Berner's copy of one of Dr. Osborn's kennel ads. I posted the first one I found from Outdoor Life back in December 1959 here -- but just recently found this one on eBay as well. This one is from Outdoor Life, as well, but from a little earlier in March 1959; I like it for the photograph.I also love the language -- "World's finest and most beautiful all-purpose shooting dog from behind the Iron Curtain. Dogdom's most rare and exclusive aristocratic hunter, devoted companion and protector." -- it makes it sound like you're buying a Maserati. I guess that in the 1950s, vizslas really were something like Maseratis in the United States: rare and exotic and with a certain mystique and legend to them. Michel at MIRA Vizslas has a nice selection of vintage articles in her 'Vizsla History' section.
Certainly part of the mystique came from articles like 'They dognapped the Vizsla' -- which is the title of a story from Stag Magazine back in October 1953. I just got a copy of it. Before folks get a little skeevy, Stag Magazine was one of the more prominent men's adventure magazines from the 1950s and 1960s. The copy I have has 'Shoot for the Brain' and 'Sex Manual for Men' as the two stories that precede the one on the "Hungarian super-hound the Reds consider 'too good' for us." Perhaps needless to say due to the nature of the magazine, the story implies all kinds of subterfuge and covert activities behind the scenes -- which it seems there were, but Clif Boggs's The Vizsla has what seems like all the details and little of the hyperbole.
In any case, you get the picture. Here's our two 'Hungarian super-hounds' doing one of the
things they do best... sleep on Dad. And yes, that's Lurch, the little guy, on top. We'll get official weights on Wednesday when the boys go in for their springtime SNAP4 test for heartworm, Lyme etc. In the meantime, we've been having fun doing whistle-drills and retrieve drills -- and it looks like we're headed down to MA to train on some quail in the next 10days or so. Hopefully we can get both of them a little closer to stop-to-fall.
3 comments:
Oh you two boys are just snuggle buddies!
My dog "Pete" was born in 1965 ('64-'66?) of Rakk Selle (or Rexx Selle) and Osborn's Flaming Arrow in Minnesota. He was purchased by James Taylor of St.John, New Brunswick and then purchased by my father Dr. Neil Harvey of Grand Falls , Newfoundland in 1970 or '71. I have a new puppy CH. Rowdy's High Jinx (we called Blaze) from Onpoint of Mallorytown , Ontario.
A: Now there's an old-school vizsla owner for you! Well, bravo to you for knowing a good thing when you see it! They're still uncommon enough that people will ask you what kind of dog you have (and then look confused when you tell them their name) -- I can only imagine what it must have been like to have one in the 1960s or 1970s.
I don't know how Pete ran, but those Onpoint dogs certainly have a reputation for going like the wind!
Thanks for coming by.
A+M+M+J
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