More than 3000 dogs step into the limelight

> What: The Del Monte Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show. More than 3,000 dogs will compete.
> Where: Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel.
> When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (July 16-17).
Also, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, July 15, specialty shows focused on rottweilers, Great Danes and English setters.
Saturday and Sunday feature all-breed obedience and rally trials. SPCA dogs will be available for adoption 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
> Cost: $7 parking fee.
> Information: 831-333-9032 or www.DMKC.org

If Mari looks forward to the Del Monte Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show, in which she'll take part, she has suspended her canine eagerness for the moment.

As one of the Hungarian hunting breed "vizsla," Mari is focused, instead, on the lizards scampering up a tree trunk in her yard.

Then it's on to another top priority, chasing down the plastic white bone that owner and handler Arline Lovett tosses across the driveway.

"These dogs are so much fun," Lovett said of Mari and the vizsla breed. "They have such a keen sense of humor."

Lovett and her husband, Charles, both retired teachers, live in a house off San Benancio Road. It sits on a lone bluff, set so as to capture a series of wooded, rough-cut views.

Mari is a happy part of their hilltop lives.

Vizslas like Mari are of Hungarian descent.

A 7-year-old veteran champion, Mari will take part in this weekend's DMKC show. Saturday breed ring activities will include the Lone Cypress Vizslas Club, of which Lovett is president.

Judges in Mari's event match the vizslas against an abstract ideal.

"Every breed has a standard, and the judges look to that standard," Lovett said. "It may be color and temperament. If a dog shies away, for example, that's a no-no."

Many breeds will be represented in a variety of events.

Each breed has a history and a unique set of characteristics, and the vizslas have one of the many stories to tell.

Vizslas first came to America in the 1950s from Hungary and Austria. In 1960, the American Kennel Club accepted them as a breed, Lovett said.

In Hungary, the vizslas, swift, bright and strong, made a reputation as skilled hunters of birds and wild boar.

Yet, they could be as content indoors curled on a pillow in the den as sprinting over an upland field or plunging into an icy lake to retrieve a downed duck.

"They like to be with their people," Lovett said. "If you're in the garden, they want to be in the garden, helping you by digging up gophers.

Vizsla Puppy Announcement - Vizsla Club of America | Telihold Vizslas

We couldn’t be happier with this litter. Everyone of these puppies are happy, healthy, confident, and just beautiful! We update our site almost daily so keep checking back to find more Vizsla puppy pictures, video, and updates as these little guys continue to grow. Also look for our litter announcement in the next issue of the VCA (Vizsla Club of America) News.

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