# I'm just generally shocked!



## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

This might be a long one...

This morning while I was out with Elza for a walk I met with a woman walking a vizsla. Well I would rather say the vizsla was walking her. Elza was off leash and I could see her struggling to hold onto the leash. So I said to her just let her off they can play a bit. She says to me it's not her dog and she won't listen to her. It's her boyfriends dog!  Okay, I said look she won't go anywhere, she will play with Elza. She was quite unsure but she did let her off leash and they started to play. Vizsla play! : 
She starts to talk to me and turns out I have met with them once before June... Her owner was the one who wanted to spay her at 6 months old...he went along and spayed her. How sad! :-\
I'm looking at this vizsla, almost the same age as mine and probably 6-8kg heavier...  She was a bit fatty looking, soft to touch, taller than mine and behaved strange too. She jumped once when i wanted to rub her back. Looked like a dog who had plenty food but not enough exercise. So they run around crazy, Elza is very fast and she could not catch her unless mine slowed down. This went on for a while and when they stopped playing I said to her lets walk too.That dog was knackerd after 20 mins. The woman explains to me her bf just left the v with her for 2 weeks. No info on which vet to take her in emergency and didn't even call her when he arrived to his holiday...  
Listening to this as a total stranger I'm trying to give her some advice on training. She's definitely not the boss and the v only payed her a little attention. But I saw the signs that she kept an eye on her and would come with us. Elza is very good this way, I knew this dog would follow her. So she did but seemed already tired, her tongue was out 10cm, Elza was barely panting. Maybe every few meters she would open her mouth! She probably followed us cos she was tired and we all know a tired puppy is a happy puppy. Its easier to train like that so I said to her to do that. She hadn't had a clue. 
Poor woman. Stuck with her boyfriends dog, scared if she lets her off she might run away but not having enough exercise just makes it worse. In desparation she asked me if I'll be out tomorrow as well.  Unfortunately for her I won't be, Elza is going to her dog walker. 

I know my dog is a city dog too but we keep her busy and give her the exercise she needs to be happy, look happy and healthy. 
It's frustrating and sad to see a young vizsla being already overweight and tired after little exercise. (maybe 9 months old) Why he chose a Vizsla? Probably for the looks, but now he even ruined that too! 

I do understand why many of you are so protective of the vizsla and see that makes me feel the same even though we do not hunt. I do not count myself into the same list as this man, I don't think I should. 

Elza has given us the opportunity to realise there's more to life than just sit around the house and do mostly nothing. We have discovered there's more nature around us than we thought and we find new places each and every days off we have. Thanks to Elza our lively, lovely vizsla.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

> I do understand why many of you are so protective of the vizsla and see that makes me feel the same even though we do not hunt. I do not count myself into the same list as this man, I don't think I should.
> 
> Elza has given us the opportunity to realise there's more to life than just sit around the house and do mostly nothing. We have discovered there's more nature around us than we thought and we find new places each and every days off we have. Thanks to Elza our lively, lovely vizsla.


Adrino,
Now you have done it. Gone and seen the world that some of us dread happening to this noble breed. Good post.

Maybe someone will read this that are thinking of getting a great red "trophy" dog and think twice. If you reach one, you save one Vizsla. 

You ever notice the human children that mirror this pup's energy level and girth? ??? Way too many IMO.

RBD


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

After 45yrs plus 2 sons 4 grandchildren and 4 V's I still smile ! what you bring to your life is always your choice - we can not protect the V from puppy mills but we must try ! family - friends & V's - step up or never know the joy that life has given us ! stand at the side of the road and you will get run over !


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

I have only once seen an overweight vizsla and it really saddened me. Most owners I meet are really conscientious. I am so popular walking around with this dog, past vizsla owners and current ones just come out of the wood works.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Yeah RBD, way to many kids like that. Sometimes I'm so shocked how such young kids can be so fat and lazy looking, dragging themselves along after little walk/exercise, pretending they have just moved a mountain! ??? 

Sad really... 

As I just thought through my first meeting with the dog's owner, I remember at the time maybe they were 6 months old. This vizsla looked ok, it certainly wasn't fat, it was a lot more muscled than Elza and taller too. She's still taller... I actually didn't like the look of her too muscled body. :-[ I thought she was too young for looking like that. Now look what happened she's fat and wobbly and gets tired so quick. I guess I rather see this dog being too muscled than fat. 
About the owner... he seemed he read about the breed but not really paying attention to detail that what they really are. When I tried to persuade him not to spay his vizsla too early and explaining to him the reasons he actually said to me he would have preferred if his dog don't grow up fully and stays on the smaller side!!!!  Outrageous! 

Whoever ask me in the future I will make sure to speak about the vizsla that no one would ever want one unless they already know what they're looking at!!!


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## Hbomb (Jan 24, 2012)

At 8 months now I have been worrying that H is a bit on the tubby side. On a walk recently I met two adult wire hairs and they were slightly smaller but much slimmer than the h bomb. The owner also said he was a bit fat. You can't really see his ribs at all but you can feel them when you stroke him. 

That being said, he is really hyper and energetic and runs rings around the other dogs in our unofficial 'dog park.' we take him for good long walks and a swim in the river, he doesn't tire so I think he's reasonably fit. 

I think that vs must vary hugely in their body type, some are slim while others are stockier, from a previous thread I've discovered h will likely end up as a monster v. As h is just a puppy and still growing, also a picky eater, I am reluctant to put him on a diet, but please correct me if I'm wrong!

Adrino what you say about that 9 month old tiring quickly, that is really sad and worrying. It sounds like it was not used to being allowed off lead. I think one of the best parts of owning a high energy dog like a v is watching them run, crazily, round a field. 

Perhaps if the owner is worried about recall they could try a long (20m) lead... That way they don't have to worry about the dog escaping but it can still run.


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