What Kind of Dog Is Jasper? A Hungarian Vizsla

UP UNTIL THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, VIZSLAS WERE NOT WELL KNOWN IN THE UNITED STATES. I used to be asked, “What kind of dog is that?” but now, with more awareness of the breed, I’m often asked, “Is that a Vizsla?” It is!

Vizslas are sporting dogs. They are sleek, muscular, and have only one coat of fur, which is silky to the touch. Their eyes are blue as puppies but blend in with their coat as they reach adulthood, and they have a liver-colored nose.

Vizslas are very loyal and were bred to stay close to their owners. They do not like to be left by themselves or to sleep alone. “If you own a Vizsla, it lives on top of your head,” they say in Hungary. Don’t we know it. Jasper rarely lets us out of his sight (so there’s very little privacy in our house, if you know what I mean), and whenever I sit, he’s there in an instant, right next to or on top of me.

The Vizsla is a Hungarian dog with a long history, going all the way back to the Magyar tribes that came across Asia in the tenth century. It’s reported that the breed dwindled in size during wars in the region. At one point in the late nineteenth century, only about a dozen Vizslas were alive in Hungary. Thankfully, enough dogs were saved and the Vizsla was rehabilitated by some determined breeders.

Over the years, local nobility controlled the breed and rarely let a Vizsla leave Hungary, even though other Europeans very much wanted to import the dogs. In fact, it wasn’t until the Russian invasion of Hungary that the Hungarians started to send Vizslas to other countries, with the hope of preserving the breed. Since the dogs were tied to the aristocracy, they worried about their survival.

Soon after World War II, Vizslas started coming to the United States. Interest in the breed grew, and just seventy years later, one special Vizsla was nicknamed America’s Dog!

A fan of The Five told me her grandchildren call Vizslas “Jasper dogs,” and Jasper and Henry even get mentions on the Wikipedia page about the breed. I love all dogs, but I’m glad I’ve had the chance to get to know the Vizsla.

It’s too bad: they always seem to get robbed of first prize at the dog shows. But no matter—they’re number one in my book.