# I think I adopted a Vizsla...



## kdryan (Apr 25, 2011)

but I am not sure. All of the indications are that he is and he looks like every picture I have seen of one. His temperament and boundless energy (VERY boundless  ) seem to match. So I was wondering if some of you experts might confirm or deny it for me. He might be mixed, and if he is that is ok, but I wonder if you folks might see some things I can't. I honestly think he might be purebred.

The wife and squirts and I were in Petco about a 2 months ago with our two year old Lab/Pointer mix Harley, and it just happened to be an adoption day for our local SPCA here in Fort Wayne. So we went to check it out and they had the most adorable red (according to them) Pointer. He was overly friendly, playful, about 4 years old, and my wife fell instantly in love with him. We went out and talked about it over the weekend, but from the moment we laid eyes on him, we knew Blaize was going to be a part of our family. We had taken in a newborn full blooded Lab, that didn't work out, so she had to go to a new home and I was a bit leery about trying for a second dog so soon. Fortunately, Tammy talked me into it! We wasted no time filling out the paperwork, doing the interview, and letting Harley have a little one on one time to make sure it was a good fit.

It was and now two months later, we have our Pete (Blaize seemed a bit too pretentious, so we changed it) and couldn't imagine life without him. I can't believe someone would abandon such a great dog in the doorway of a shelter in the middle of the night. He was slightly underweight (about 5 pounds) but we fattened back up to 60 lbs in no time. We wonder if he might have been neglected and left outside alone because he is so affectionate that he almost constantly is trying to get up into our laps and begging for tummy rubs. I DO mean constantly. As in ALL the time. 

The only problem is that he was so happy all the time that when he was crated at the SPCA he wagged his tail a bit too hard and caused a cut in it. We got him home and had a major problem keeping the bandage on. It almost healed and he banged it again on the wall in the hallway on broke it open again. The vet said that this would take a long time to heal and probably would happen again and again so the third time it happened, we had his tail removed. It's not something we wanted, but we are still finding blood on the walls from before. It sucks, but there it is. He seems no worse for it.

So if you could please look at the pictures, I would appreciate an opinion. The black dog you see is Harley. 

Kevin


----------



## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

*Re: I think I adopted a Visla...*

Hello, kdryan -- Yes, I believe Pete is a Vizsla... without a doubt! There's no accounting for it, but sometimes beautiful purebred dogs do end up in shelters. My own dog, Willie, came out of the city dog pound, a very "high kill" shelter. He was picked up as a stray and nobody ever came looking for him. I adopted him from the shelter a little over two years ago.

You are going to enjoy having Pete in your family. The Vizsla is America's best-kept secret. Wonderful dogs...


----------



## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

*Re: I think I adopted a Visla...*

Pete definitely looks like a Vizsla. If he is mixed with something, I don't know what it would be.

He had an ENORMOUS tail. I could see how that would be a problem.

What's the deal with the bare spot on his back leg? Did he hurt it?


----------



## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

*Re: I think I adopted a Visla...*

I say Vizsla mix. Congrats on your handsome boy! He looks like a great find & lucky to have a wonderful home.


----------



## kdryan (Apr 25, 2011)

*Re: I think I adopted a Visla...*

The baldness is just the way he is. There's no injury or anything. I think part of it may be because of an odd behavior of his. When he lays he does what the wife calls 'frog sitting.' He'll lay with his front paws straight forward and his back legs straight behind him with them flat on the floor and he really does look like a frog when he does it. Then when he wants to look cute he'll grab a toy and crawl along dragging his back legs behind him. Definitely no hip dysplasia here! I'll get a pic of it when I can. It's hilarious...


----------



## Kobi (Oct 26, 2010)

Haha I don't think I've ever heard of a dog laying down that way... crawling, maybe. Kobi never does it though.

He does look a _bit_ dark for a Vizsla, but that could just be your camera. It's hard to tell from those pictures.


----------



## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

Everything about him seems to say Vizsla except his nose. The nose looks a little dark for a Vizsla. For $80 you could have a DNA test done to find out for sure but I suspect that's not necessary. Have fun with one of the greatest dogs ever.


----------



## christine (Oct 19, 2010)

*Re: I think I adopted a Visla...*



kdryan said:


> The baldness is just the way he is. There's no injury or anything. I think part of it may be because of an odd behavior of his. When he lays he does what the wife calls 'frog sitting.' He'll lay with his front paws straight forward and his back legs straight behind him with them flat on the floor and he really does look like a frog when he does it. Then when he wants to look cute he'll grab a toy and crawl along dragging his back legs behind him. Definitely no hip dysplasia here! I'll get a pic of it when I can. It's hilarious...


Our Vizsla does that - not the crawling/dragging, but when she's lying on the floor chewing on a toy she will lie with her back legs stretched straight back, flat on the floor. I have never seen a dog do that before and was wondering if it was a Vizsla thing. He's a beautiful boy! Congrats!


----------



## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Willie also does the "stretched out, flat on his back" thing... but he keeps his front paws curled toward his chest like a kangaroo. It's very cute! 

Kdryan, when I posted here earlier, I'm sorry I didn't mention what a nice looking dog Harley is, too! Hope Harley and Pete have adjusted well to each other. In my experience with dogs, there's always going to be some jealousy in a multiple dog household, but they do learn to be friends. Especially during play time, it helps if you can extract yourself out of the equation, so they don't feel the need to compete for your attention so much. Anyway, they are both really nice, healthy-looking dogs! Bless you and yours for rescuing them.


----------



## Farmology (Apr 30, 2011)

I vote mixed with predominant V traits. The nose does look a bit dark and the ears a bit short? Regardless, great looking pair - enjoy!


----------



## MaggieD (Jan 28, 2011)

Def a V to me! Congrats


----------



## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Pete's nose doesn't really look black to me, but more of a cocoa color. From Bernard C. Boggs, describing the breed standard: "Nose brown. Any other color is faulty." So Pete can have a nose that is darker than the typical color, and still be 100% Vizsla. 

What really gives it away to me is the description of his personality. The Vizsla temperament is fairly distinctive, and anyone who's ever lived with one knows they're not quite like other dogs. It's the unusually high levels of energy and affection... the attachment to people.


----------



## kdryan (Apr 25, 2011)

His nose does look a lot darker than it really is. It's a lot more reddish than that.


----------



## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Definitely a V. As far as the baldness, you might check with the vet just to be sure it isn't from mites or mange. I think it's no biggie to treat if it is.


----------



## barretts87 (Apr 24, 2011)

He looks a little chocolate brown instead of red to me, but it could just be the lighting from the pictures. He definitely looks like a Vizsla, but some people have bred Weimeraners and Vizsla's together and call them Weislas. The V/Weimeraner cross tends to always produce a chocolate brown dog from my understanding, so I would guess if I have the color right from the pictures that he is a cross between Vizsla and Weimeraner. He looks like an awesome and fun dog!!


----------



## Marion (Aug 8, 2011)

I read that the nose should be just a touch darker than his coat. Any other color will indicate another breed, or mix. If barretts87 is right, and it's a V/Weim mix you'll have one wonderful dog!


----------

