cue activities, and fundrais-

ing initiatives.

Please be on the look out for

updates on the rescheduled

Red Hearts Red Dog Event,

our 50th Anniversary cele-

bration, as well as info on

upcoming Fun Days. You

can always find updates on

our Web site as well as our

Facebook page.

Thank you for your interest

and support of VCCNE. Hap-

py Spring to you and your

Vizslas!

Cheers,

Britta-Lena Lasko

VCCNE Board of Directors

Dear VCCNE members,

Here in Vermont we have had

a few days of unexpected

warmth, where the smell of the

soil and the heat of the sun

has given a hint of what’s

ahead. The maple sap is run-

ning and folks are rigorously

taking part in a right of Spring

that is so well known here in

New England.

For Vizsla owners, and all dog

owners, this means warmer

days ahead, and most espe-

cially, more time outside for

our canine companions. To

reflect on the long winter, we

decided to focus this newslet-

ter on cooking for you and your

dog—activities that many of

our members have been doing

over the past several months.

In other news, the VCCNE

board has started to look at

what lies ahead in 2014,

which marks our 50th Anniver-

sary. We are placing a call out

to our members and welcome

all suggestions as well as any

help that you may want to give

in planning such a gathering.

All volunteers are welcome!

The rest of the Board and I

would like to thank you for

your continued support and

also apologize for the cancella-

tion of the February Red

Hearts Red Dogs Event, which

was canceled due to poor

weather. We promise we are

working hard to reschedule

this event in the very near

future.

As we move forward, please

know that we are always open

to hearing from our members.

If you have any good ideas for

future events, or simply ques-

tions relating to breed, we

welcome your input. We are

also always looking for volun-

teers to help with events, res-

A n t i c i p a t i n g S p r i n g S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Anticipating

Spring

Wild Fowl Recipes

Tails of Success

Vizsla Treat

Recipes

My Dog

Events Update

from Carol Phelps

Thoughts for

Spring

Member Photos

Benefits of Coco-

nut Oil for Dogs

VCCNE Numbers

Vizsla Club of

Central New England

March 2014 VCCNE Newsletter

Hungarian rescue, Enzo

and his favorite stuffed

animal, submitted by

Britta-Lena Lasko.

N e w s l e t t e r s u b m i s s i o n s

Do you have a good story or a stunning photo of your Vizsla?

We are always looking for new submissions, updates, and

good stories to share with our members. Please e-mail

Britta-Lena Lasko at :

Chicopee44@yahoo.com

For the avid hunters in our club, the ultimate question of “how best to cook the birds” after a day in the field,

might elicit several different answers. VCCNE Vice President, Anne Corrigan, offered up this pheasant recipe.

For those who are hunting woodcock, here is another recipe provided by one of our members in Maine.

Pheasants Stewed in White Wine

Ingredients:

4 pheasants

1 bunch of celery, chopped fine

3 chopped onions

8 minced garlic cloves

3/4 cup olive oil

½ cup chopped parsley

2 Tablespoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Approximately 4 cups white wine

I start by sectioning the birds, cutting legs

and splitting the breasts. (There is little

meat on the rest of the bird so I discard it.)

In a Dutch oven lightly brown the bird parts

slowly in olive oil. Add celery, onions, garlic

and parsley. Sauté until veggies are soft.

Add salt, pepper & thyme. Pour wine over

all the ingredients, enough to cover with

liquid. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stir-

ring often. Uncover and simmer for 20

minutes to reduce liquid and thicken broth.

I serve with French bread for dipping.

New England Baked Woodcock

Ingredients:

6 Woodcock, split

1 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

3 tablespoons sweet butter

1 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 cup sour cream

Dip birds into milk, then roll in flour. Melt butter

and brown birds in it. Remove birds, dip again

into milk, then dredge with bread crumbs. Season

with salt, pepper, and paprika, and place in a cas-

serole. Add sour cream and cover dish. Bake at

350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until tender. This

recipe yields 2 servings.

VCCNE Vice President, Anne Corrigan, recently sub-

mitted these photos of her newest Vizsla family

member, ‘Cape East’s Cash is King’ aka “Cash” who

was born on Christmas Day.

W i l d F o w l R e c i p e s

P a g e 2

V i z s l a C l u b o f

C e n t r a l N e w E n g l a n d

Some of our members have spent the winter working hard to

please their Vizslas in the kitchen. Here is a recipe that one of our

directors, Cheryl Mielcarek, submitted for the newsletter. Please

note that the Italian dressing could be substituted with other

dressings or olive oil and vinegar.

