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Mar
2024
Training, pups, and getting ready for spring!
We had a lot of dogs coming to us for training this month and got to hang out with Gemenc’s growing puppies. Eric is also getting equipment ready for the farm’s spring planting!
Feb 22nd - 25th
2024
Madison Dog Show
We had a great showing at the Madison Dog Show with open bitch majors each day. We were very excited to have Grover get his first points on the first day with a Best of Winners and Best of Opposite! Kolibri won Breed.
Phoenix on the first day she was allowed to show with the big girls at 6 months old exactly – won Best of Winners, Best of Breed for her first 5-pt major!! Grover was BOS and Koli was Select.
Saturday and Sunday, Kolibri won Best of Breed and Grover BOS.
Feb
2024
Training and pups!
Gemenc got to get out and do a little work before her litter at the end of February. Goose and Phoenix got to pick up a big pheasant for the first time!
Gemenc had her litter at the end of Feb!
Jan 18th - 21st
2024
IKC Chicago Show
Our first dog show of the year was attending the Great American Dog Show hosted by the International Kennel club of Chicago. We took Zuri, Phoenix, Goose and Pippin. Phoenix and Goose got to experience their first show and used as much time as possible for training and socialization for the pups (5 months old). Phoenix completed in the beginner puppy class going to sporting group each day and Zuri won Best of Opposite and the next two days went Best of Breed.
Jan
2024
We’ve had Phoenix and Goose from our Koli and Jarvis litter. We have been training and working on obedience and house manners.
We also finished our new “dog” room. We can display some great wins with ribbons and trophies and we can have more storage to keep all our dog stuff in one spot.
Dec 11th - 18th
2023
AKC Nationals Show and Disney World
We made a huge family trip to the AKC nationals in Orlando Florida. It was a long but fun trip. Eric drove with the dogs and I flew down with the kids. We brought Zuri, Zolna, Quill, and Pippin.
Quill needed 1 more point for her BRONZE Grand Championship and she won Best of Opposite the very first day, earning her that title. Out of the 3 female wirehaired vizslas in the US, Zuri and Quill are 2 that hold that title!
On the rest of the days, Zuri won Select twice and Zolna an Owner Handler BOB.
For the Nationals Series Finals for Owner Handler, Zuri was invited as she finished in the top 5 for the year. Zuri went on to win Best of Opposite for the Owner Handler Series!
Even while at a show, you can’t take the bird dog out of the dog. The dogs all pointed pigeons!
In between all the showing, we were able to show our kids Disney World for the first time. It was an amazing experience. Eric was brave and had an open day before we left which he took Tessa for Islands of Adventure and Universal. Eric and Tessa lasted 11 hours!!!!! Ruth and I packed and went shopping for a low key day.
Nov 25th
2023
Annual Family Thanksgiving Hunt
We had a wonderful time inviting our family for a European drive and tower shoot hunt on our game farm. The dogs fully enjoy the hunt as do our family member’s enjoying the experience.
Nov 10th - 17th
2023
Hunting in Hungary
Zuri and Megan flew to Hungary to hunt 5 out of the 6 days we were visiting Zsofi and Laci at Zoldmali kennels.
Zuri did traditional European drive, tower shoots, partridge and hare hunting. We participated in lots of field work and lots of retrieving. Hare hunting was very interesting and surprising! We also went to the University of Hungary Budapest Veterinary School and Zuri had a full heart work up as part of a research project.
It was an educational, fun, and exhausting trip along with wonderful to visit friends!
Sep - Oct
2023
Our Farms Harvest
Our busiest farm time is September and October. We had over 300 acres of pumpkins and gourds to harvest and shipped over 285 semi’s off the farm!
Sept 2nd
2023
Hunt Testing Pups
Karma’s litter was ready for hunting testing with quail. We start with a pheasant wing on the string in the yard (a familiar place), then move to take them to taller grass or new, harder terrain (long grass or garden with different plants, etc). If we can’t get live quail or chuckar or pigeons, we will have frozen birds to bring out for them. Its amazing to see the interactions with wings to birds and the development of interest or even the extreme natural instinct. In the litter there may be two or three pups that will point, there could be even one that retrieves to hand like Wanda pictured above.
Aug 30 - Sep 4
2023
WVCA first ever NATIONALS!
The Wirehaired Vizsla Club of America had their FIRST EVER nationals show. Over 40(!!!) Wirehaired Vizsla’s showed and it was an amazing showing.
Eric took both Artessa and Ruth along with Zuri, Zolna, Quill, Grover and Pippin!
Thurs before the National Event, Zuri won Select and Zolna won Owner Handler. Fri before the National Event, Zuri won Best of Opposite for her Grand BRONZE Championship!!! She is the 2nd ever wirehaired vizsla to achieve this title!
Sat – NATIONALS: Zuri won Best of Opposite!!!!!! Zolna won Owner Handler
Sun and Mon after nationals, Zuri won BOS and Select again.
Artessa also got to go in the show ring and show a dog for the first time!
Zuri really did our kennel proud!
August
2023
Barn Hunt, Pups, and Packers!
