One thousand years of history courses through the veins of the paw protruding out of this basket. It belongs to a youngster whose breed descended from hunting dogs used by the ancient Magyars who settled in Hungary at the end of the 9th Century.

It belongs to a Vizsla.

To put in perspective, consider that in the time that the Vizsla has been hunting for game,  Genghis Khan assembled the largest land empire in history, Gutenberg created the movable-type printing press, the Renaissance began in Italy, Columbus reached the New World, the Industrial Revolution happened, the Wright brothers invented the first successful airplane, two world wars were fought, man landed on the moon, and Britney Spears shaved her head  (checking to see if you’re paying attention).

What hasn’t changed is the breed’s outline (primitive stone carvings depicting the dogs hunting alongside their Magyar lords with their falcons are remarkably similar to today’s Vizsla), the breed’s unique shaded golden rust color, its drive and endurance in the field, and a devotion to its owner that has resulted in the breed nickname, “Velcro Vizsla.”

We came across a video that nicely shows the breed in action. For the tender hearted, we recommend stopping at the 2:40 mark to avoid seeing the retrieve (it’s not gory, it’s a retrieve):

Images are of Betsy Indigo’s Viszla pup by Sheridan Nilsson Photography