Turkey Jerky

Ingredients;

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tbs Italian Dressing

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

2. Using a mixer, blender or food processor, puree ground turkey

with Italian dressing until thick paste

3. Spread mixture over greased cookie/jelly roll pan to about ¼

inch thick

4. Bake for 2 hours with oven door open slightly to let moisture

escape

5. Remove from oven, flip jerky over and cut into 1 inch squares

with knife or pizza cutter

6. Put squares back on cookie sheet return to oven and bake for

another 1-2 hours until treats are dry and leathery

7. Remove from oven, let cool thoroughly and store in airtight

container in fridge.

VCCNE Treasurer, Deadra Doku-Gardner submitted this recipe to

achieve weight gain for finicky pups. She says that this one works

really well for her youngest pup.

Fat Balls

Ingredients:

1 dozen egg yolks

1 lb. jar crunchy peanut butter

1 small container of oats

1 jar of wheat germ

1 lb. hamburger

1 package of hamburger

1 package of cream cheese

Some versions of this recipe say to soak the oats in milk or cream

first. Put all ingredients in a big bowl and mix with your hands.

Form into balls and put in zip lock bags and freeze. Yes, you feed

the hamburger raw!!

V i z s l a T r e a t R e c i p e s

P a g e 3 V C C N E N e w s l e t t e r

work in progress, but has come so far

and we cannot imagine life without him.

He is definitely a Velcro dog, (some-

thing) which we all love most about

him! “

Max came into rescue in December of

2012 as a result of a divorce. He was

very shy and especially shy around men.

Max can be a total mush ball once he

trusts you but he can be very standoffish

until he knows you. He was adopted into

a family with another Vizsla and two chil-

dren, however, the situation did not work

for Max. Max returned to Rescue and

fortunately he went back to the same

foster home so it was not too difficult for

Max to readjust. At this point we knew

that Max needed a special home that

understood Max’s issues and were will-

ing to make a difference in his life. Along

came the Travaglini family. Donna, her

grown children, and her husband Paul

understood Max’s (renamed Jax) needs

and opened up their home to him. Don-

na recently reported that, “Jax has been

such a lovely addition to our family. He

is a fast learner and is slowly overcoming

his fear of men. He truly loves playing

with other dogs and going in the ocean in

the summer. Jax is the most lovable dog

and never runs out of kisses. He is a

To find out more about the

VCCNE Rescue Program or to

make a charitable tax-deductible

donation, please visit our Web

site, www. vccne.net

T a i l s o f S u c c e s s : J a x

For this newsletter we are profiling Diesel or to be official

‘Champion Sergeant Pipers Diesel Fuel JH NA NAJ NP NPJ CD’

owned by VCCNE Vice President Anne Corrigan

Diesel was born Feb. 17, 2004 in Chatham, MA. He is the product

of a breeding between my stud dog, Sarge (Sergeant Piper CDX OAJ

NJ) and my former bitch ‘Dixie Chic’. He was from a litter of 11 pup-

pies, (which I thought was ironic because I’m the youngest of 11).

Diesel had big shoes to fill as I competed hard and successfully in

many venues with his dad. Little did I know he would surpass his

dad by leaps and bounds. Diesel earned his hunting title at 20 months, his show championship at 22 months

(finishing in 4 shows with 5 point majors!). I started hunting him at 8 months old and he has become a hunting

dog many hobbyists dream of. At the time I was instructing students in agility competition, so like his dad, Diesel

was also trained in the agility ring, which he thoroughly enjoyed. After a long struggle from my back injury, I found

agility too taxing on my body so we turned to obedience as a sport, where Diesel quickly earned his CD. Diesel

has always been a fast learner and eager for our next adventure. Now at the age of 9 he has sired 11 beautiful

litters of puppies and continues to eagerly go bird hunting every fall. Having raised and bred Vizslas for over 30

years, my fondness for the breed has only grown stronger with each success, whether it be my own dogs or my

fosters. We are a lucky bunch to have such a breed.

Anne Corrigan

If you would like your dog to be featured in the next newsletter, please submit a brief article and photo to

Britta-Lena Lasko at Chicopee44@yahoo.com

M Y D O G

P a g e 4 V i z s l a C l u b o f

C e n t r a l N e w E n g l a n d

and lighting, but overall this was a

very nice show venue. To see the

results of these shows, go

to www.raudogshows.com.

