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Again, thank you so much for your lovely letters, emails and cards after I told you that we had lost our last remaining dog, our beloved BB, recently. As you can imagine, Mike and I found the house so quiet even though BB rarely barked and our conversation with her was limited as she was totally deaf. It was hand signals from us and body language from both parties that enabled us to communicate happily in those latter years.
After about four weeks, we realised that it was time to look for a new furry friend to join us but this proved more challenging than we had anticipated. We decided we wanted to offer a forever home to a dog whose previous owners had decided to rehome their pet. We contacted Dogs Trust, RSPCA, and also Canine Partners and Guide Dogs just in case they had dogs that hadn’t made the grade or who were retiring early.
We spent hours looking online for our ideal dog. Sadly, there were so many dogs that came with explanations as to why they were being rehomed – not good with other dogs – not good with children – can’t be left on their own – needs long-term medical care… and so on.
So, next we looked at a website called ‘petrehomer.org’. When we registered our interest in a particular dog that sounded ideal, we were contacted by a volunteer from the charity, who would act as an intermediary, called Jennie. Jennie did our home check via FaceTime and we explained our experiences with our previous dogs.
Having been approved by Jennie as suitable potential adopters for the dog we had selected, the next step was meeting the owner and the dog via FaceTime (with Jennie facilitating the call). We were excited as we thought we had found our ideal dog - a cross between a labrador (its dad) and a Vizsla/Husky cross (its mum). The call went well and the dog looked perfect. So off we went that weekend, very excited that our perfect pooch was going to be coming home with us.
After a 90-minute journey, we arrived and the owner brought the dog out to meet us. However, as we approached, we were greeted by aggressive barking. Next Mike took her on the lead and she paid no attention to him and just wanted to run (the Husky in her, I guess). Then I took the lead and she nearly pulled me off my feet despite her not being a big dog! Then Mike took her over to meet a nice little spaniel that was minding his own business with his owner and ‘our’ dog, lunged forward to attack it! Needless to say, we came home dog-less and disappointed!
We found three more dogs we really liked but for one reason or another, they were either withdrawn or taken by the time we made contact. We were very disheartened and were both feeling desperate as in the 41 years that Mike and I have been together, we have never been without a dog in the house, and it just didn’t feel right without one.
Then Mike suggested that perhaps we should look at having a puppy! I would have loved a puppy but I knew we couldn’t cope with house training – but, an older pup who was house-trained, was perhaps a possibility.
It didn’t take long for Mike to find a couple of five-month-old Hungarian Vizslas on the Pets4Homes website. A few days later we went to see them – the remaining two pups from a litter of 13! Two gorgeous young dogs immediately greeted us with great enthusiasm – full of mischief and fun. We also met their mum and their dad – two fine specimens of this beautiful breed, humourously described as ‘Velcro dogs’ because they love being right by your side.
So, ‘Vizzi’ jumped in the car for our journey home and we realised our new adventure had begun and would likely last for the rest of our lives. Life now was going to be very, very different!
Two weeks on, how are we coping?
Well, Vizzi is the most beautiful, loving dog with two speeds – 100mph and sleep! He is a happy, bouncy, energetic pooch and a tremendous source of great joy. This week Mike and I are going with Vizzi for official dog training – for all of us – as he still needs training to walk on a lead without pulling and most importantly, he needs to learn the art of recall. We live in the country and our previous dogs just ran free around the garden and I long for the day when we can let Vizzi run off the lead.
For any of you struggling to lose weight, I strongly recommend that you get yourself a dog! My jeans are positively loose! A dog will give you the motivation to walk more, it will lift your mood and keep you on your toes! He or she will love you whether or not you look your best and will give you a welcome home like no-one else. My step count has increased five-fold since Vizzi arrived, but best of all, a dog gives you unrivalled love, joy and companionship.
Of course, I have to be honest and confess there have been moments when we wondered whether we had done the right thing, plus a few aches and pains along the way, but two weeks in and lots of lessons learned on both sides, I think we have made a brilliant choice in welcoming Vizzi into our home. He is fabulous!
Vizzi walking in the woods next to our home.
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Vizslas thrive on attention, exercise, and interaction. They are intelligent dogs and need a lot of mental stimulation. With proper socialisation and training, Vizslas are very gentle dogs that can be great around children. The Vizsla wants to be close to its owner as much as possible, and it is commonly observed that Vizslas insist on sleeping under the covers in their owner's bed at night!
