Vigo dog!

A bright "star" at the Epping Forest Viz Whizz March 2011

2011-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

wow. paparazzi already there, we haven't even started. ever since Vigo and Hamish were on the front cover of "quarterly" magazine there is no escaping the increasing demands of super stardom.....

yes yes

now everyone is joining in the photographing of Vizslas....can't be helped, we are doomed for fame!

spot the paparazzi in the background....

and more, Vizslas are just too gorgeous to resist....we soon will be on all sorts of front pages....and famous!

here is a link to some great pictures of the day https://picasaweb.google.com/104167877455573636483/EppingForestVizWhizz12thMarch2011#
and
https://picasaweb.google.com/104167877455573636483/EppingForestVizWhizz12thMarch2011#

Round 1: Igloo vs August

2010-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

this is the daily routine.....so so sweet....BUT (ignore the sound ;-))

Vigo is now officially renamed to: Iglo

2010-11-13T01:21:00.001-08:00

noone has thought of the freezing conditions when one only has short red fur....
do they suppose vizslas should wear gloves too? bit impractical...hence due to the impossibility to strike for better and warmer working conditions (where would that lead to) this vizsla has changed her name!

super models!!!!!! (here we come)

2010-11-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

the model was chosen by Jake Walters to suit vigo's and hamish's photoshoot. the purpose was to promote red fur 'au naturelle'...humans of course have to wear clothes so forgive the slightly funny taste but it needed to be so....(btw...the collars cost more than both dogs together, something is not quite fair in terms of value, i mean, how can a collar be worth more than vigo or hamish, the bestest vizslas ever?...wasn't karl marx saying something about that?)

chaos...!!!! ... don't humans know how hard it is to point with one ear while jumping?

here the boots also matched the fur, this was to highlight that leather is one thing but red fur quite something else.....and never ever to be made into shoes or boots or such....imagine vizlsa boots (horrible thought)
spot the third dog :-))))))) a mystery!!!!!

Vigo and Hamish on holiday and scientific data....

2010-08-28T02:22:00.001-07:00

luckily all the years of saving paid off....several hours later we felt rich again...
Vigo and Hamish traded their car for a bicycle...struggling on who is riding it most, though Hamish is winning (for now)
a few weeks in the past: vigo on holiday at ross and stevens....how much sweeter can this possibly get?
back to today: hamish on holiday at ours...august (cat) has those robot eyes charlie morph perfected....
our neighbor is three years old, so apparently the same age as dogs mature to (in human terms)...interesting....but lucky for us, vigo will stay that way and we wont have to worry about school and teenage years and all that....and soon Vigo will perfect the skill of how to ride a bicycle, Hamish is already such a champ....

A velcro Vizsla panic during the england match.....

2010-06-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

Coco the menace came and will stay for a few months, she rules the roost and Vigo and August find it all a bit confusing, they are really trying hard to become her friend...Coco usually hides under a couch or bed when she stays elsewhere, but not here, so she must know this lot are an easy push over....
then of course, the england match...arent they playing germany soon? better hide then....or the sun tabloid will be drawing us with moustaches again and make some comparisons to some time in the past that charlie chaplin made a film about....this is why we hid along the beaches of the southbank in the middle of london [bet you had no idea that this exists...] and we got a rustic tan...and we got back in time to warm the legs of our editor....just in case he gets a chill. this position had to be negotiated over the last month...originally the attempt was to sit on the lap and have the head on the shoulder, but that kind a worked against his being able to move and use the computer....also the constant licks and stuff were a bit weird he felt. then there was the "no feet on me" phase, and this was tough as Vigo needs her feet to communicate....this though seems a healthy compromise, and it is functional...could put this in a new advertisment campaign to help with the influx of rescue Vizslas maybe? headline: "are you struggling with your heating system? are you suffering from cold leg syndrome? one or two vizslak come cheaper than renovating your house, they are known velcro dogs so you can wear them on you at most times..."

vizslas and unordinary habits amongst perfect humans

2010-04-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

is this puppy a vizsla in a jacket? or a man who gave birth to a puppy?
and is that someone kissing that suspected vizsla puppy in a coat? a perfect family? Ross as the perfect human, if one were a Vizsla, [Joergen Seth ought to have looked to the UK not Denmark...]