An entry of 37 champion Vizslas and

2 class dogs were entered at

the Garden (the Westminster Kennel

Club in Manhattan, NY) on Tuesday,

February 11, 2014 (7 of the champi-

ons were absent). For a full marked

catalogue with results of the show

and to view the once live-stream

video of the complete one-hour long

Vizsla presentation & judging, go to

www.westminsterkennelclub.org.

New England Sporting Association

will be hosting a weekend of dog

shows limited to sporting breeds on

Saturday, March 15, 2014 and Sun-

day, March 16, 2014 at the BIG E in

West Springfield, MA. Each day there

is a puppy and veteran sweepstakes

as well as regular classes, so at least

two opportunities each day to expose

your puppy to the ring. At the Sunday

show, there will also be a 4 to 6 month

old puppy competition for the ba-

bies. Note that this is a NEW VENUE

for these shows, which in the past

have been held in Fitchburg, MA (a

venue no longer available for dog

shows). Entries for these shows closed

at noon on Wednesday, February 26,

2014.

Carol Barry Phelps

Please visit us at www.szizlin.com

Advocating for the Purebred Vizsla!

Spring is around the corner!

Soon, the snow will thaw and disappear. (Yes, it really will!) That

opens the door to a lot more outside activities! Here are a few

things to consider for spring, and anytime really!

1. Spring cleaning? Our furry kids are like human kids, they get

into everything! Keep your spring cleaning supplies out of reach or

in a cabinet. Think about pet and environmentally friendly prod-

ucts. If your V ingests anything – call your vet or the ASPCA Animal

Poison Hotline (888-426-4435).

2. Aaaachooo! Sneezing? Itchy watery eyes? Dermatitis? Not

you! Your V! This may be a sign of a seasonal allergy. Check it out!

3. Slacked off on your flea and tick regimen over the winter? If

you have – vets recommend getting tested before restarting. If

you have a checkup coming, ask for it!

4. What? No CHOCOLATE?!? The Easter Bunny is coming with a

load of chocolate treats – but NOT FOR DOGS! Remember, choco-

late is not good for dogs. What you might not know is artificial

sweeteners can also be upsetting and sometimes deadly.

5. NO BULLYING! – just like in a school playground – dog parks,

trails, and runs are opportunities for bullying by more aggressive

dogs. If you think playtime is getting out of hand, it probably

is. Trust yourself – you and your V should make tracks to some-

where else.

6. Spring thaw can be hazard-

ous, especially on streets, can

contain ice melt and salts which

can cause stomach upset and sometimes be life threatening.

7. Keep away from sprouting new plants – though grass is prob-

ably ok (beware of chemically treated grass!) chewing on other

plants may cause vomiting, diarrhea or worse! If you are concerned

– internet search on toxic plants for dogs.

8. Working in the driveway? Don’t let your V lap up puddles of

car wash, lick the car wax container, sample the antifreeze,

etc. Some of these things taste sweet to dogs, but it is not sweet

for them!

9. DON’T shake a stick at it! Bring toys to the park or on your

run. Springtime reveals a lot of sticks that seem to be ‘nature’s

toys’ however – pieces of stick can cause choking and injuries.

10. When you get home – wipe down your V. While you are, pay

attention to their feet and body for cuts, abrasions and ticks. Plus,

it will keep your furniture cleaner! (Less spring cleaning!)

Happy Spring!

Submitted by VCCNE director, Charlie Mielcarek

E v e n t s U p d a t e f r o m C a r o l P h e l p s

T h o u g h t s f o r S p r i n g

P a g e 5 V C C N E N e w s l e t t e r

This is a "relatively" quiet time of year

for dog shows in New England. The

BIG E in West Springfield, MA was the

venue for the Merrimack Valley KC

dog shows on January 4-5, 2014 and

the Great Barrington KC shows on

February 1-2, 2014. To see the results

of these shows, go to

www.infodog.com.

Vizsla Club of Long Island (VCLI) and

Connecticut Valley Vizsla Club

(CVVC) each hosted an independent

specialty show the weekend before

the Garden, on February 8, 2014 and

February 9, 2014 respectively. These

shows, previously held at the Meadow-

lands in Secaucus, were held at a new

venue, the Hilton Hotel in Rye Brook,

NY, and were very well attended.

