for the reduced strength of her left knee. We are going to try saving up some money to take her back to UC Davis. I'm hoping that maybe they can improve things and maybe help her to stand normally again.

Before - notice the nice curvature to the left leg
After - the left leg is held very straight with little bend to the knee
From above - you can see how most of the weight is rested on the right leg
On tip-toe with her left foot and the right is turned outward

August 8, 2012

Santa Cruz Trip

Riley went on a trip to Santa Cruz with "grama & grampa". 6 mile walk down the coast. She had a nice limp when she came home, so I've decided to eliminate her exercise on paved surfaces. She loves her off-leash hikes best anyway! :)

August 5, 2012

Vizsla Personality

Unfortunately, I've had to remove the content that was previously in this blog post. Someone reported the content as a violation of copyright because it was copied and posted from another website (regardless of the fact that I clearly referenced the website at the bottom of the post). I sent an email to the author requesting permission to post the article here, but have changed my mind since then. If someone is going to report me for a violation without taking a few minutes to send me a personal message first then I want nothing to do with them and I will definitely not be promoting their website. It is, after all, designed to make money off book sales and not for the betterment of dog breeds.

I would post a link to the website here, but I don't want to provide the website with any more traffic.

Instead, I will link you to a blog post written by a friend about the Vizlsa:

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2012/08/hungarian-pointers-character-over.html




August 4, 2012

Riley & her "Bird"

"Throw my bird already!"

Riley and I took a quick trip to Santa Teresa Park for some fetch training today with her "bird" (bumper). She has improved so much with her fetch and will now consistently bring the bumper right to me and drop it. I took a quick video of 2 fetches - please excuse the shaky video! It's hard to take a video and toss a bumper at the same time.



A Vizsla in her natural habitat!

"I got the bird!!!"

Afternoon nap <3

August 2, 2012

Silly V!

Riley is such a silly girl. Mom tells me that she loves to jump onto her chair in the kitchen when she gets up to do something. I don't know how she fits on the tiny little seat!

1st attempt - FAIL

"What?!?"

2nd attempt - WIN!