hamish wonders why the cat stopped licking his ears....which he did for absolute ages, until i took the camera, and well, we all know how the observer changes the observed...
a mini whiz viz in victoria park [aparently voctoria never made it to the opening of the park, even though it was named after her by the east enders...the east end was less trendy then i gather.....shame on you vic!]this is Kaffee Mathews, my dear friend of many years and a musician...and there i found her, recording the sound of the canal! she records everything unordinary....should do vigo snoring ...

puppy LOVE

2010-02-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

we know the vizsla community will be up in arms but can you imagine how we feel? their first love child, vigo and hamish and their now 3 month old little sandy...but...our breeders told us that these were pure bread vizslas .... i think the white spot in her chest is too big to make it into the show ring.... will she loose points because of the black muzzle too? should we be outraged???? after all, its not like john lewis where you can take them back...

Famous already? (happy to be recognised for doing all these great things for the people and the animals and the bees and the world)

2010-01-15T09:30:00.001-08:00

Versatile Vizsla: new hunting definitions

2009-11-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

Vigo went to Hastings to enter the annual dogfish trials competition. the fishermen were a bit upset because a gallery called Jerwood wants to build a new place where they are and they say that there are so many beautiful old buildings around that could be regenerated so why build a new building? and this is why this Vizsla will vote not Labour but Vizsla for president at the next election.
ok, this is the boring bit. Bring back the dogfish. In normal field trials the dog flushes, points, the food gets shot and then the dog retrieves it. here it is the same....well almost....let me explain...
Vizslas are called versatile as they do all three: point, flush, retrieve. They point differently at feathers than at fur. one is more front leg and the other more back leg, sometimes a combination of both. now, scale [as in fish scale] pointing is really rare and quite difficult and quite advanced, for instance a dog can't point with three legs for scales as it would fall, etc. so what Vizslas do when they scent scale they frown and stand still, their head looking in the direction of scale.
when the fish is retrieved it is brought to the owner. without teeth marks and no damage to the scale, just like with feather and fur.
this must be a nightmare, the scale ghosts or fish souls or whatever...!!!!!....this scale has a face!

a successful retrieve, scale after scale, and there were plenty for supper for everyone.
after a hard days work most dogs would curl up in front of the fire as they have manners and aren't thinking they are human or somethin' [i.e. sleep in the bed like Hamish, or the redgirls].....but ever the good learner she is, and with Hamish being her best friend, Vigo tries a "hamish" and pretends to be invisible, aka "i can't see you so you can't see me"...sneaking under the blanket...

Vigo super super star [diva]

2009-10-26T02:03:00.001-07:00

Vigo went to see some film and music and it took sooooo long to start. so snoozing was an option [of course, has anyone ever seen Vigo NOT snooze?]
finally some action!
hang on a minute, they are great, really, but they could do with a singer...?
Vigo knows many Vizslas 'sing' [or whatever their owners call it], but Vigo claims to be the first singing Vizsla super star diva!!!!
gosh, all that attention meant that the lady even got up from her seat to let the diva rest after her performance [no, Vigo didn't squeeze her out of it, no!]

Vigo - the dog that fell on earth

2009-10-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

there was a lion, and the lion fell in love with a lamb. The lion was big and strong and scared the lamb. the lamb was brave and courageous and didn't really grow up with a flock of sheep so didn't think that that a lion may not be able to mend his ways.....
and the sheep was cute and fluffy...[costumes fitted edit out]
and the lion mean and fierce...so the lion came up with a great idea: lets pretend he is a Vizsla. the sheep followed suit and shaved and became a Vizsla too.
and they fell in love and they were inseperable.
day in and day out
on holiday in st tropez
and even their entourage could not fret their sweet love affair

they were one, not two, in soul....

but then....the sheep that was really a Vizsla who wasn't really a Vizsla...but
a sea monster.....will the lion cope? or will he leave? stay tuned for the next episode...

i am here

2009-09-08T02:40:00.000-07:00

Vigo makes sure that all goes to plan, for today is the day when we started installing the public art work 'i am here'. if all goes to plan it'll be finished by the end of the week.
it better be finished as the opening is on sunday....better have a nap then...
but then again, sometimes builders tell you anything to keep you hapy, even that they are boxers, when it is quite clear that this boxer has neither fur nor four legs....
but luckily Hamish rescued Vigo in the end...

New Love

2009-06-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Redgirls, note that pink is still in fashion...especially when shivering after falling into the canal.
Vigo got a new kitten. It never worked out with Patch as his owner Max could not part with him after all...so we were lucky when we found August who grew up with two big dogs so was not at all scared of Vigo. Vigo had been heavily phantom pregnant and even lactated, so when August came along last week she adopted him right away.
We think she was quite surprised what motherhood means - constant sharing of food, bed, attention....
not only when she chooses but ALL times...they really are totally adorable together.

Hunting and pointing amongst memories young and old ...

2009-05-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is Trigger, Trigger, yes, that's his name. You may remember him form the canine ballet he used to perform with Radio. But these are other times and ballet is no longer his thing, so he has to be on a lead now, because he started more masculine sports which resulted in him becoming a bit of a hooligan....
this is Patch, our new kitten, well, Patch will be our new kitten for at the moment he is still with Max as our block of flats has a few unwanted residents, rats, and until we are sure that they have moved out again Patch can't move in....the traps are the size of Patch...
Vigo is scanning the environment. We discovered a new part to the marshes today, a stone henge look alike kind a place, hidden behind wild bushes and trees...
in fact, looks like a giant chair to me....maybe its art?
Vigo points at a stick - Helen the clicker gundog trainer taught us to channel Vigo's focus towards all sorts of things, and this is one Vigo mastered right away. She can point at plastic bags, sticks, and socks. Sometimes also at a cat, but not too often.
Where, oh where, is the stick? boat? wot?

Basel, can't you help? when Basel was young, he was Radio's mate, not a herb, but well, you see what he is. now Basel is getting old and a bit slow. But still, he swims much more than Vigo.
Ruby joined us for a visit to the pub. this was a while ago, maybe a year now. just found it on Lasse's phone. Ruby loved it here because the people working there kept giving her treats all evening and she was allowed to sit on the bench...well, she soon fell asleep. and here, at first i wasn't sure who that was, and it turns out that two images exist - one of Hamish ...and one of Vigo, at the same location, not same level tide....

Funny Fanny Farm, bouncing and ticklish ticks

2009-05-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, a weekend in heaven. the townies escaped from the funny farm. flowers and bumble bees and Ross bouncing among the trees. bouncing from branch to branch, blossom to blossom.

Vigo couldn't resist the bouncy atmosphere.
But even in heaven, beneath the grass, there is proof that also paradise has a price. Everyone has got a tick, the fanny farm proved to have many. and Vigo had three.
Removing them was a delicate operation. Hamish offered to help, with his teeth, but his claws were too sharp, and Vigo protested. above, you see her in the recovery ward on the lawn the Somerset sanitarium.

Vigo wins best in show - a canine modelling contest

2009-04-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

it was some months ago, and well before she came to live with us, and we only just now found out about her secret aspirations in the canine modelling world....better stop eating those liver cakes, Vigo.

Happy Birthday: Vigo is 1 year old!

2009-03-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

and what better to celebrate that day than training? (noone say we are placing too much emphasis on education or somethin'...)

setting off in London

in the cotworlds....for us a world away, especially when we drove the wrong direction and nearly were in bristol....???????

Fish dog!

2009-03-10T15:38:00.001-07:00

some call Vizslas bird dogs....but Vigo thinks they are more than that.

Have you ever seen 007 and his cars operating both land and water?

well, that's the point that Vigo is trying to make.

Plunging herself into the depths of the ocean to hunt for dried fish - and then boasting it on the beaches of Walwerswick....

cows with guns

2009-03-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

Since Vigo started to eat raw food things changed .... not only has she become a 'big girl' now, she also started to see the world in a different light.....with all the conflicts and troubles and food and all, and she thinks that the police have far too many powers these days and that urgent action needs to be taken because the steaks are high ...

Radio 1 year on....