There were minor issues with parking

Carol Phelps of Szizlin Vizslas submitted these pho-

tos L to R of Zee (age 14) with her dad Frank; puppy

Chance out for a run; and puppy Phelps with a live

pet cockatoo.

M e m b e r P h o t o s

P a g e 6

VCCNE member Debra Steele of

Sondela Vizslas in Needham,

MA, submitted these photos of

her dogs. L to R are Poppet,

Cricket, Summer and Baron;

Cricket and Summer; Poppet

with “birthday cake”

V i z s l a C l u b o f

C e n t r a l N e w E n g l a n d

olive oil—the oil comes from the first

pressing of fresh, raw coconut. There

are pesticide-free organic brands as

well. With so many choices and price

points, reading the labels closely is

highly recommended.

There are many healthful benefits to

adding coconut oil to your dog’s diet.

The unrefined type has a taste that

most dogs immediately love. You can

incorporate it directly into your

dog’s meal by adding a 1/4 tea-

spoon to 1 teaspoon, depending

on the size of your dog. As with

any added fat to a diet, you will

want to start slowly so your dog

can properly absorb and process

the oil and avoid diarrhea.

Why it’s Good for the Inside of a Dog:

Virgin coconut oil contains fatty

acids such as lauric acid, which is

also found in breast milk. Lauric

acid has natural antibacterial

properties.

The anti-fungal properties of coco-

nut helps prevent and treat Can-

dida and other yeast infections.

It improves digestive system func-

tion and enables better absorp-

tion of nutrients from the foods

your dog normally eats.

Coconut oil is also known to stimulate

the thyroid gland which in turns helps

maintain a healthy weight and activity

level.

How it Can Help the Outside of a Dog:

Coconut oil is a great moisturizer when

applied to your dog’s skin, healing hot

spots and rough cracked foot pads.

You will notice overall improvement in

your dog’s coat

Inflamed and itchy skin from flea bites

or sores benefit from this oil applied

directly.

Add it to your dog’s shampoo or rinse

water to add a nice smell, and take

advantage of its antioxidant proper-

ties.

Coconut oil just may be the miracle we’ve

all been looking for. From cooking benefits

to health benefits for you and your dog,

you’ll want to clear an entire shelf in your

pantry for this magical elixir. For further

information and a list of 101 Uses for Co-

conut Oil, check out:

http://wellnessmama.com/5734/101-

uses-for-coconut-oil/

B e n e f i t s o f C o c o n u t

O i l f o r D o g s

P a g e 7 V C C N E N e w s l e t t e r

Borrowed from lifeanddog.com

Coconut oil is rapidly growing in popular-

ity. No longer found in health food stores

only, large grocery store chains have

begun to carry multiple brands in re-

sponse to the increased demand. Peo-

ple have discovered the health benefits

from cooking with it, baking with it and

even using coconut oil as a hair condi-

tioner. Now even our dogs can experi-

ence the health

benefits inside

and out from coco-

nut oil.

The Science:

The fat in virgin

coconut oil is largely made up of medi-

um-chain fatty acids (MCFA). This type of

saturated fat is easily metabolized and

turned into energy. There are two types

of coconut oil, refined and unrefined.

Refined usually is tasteless, because it

is refined to the point that you are able

to fry with it or bake with it without im-

parting any coconut flavor or taste into

your food. However, the refining process

may include harsh solvents and chemi-

cals. If possible, look for a slightly more

expensive brand that uses a chemical-

free cleaning process. On the other

hand, unrefined coconut oil is typically

virgin and extra virgin, and similar to

On the left is

Kukla owned by

VCCNE Treasur-

er, Deadra Doku

-Gardner and on

the right is

Teak, owned by

Pat Fanning and

her family. Teak

and Kukla are

sisters.

The Vizsla Club of Central New England (VCCNE) is the oldest

regional chapter of the Vizsla Club of America (VCA), the na-

tional parent breed club of The American Kennel Club

(AKC). Originally founded in 1964, the VCCNE continues to

dedicate itself to protecting and advancing the interests of

this dynamic breed by sponsoring hunting tests, confor-

mation shows, training days, and versatility testing, in addi-

tion to operating a highly successful Rescue program.

WWW.VCCNE.NET

Vizsla Club of Central New England

President, John DeSantis

Vice President, Anne Corrigan

Secretary, Debra LaRocca

Treasurer, Deadra Doku-Gardner

Rescue, Nancy Tarbox

Board Member, