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Talk to any doggy person and they'll praise the virtues of these amazing animals. Absolutely devoted to their owner, they ask so little and yet offer so much. I could write pages concerning the strengths of the humble canine, I could explain why so many people prefer the companionship of a dog rather than a fellow human being or how a pet can replace a deceased loved one. But that's for another day, instead my story is about one very special dog, my dog, Murphy. We've had a pet dog in the family just about all of my life. We've had a Bassett Hound (Bertie of course), Greyhounds (Blackie and Bill Teal), a Great Dane (Toddy) and a Springer Spaniel (Bill). Each one left a massive void at the time of their departing and on each occasion we vowed never to have another one, saying goodbye was just too traumatic. The year was 1993, the pain of Bill Springer's death some 12 months previously had eased and the subject of getting a new puppy was raised amongst the family. Of course everyone was in agreement, who can resist a puppy dog ?. My sister had a book with lots of information on just about every breed of dog available, their temperament, their traits and habits etc plus a list of breeders. I already had some strong feelings about what type of pet I was looking for. Medium sized, neither small nor big. Short haired, I couldn't imagine having to groom my pet for an hour a day. Perhaps a gundog, not that I'm into shooting but I definitely prefer that style of dog to the terrier or herding type and I'm absolutely not into the "my dog's harder than your dog" breeds such as Staffies and Rottweilers, so favoured by certain sections of our society. Browsing through the publication I noticed this amazing chestnut coloured dog that caught my eye. I'd never heard of the Hungarian Vizsla and wasn't aware if that such dogs existed here in England. I phoned one of the breeders listed in the book and had a long chat, learning about the suitability of the breed as a family pet and their general characteristics. The breeder confirmed that they made excellent pets and suggested that I might like to go along to a major dog show to be held in Windsor in a couple of weeks time. It was a wonderful show with dogs of all shapes and sizes and there was a class just for Vizsla's. The rest, as they say, is history. I fell in love with the Hungarian Vizsla breed and wanted one !!. Wanting one was completely different to actually finding one for sale. There was only a handful of breeders in the country, the web and email were only a glint in the eye of a bunch of geeks, so it was a choice of the telephone or the postal service. All existing litters of pups had been sold and several of the breeders seemed very loathe to sell a puppy as purely a pet dog. They were looking for people who wanted to compete in working dog trials or dog shows with their Vizslas. I guess that they were trying to establish a reputation for the dogs they had at stud and selling pet dogs wasn't part of the plan. The long wait began. There was no shortage of Labradors, Spaniels and German Shepherds but my decision had been made, and my next dog was to be a Hungarian Vizsla. The man that I had originally talked to and had then met at the show in Windsor was Peter Harper and his "Pitswarren" Vizslas had an enviable reputation in the show ring. His champion dog, Pitswarren Levi, had won more awards than any other Vizsla had ever won in this country. On one of my frequent calls to Peter, he told me that he and his wife had kept a bitch and a dog from the last litter for show dogs. These pups were now 4 months old they had decided to only keep one, so would I be interested in a 4 month old boy dog. I was in Hampshire as fast as 4 wheels could take me. I was introduced to "Pitswarren Murphy Himself" and of course he was sweet and wonderful and lovely and soft and everything else that a puppy should be. As is normal with most reputable breeders, I was told to come back in a weeks time to pick the pup up. During that week the Harper's phoned a couple of times and there were another couple of silent calls. I'm sure that each one was just the breeders checking to make sure that we were who we said we were, and that the pup wasn't going to be left on his own all day whilst everyone went to work. We must have passed that examination because exactly seven days later we were able to collect Murphy, our very own Vizsla puppy. He's now 14 years old, and sadly he's coming to the end of his time on Earth. He is, and has been, the best dog in the World. He's my best friend and has been my constant companion and I pray that we've given him as much love and affection as he has so willingly given to us.
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This article was created by Trevor Dace. He has many years of experience working as a claims adjuster with UK insurance companies. His website www.instant-online-insurance.co.uk offers online petplan pet insurance with online quotes and secure online payment.
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