2009-02-23T00:28:00.000-08:00

Today it is one year since Radio was put to sleep....and we thought about all the fun we had in the three years he was around. Looking through photos of him, we saw all the things Radio had to put up with, having us as his guardians.....

wearing our friends kid's jumper (so the kids could have a giggle)

getting his head splashed in paint (when he ran underneath a ladder) and not all came off right away (was outdoor paint) and it was winter and he needed to get warm after the wash and all we had was another friend's baby jumper....

the time we went up Helvellyn and it was winter and cold when we got back to earth and Radio became a tourist attraction dressed in Lasse's red hoodie.

and when he was a tiny Vizsla, not yet fully in control of it all, it was winter and he was donated this t-shirt by a friend, and this was his little blanket until he grew too big for it....

the best news Ever!

2009-02-05T13:33:00.001-08:00

today was the first day that we finally managed to get into the tube.....it happened to be rush hour....but vigo is proving to be a real versatile vizsla - bus, train, tube, car, she loves it, and the more people the better it seems (weird? for i can't stand rush our on the london underground)

but really the best news are not that vigo loves the tube.....

the really good news is that Lasse has today been officially rumored as being clear of cancer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yupeeeeeeehey! one month of radio therapy, but that is just to make sure all is gone, umpf.

strange men in white

2009-02-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

all winter have we been wanting a little bit of snow, just a little bit (well, a lot would be great too)....

so when we had a chance to sneak of to the lake district for the weekend we grabbed it. then we saw the snow right up on top, quite far away, and off we went....

we climbed and climbed across icelicles and frozen puddles, passed sheep and hawks, we tried to reach high up, and on the way we found a creature that didn't make it through the winter....

and we climbed and climbed and climbed on but the longer we climbed the further away the snow seemed to be...

we never quite made it to the snow before we had to go home far too soon, all the 7 hours driving back to london, when it suddenly all clouded up and the snow came to the low lands!!!!!

and all the humans disappeared and turned into strange white creatures ... who will feed us now? at least Hamish has a warm coat...

and however much Hamish keeps looking, even from very high up, no human beings left.....

(Hamish gave his coat to someone who needed it more than him, someone that fell into through the ice into the canal and nearly froze stiff).

...but where is everybody?

Hoi polloi on their way to st albans!

2009-01-10T14:45:00.000-08:00

we learnt a new term yesterday, and it is funny for it sounds the opposite to what it is: Hoi polloi (Ancient Greek: οἱ πολλοί), an expression meaning "the many" in Greek, is used in English to denote "the masses" or "the people", usually in a derogatory sense. Synonyms for "hoi polloi" include "...commoners, great unwashed, minions, multitude, plebeians, proletariat, rabble, rank and file, riffraff, the common people, the herd, the many, the masses, the peons, the working class"

so this is our adventure documented for those that think our roles are laid out for us in life: ....wot yar waiting for, lets go...

Hoi polloi involved in pub brawl (as expected)

Hoi Polloi repenting their sins, guiding visitors into the evening mass preparing the toffs for work on Monday...

However: once hoi polloi, always hoi polloi....

Richmond VizWhiz

2008-12-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

Being a london model, hooligan and snoozer is hard work....

2008-12-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hamish still thinks he's a little horse, after all these years being a Vizsla...

Three Vizsla statues posing for a Hurtta ad...how to get bye in a recession - product placement in parks etc. Dog collar representatives, please take note, three gorgeous hansomest and most attentive necks and chests available...

Every Vizsla, however innocent in appearance after being caught, harbors a hooligan!! (should've seen Vigo scooting along just a few minutes earlier full speed and crashing it right down the embankment, i stopped her just as she pulled out the matches to set it alight...she definitely learnt that before she came to live in London)

zzzzz (again, at least 45% of the day)

Vigo in London: Week 3 (+ wagg-o-meter)

2008-12-06T04:13:00.000-08:00

Went to Hampstead Heath today....Ok Ok...dogs are supposedly colour blind, but are these really green birds up there?

