We’re dog people but we don’t have a full-time dog at the moment.  We have a “grand” dog – as in grandson, granddaughter.  Mazie is our daughter’s dog, but we are very attached to her and she considers us as a crucial part of her pack.  Its always very exciting when she frequently comes to visit.

As the Subaru hatchback stops in the driveway of our mountain home, a lively copper-brown dog jumps out and immediately starts sprinting. It runs in circles, up and down the driveway, and even around the entire house. The dog’s high energy level leaves us gasping while it runs for several minutes without stopping. The mere act of watching her leaves us exhausted. She struck us as somewhat crazy. After about ten minutes of vigorous exercise, the puppy approached us on the porch, wagging her tail. As she sat down, her brown eyes locked with ours, pleading, "Please, please, pet me." We quickly granted her request.

    That was our introduction to an outstanding breed of dog called Vizsla. 

The entire family, including our daughter, Kathleen, eagerly expected to own a dog. The two boys, eight-year-old Bryson and five-year-old Caden were ecstatic when they learned a puppy would soon be theirs. Kathleen needed an exercise partner who could run several miles at a time, while her husband, Brian, wished for a walking partner. The boys thought that having a dog was an absolute necessity. They added a Vizsla puppy to their family and chose the name Mazie.

Mazie's characteristics stand out with a certain uniqueness. She didn’t stay a puppy for long.  Despite now being 20 inches high and about 40 pounds, she is gentle-mannered, caring, and affectionate. Throughout her stays at our home, she checks on everyone to see that they are okay; she runs upstairs to see the family gathered, then, minutes later, dashes down the steps to monitor the people on the lower level. I guess she regards us as her loyal pack members and she wants her pack to stay together.

Mazie also shows her blockbuster skill of racing with abandonment. While we humans hike, she will dash up and down hills, dodging many trees, rocks, and plants, while keeping up the pace of a racehorse. Yes, like a racehorse! Where did she get all that energy? How fast must her heart be pounding to reach that velocity? The Vizsla fits well with an active family—a good match for Mazie’s owners.

It is easy to train Vizslas, as they are natural hunters. They are great pointers, but they are also ideal retrievers. However, gentle training is necessary because of their sensitive temperaments. Mazie's owners will not use her for hunting, but we have witnessed her natural pointing ability while walking with her in the woods. Whenever she sees an animal of interest, she will lift a front leg, look at the quarry, straighten her tail, and freeze. It's impressive how effortlessly she can observe, even with no formal training.  She’ll also “point” when “hunting” a snack.

Mazie has formed a strong bond with her loving family of owners, including us, the doting grandparents. Vizslas have earned the nickname “Velcro dog” because of her loyalty and affection. If they feel neglected or unhappy, they will cry or whine, something we have observed several times. Mazie's owners reported she wept while being taken to her new home, away from her seven siblings.

 King Louis I of Hungary created The Illustrated Vienna Chronicle in 1357, which contains the first written mention of the Vizsla dog. The American Kennel Club recognized the Vizsla as the 115th breed on November 25, 1960.

People consider a dog that displays high energy levels, points its head and tail rigidly, whines when feeling lonely, and shows loyalty to its humans to be overly excitable. Maybe even crazy. But guess what?

We can’t wait for crazy Mazie’s next visit to our mountain home!