Everyone has one...

stalk·er /ˈstôkər/
Noun
•A person who stealthily hunts or pursues an animal or another person.
•A person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention.

I have one, her name is Frannie.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Canine Bliss

Someone's got a taste of Spring Fever!

There really are few things Frannie enjoys more than hanging her head a wee bit out the window and feeling the fresh air on her face, ears flapping.  Whether that be cold air or not, she seems to not mind.  Many times this winter I've found myself wishing she could comprehend the English language and rational behind concepts like its 20* outside and we're driving 35+ mph...you'll freeze your mug off if I even crack the window!

Today was a rare January treat...after our daily walk she got to enjoy her head out the window sniffing the fresh (but foggy) 40* air...pleased as a pooch the whole way home you could say!

Scott & I have admired a local photographer featured in Real Simple magazine June 2011, Chris Becker, (click his name & you can view his website), he does these fabulous Dog out the window/in the car kind of shots, he calls this collection, Canine Bliss.  We learned he shoots most of his photos w/ 3 people in the car to keep the dog safe & does most of his photos on Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport (not too shabby a backdrop!) yes, "the road the Bushs' Summer residence"...

Below is our attempt at a "Canine Bliss" shot of our own, we shot it late summer 2012 on the McGuire Road in Kennebunk, a quiet spot to practice our not quite perfected skill...

Recent Conversation

Me: "are you listening at all?"

Scott: "I thought you were talking to the dog. You talk to her a lot more than me, so I just figured..."

Me: "No, I was talking to you."

Me (silently): (Lol! I guess I hadn't noticed!)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:High St,Kennebunk,United States

Abby

Sorry to have Post #2 be a sad one dear followers, but its an important one...get a tissue.

Scott and I had the pleasure to meet an incredible dog that changed our life in the summer of 2010.  We were visiting a new found falconry friend and his wife at their summer home in Buxton, Maine.  

Dave and Sandy welcomed us into their old refurbished farmhouse and we met their two fantastic dogs, one a Beagle and one a Vizsla.  This was my first encounter with a Vizsla and at this point in the game I liked Scott's older dog, Sadie, (because she's Sadie & she came w/ the 'Scott package'), but I wasn't interested in petting, admiring or awing over any furry things.

However, there was something about Abby, the Vizsla, that I liked immediately.  I found myself wanting to pet her and talk with her...she was friendly, and beautiful, and didn't smell like a "dog" and leave hair all over me...I liked this!  She was mild mannered and would let you love her, but clearly attached to her people and home.  We visited a few times throughout the summer and I found myself really liking Abby and enjoying seeing her.  

Scott up to this point had been set on purchasing a puppy to replace the aging Sadie in the field as she had only a few years left of hunting and wanted Sadie, whom he'd crowned, 'the best hunting dog he'll ever own', to teach the young one a few of her old tricks.  He had a firm mind to purchase another English Pointer from the same breed line as Sadie, even if this involved an over seas adventure.  Scott and I began to consider purchasing a Vizsla.  I began campaigning hard.  He took some time and a lot of research, discussion, and fellow hunters' affirmations that a Vizsla was in fact good in the field, including Dave's.

On January 16, 2011 in the process of completing the major home renovation to our newly acquired 1890's home in Kennebunk, Maine, Scott committed to buying a then three day old Frannie from a breeder in Northern Maine, Widdershins, whom he had been in contact with throughout the previous few months.  
The same day he also proposed marriage to me in our not quite finished kitchen, me dressed in my now famous work clothes, saw dust in my hair!  It's a day that forever will be remembered as a special day...the beginning of life with our Frannie and the beginning of a long saga of Mr. McNeff eating some serious Crow (& not the literal kind).

Just a few weeks ago we were told by Dave that he and Sandy had lost their sweet Beagle, and had found out Abby had a terminal illness all in a very short period of time.  The vet projected Abby would have a couple more months.  Sadly just weeks after this prognosis, Abby went for her last hunting adventure with Dave, although a successful one, she passed within the last couple days.

Scott and I are very saddened by this news, and both feel honored to have known Abby.  We both feel sure there would be no Frannie in our life, if we had never met this special dog.  

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France

Abby, last Quail hunt, January 2013, Oklahoma

“If you own a Vizsla, it lives on top of your head.”

Although I intend this blog to be more fun & a representation of "a day in the life of"...style,

 I thought it best to start with a little history on the Vizsla (veezh-la).

The Vizsla has been a prized hunting partner and family companion in eastern Europe for hundreds of years, with breeding closely controlled by the local nobility. Sometimes termed the “Gift of Kings,” few of the “Magyar pointers” (as Vizslas are called) were allowed to leave the region, except when presented to foreign royalty such as the queens of Italy and Spain.

This privileged status changed when Hungary was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945. Some of the aristocrats who fled the country were able to bring their dogs with them, but the majority of Vizslas were killed, either by owners who could not take them or by the invaders. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the breed was wiped out at this time and the Vizsla teetered on the edge of extinction. (!!!)

From a handful of individuals that survived in its native land plus the few dogs that had been exported, the Hungarian breed was slowly rebuilt until, today, the Vizsla stands 41st in popularity in the United States.

Unlike many utility dogs, Vizslas were never expected to be far from their masters; they were close-working hunters, finding, indicating, flushing, and retrieving game by day and sleeping next to their owners at night. The breed is classed as an “all-arounder” rather than as a specialist; the word vizsla means seek in Turkish and point in Hungarian.

Being an uber-achiever doesn’t make this high-energy pointer any less of a softie, however. Though hardy and tireless in the field, this is not a breed that can be treated harshly or made to sleep alone in an outside kennel. The Vizsla Club of America quotes an old Hungarian saying: “If you own a Vizsla, it lives on top of your head,” and warns: “If you bring a Vizsla into your home, you may never go to the bathroom alone again!” (SO TRUE!!) 

The AKC standard describes the breed as “lively, gentle-mannered, demonstrably affectionate and sensitive,” yet, at the same time, “fearless and with a well-developed protective instinct”.  The Vizsla is often described as noble in appearance, with its elegant, athletic build, clean, short hair, and far-seeing expression. 

How to describe the proper colour for a Vizsla has been debated since breed standards were first compiled. Apparently, the original Hungarian term used meant yellow and the dogs are sometimes called the “yellow pointer,” yet yellow is a poor word for the rich color of their coats.

Although long reserved as a possession beyond price for the rich and aristocratic class of his native land, the Vizsla— whether you see him as gold, copper, or amber (OR ginger as i describe Frannie)—is now a precious treasure to be shared by all.

Referenced material: http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/breeds/vizsla

Frannie, January nap, 2013.