Vigo's first visit to the local food co-op and she is so sweet that Ivy is quite safe holding her (ahem...just a second earlier Vigo managed to kiss Ivy in!!! the mouth, and Ivy was standing up).
...again, we forgot to install a wagg-o-meter (a device counting a tail wag ratio). sadly, Vigo provided her own technology for counting wagging ratio by injuring her tip of the tail which she generously kept on whipping around and staining/marking the entire flat with the traces of her happy nature. I am all for keeping the tails as nature intended, but do understand the pros and cons of the docking of working breeds arguments......(Vigo's wagging tail could be easily made use of to generate substantial amounts of electricity)

Vigo in London: Week 2

2008-11-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

who chewed Vigo's blanket.....???? (is actually Ruby's from last time she stayed over...sorry Joe and Matt!!)
Ross is trying to eat his dinner with guess whom on the lap... it is rather chilly here these days and after all, in times past dogs were used as heating pads, so why pamper the pooches of these times when we can get them to work again as warmers?

to illustrate Vigo's personality, this is what Vigo is like on a daily basis:

- innocent

- very charming

- certainly persistent

.....but who could possibly resist? (go on, pass that coffee cup)

Vigo

2008-11-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

"Wot you looking at? Better stay away unless you bring chocolate, carrot cake, bean stew, livercake, cheese or chicken...."

Vigo guards Lasse after his first day of Chemotherapy!!! Vigo keeps snuggling up to Lasse. btw, she mastered the keeping an ear open when nearly asleep pose already.

Willow=Vigo - Vigo=Willow

2008-11-17T01:24:00.000-08:00

A ship building city
a filmmaker
a few names
and now
a Willow vizsla, too.

hi Vigo!

Charlie Morph just made us aware that this post maybe a little bit confusing. Well, we better start at the beginning. When we collected Willow from Jeanna we already knew that she was an extraordinary character, but this is more than we expected. Yesterday morning we woke up and there was a little note in Willow's bed. I tried to scan it but she chewed most of it up so its really illegible.

Basically, we found a little paw written note signed "Vigo". At first we didn't understand but then as we looked closer at the text (We can tell you it is not easy to read), her paw writing skills are not exactly impressive, and we were under the impression that Jeanna had given her a proper education...anyway, after much ado we managed to decipher the note. It says: "I wish to be renamed to Vigo. It seems more appropriate for my gentle soul". We weren't sure if this was a classic example of when a dog is trying to boss its people around? We asked Jeanna for some advice, what to do? Jeanna of course was on Willow's side, for Jeanna really named her Holdbeli Magia. So, this is the story of Vigo, ours that is.

London: Week1

2008-11-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hi Iris, Hugo, Wahid and a new little friend whose face is not to be licked (until his dad looks away that is)....

Although this is columbia road flower market this Willow makes it known to everyone that she is a Vizsla, not some weeping botanical thingie, however much we love their melancholic tentacles in the wind....

Hi John, he's being filmed for Blue Peter today....
Willow loves cuddles, everywhere, all the time - here she's a party girl taking a break from being pretty (entertaining)....

In order to blend in, Willow carries her own bag.

Fell in there yesterday but luckily can swim really well.

Scoops up the art.

Tries to speak to the Mayor, but he was out today.

Willow comes to London!

2008-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

London?!?

Let us introduce you to Willow. Although she's a willow she's not really anything to do with a tree, or even with Wiccan on Buffy. She came with a much posher name, which is Addaci Holdbeli Magia, but somewhere somehow sometime before she came to live with us in London she got to be known as Willow, too.

Willow sometimes sleeps (emphasis on sometimes)....mainly on our friends laps.

We first saw Willow this summer and totally were smitten with her. She is the most incredible funny happy creature with not only the longest, but also the strongest tail. We think all that talk about docking vs non docking has not too much to do with hunting injuries than with the injuries the tails cause to humans when they get whipped in the face! Tail whipping besides, luckily for us Willow is now a London girl.

Shame that Jo-Otto and Franz won't get to meet this new addition to the household - they are on a semi permanent holiday with lovely Ann.

Hey Rozie, i know Willow misses Rozie too! See ya at work (she means gundog work, working tests and the like, she's still young and thinks its all fun...in contrast to Radio who was always at the job center Willow will work for her upkeep). But luckily for us she already knows how to retrieve - not only one but a minimum of two toys at once, preferably a sock thrown in.