Hunt Point & Retrieve Rescue & Re-Home

Having been brought up with various Gun Dog breeds, when I thought I had finally grown up I wanted my own dog which led me to the Weimaraner. Other than owning a book by Patsy Hollings (founder of Gunalt Weimaraners) I knew very little about this breed. The breeder was not a serious breeder of Weimaraner but I now recognise him as 'in it for the bucks'. The book helped to give an insight into what we were letting ourselves in for (and I still have it) Unfortunately not the dog. On starting a family I possibly made the mistake of allowing my 2 year old to look through the pictures of all of the Gun Dog breeds. I had hankered after the Hungarian Vizsla after seeing them at Discover Dogs at Crufts over a number of years and now at home full time felt it was the right time for another dog. I had grown up with dogs and wanted my children to do the same. The 2 year old picked out 'a chocolate curly dog' (the Irish Water Spaniel). On researching the breed and finding there were only 500 registered in the country I breathed a sigh of relief in the knowledge that they were so rare that we would never find one and I would get my Viz. Unfortunately my partner at the time did not like the 'look' of the Viz and refused my requests for one. In a bizarre twist of fate, I had picked up Diamond Free Ads in the newsagents and came across an advert for the 2 year olds much wanted 'chocolate curly dog' 15 miles away. We visited the breeder in disbelief that we would see some of these rare poodley/spaniel things. 3 weeks later after a comprehensive low down on how to keep a chocolate curly coat by Breeder & Judge of Irish Water Spaniels Jan Wakerley we took our chocolate curly dog home. Jan became a firm friend and perfect groomer of our chocolate curly dog for almost 9 years when sadly, over a 36 hour period, she became seriously ill with an underlying and undetected disease and had to be put to sleep. She was the perfect dog for the children to grow up with, she could be, and was, mostly aloof with me (a typical trait of the IWS) preferring the company of the children unless it was dinner or walk times. Three months before her death, 10 years after seeing the Hungarian Vizsla and more than 4 years after first speaking to a Vizsla breeder regarding obtaining one of her dogs, we had a bitch puppy with the intention of working her. In the years between, my circumstances had changed dramatically. I had separated, moved, studied photography but was in a fortunate position to be able to keep our chocolate curly dog with little disruption to her and of course, I could also have my much wanted Ginger Nut when the time was right. 6 months after the first, we acquired our second, a 9 month old half sister who had been part gun trained. 2 years later 2 Wire Haired Vizsla took over the other sofa. I had been warned that the Vizsla was an addictive dog and they certainly are. I cannot imagine an evening ever, when I do not have a sofa full of them :) 10 days ago we visited our local rescue centre, just to take some unwanted food and a quick look around. There we found a 2 year old Korthals Griffon, placed into rescue the day before due to his owners difficult personal circumstances. Both my partner and myself came out of the kennel block in tears. We had not anticipated seeing an HPR breed in that situation. We were turned down when we applied to adopt him without explanation. Privately we were disappointed but hope that the centre has found a home that will be aware of his needs, fulfil those and love him to bits. Of course we need these animal rescue centres to take in so many animals that have most likely had owners with very good intentions for their new pup, but somewhere along the path something has gone wrong. These rescue centres typically rely on charity, fund raising, volunteers and the kind people willing to give these sad and lonely dogs a new start in life to keep their kennel doors open. It was this tragic sight and the devastating story behind this boy that gave me the determination to attempt to do 'some good' with these breeds. I intend to liaise with Official Breed Rescues, dog wardens and rescue centres in an attempt to ensure that these dogs are not placed in rescue but instead fostered by experienced HPR owners for the shortest time possible, depending on health issues, neutering and temperament checks. That there is an adoption procedure in place where people who are experienced and on a waiting list are home checked before a dog is even in foster. This may sound idealistic as obviously the dog has to match the new owner but surely those that are wanting one of these fantastic dogs would be willing to wait for the right dog ? As they say: All Good Things Come To Those That Wait ..... By also waiting, people are showing their commitment to the breeds. I can only imagine that owners of these dogs are at the end of their tether when making the awful and heartbreaking decision to give up their dog. To this end, I would also like to think that our re-homing service would ensure that those owners who would still like to know how their dog is would be given this opportunity by the new owners with regular updates.

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