The WVCA had a club sponsored Barn Hunt training for those who wanted to try Barn Hunting with Wirehaired Vizslas. Zuri, Zolna, and Pippin attended with Artessa and I. Zuri and Zolna did very well but Pip was a natural. Pip was handled by 4 yr old Artessa and she did such a good job handling her.
We welcomed Kolibri and Jarvis’s litter and Jarvis’s owner got to deliver some of the pups! We are excited to have kept Phoenix from this litter for our kennel.
The girls and family were invited to attend their first Packer Game! GO PACK GO!
July
2023
Beatin’ the Summer Heat
We had a lovely month hanging out with all the puppies. Karma had a lovely litter for Zoldmali kennels in WI and we started hunt testing Quinn’s pups with quail. We hunt test all our pups with a variety of different tests and find that we can helps identify drive and bird interest at 7 weeks old!
June 6th - End of June
2023
Busy Month
We had a lovely litter from Quinn, who is an attentive and loving Momma dog. Karma (on the blue couch) came to us from Zoldmali kennels so we could have her last litter here in the US for Zoldmali. She is so sweet.
Pip and Zuri are best friends!!
Ruthie helps train Grover….he loves her and is very gentle and sweet at only 4 months old!
June 1st - 5th
2023
Gateway Sporting Dog Show at Purina Farms
Another show that Megan and Ruth traveled to with Zuri, Zolna, Gemenc, Quill, Cinder (a good friend’s wirehaired vizsla) and Pippin.
This was also an excellent show with Gemenc winning Best of Breed for her CHAMPIONSHIP, Zolna as Best of Opposite, and Zuri as Select. Friday, Zuri won Best of Opposite, Quill won Select.
Saturday was the WVCA Supported Specialties and Zuri won Best of Opposite, Zolna was Select, Quill was Select and Best in Sweeps.
Sunday, Zuri won Best of Breed, Quill and Zolna both won Select. Pippin won an Owner Handler, GROUP 4!! It was so exciting!
Monday, Zolna won Best of Breed, Zuri won Best of Opposite and Quill won Select.
May 26th – May 29th
2023
Illinois Supported Entry WVCA Bloomington Dog Shows
Megan took Zuri, Zolna, Gemenc, Quill and Pippin to the Wirehaired Vizsla Club of America Supported Entry at the Illinois cluster dog show. Eric was gracious to stay home with the kids to allow her to have a couple days to show dogs and spend time with friends.
We had an excellent weekend: Friday and Saturday Zolna won Best of Breed, Gemenc Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite, and Zuri Select. On Sunday the Supported Entry, Zolna won Best of Breed for his GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP, Zuri won Best of Opposite and Quill won Select and Best in Sweeps.
May 12th – May 14th
2023
Zoldmali Hunting Training
Zsofi from Zoldmali Kennels came to our game farm and some farm property to host a hunting training. We had an amazing group of participants that came from all over North America to participate – Canada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and more! Many were preparing for NAVHDA, AKC, or VGP tests.
Zuri’s duck search was so natural and we introduced Grover to birds and pointing. All our dogs did wonderfully and we learned many different techniques this weekend.
May 6th – May 9th
2023
WESTMINSTER!
We took a family trip out to NYC for the infamous Westminster Dog Show. Zuri and Zolna both showed with Zolna winning an Award of Merit. The family and dogs enjoyed the site-seeing, especially all the pigeons in the Central Park!
April
2023
A lot of Hunting
We hosted a group for a hunt at our Game Farm that needed to use our dogs. For the large group, we called in reinforcement of Max with Odessa. All our dogs performed beautifully!
Megan took Koli and Zuri to an AKC hunt test where Koli passed her JH and Zuri has 3 out of the 4 of her legs completed.
Pippin missed all the hunting fun
Mar 25th
2023
Karl Zeitler Memorial Hunt
Megan took Zolna, Zuri, Delceg and Kolibri to the Karl Zeitler Memorial Hunt. It is a timed competition for flushing and pointing dogs (judge separately). The goal is the be the fast to point, shoot and retrieve 10 birds. All the dogs had great runs, Delceg with his run at 11 min and 25 seconds. He missed the reserve placement by about 15 seconds! The dogs, company, food, event, and raffles made for a great and memorable day!
March
2023
Spring is coming!
The dogs enjoyed checking on the pheasant!
Quill welcomed her last litter of beautiful pups – some amazing homes were lined up for these pups.
Feb
2023
Busy Month!
Odessa had her last litter – a wonderful breeding and litter that we get to see many of the pups from this litter grow….like Grover – Ernie’s “brother”. We made some cupcakes for our vet, whom we love!
Quill went out hunting before her upcoming litter!
We also attended the Madison, WI Rennaisance cluster show where we won breed 3 out of the 4 days (Zuri 2 and Zolna 1), we won Best of Opposite and a Select everyday as well!
Jan
2023
IKC Chicago Show
We start 2023 by attending the Great American Dog Show hosted by the International Kennel club of Chicago. Zolna won his Championship (his 3rd show in the US!!) and took Best of Winners for 2 days. Zuri Won Select then Best of Opposite and Best Owner Handler for 2 days. Pippin and Gemenc experienced their first shows!
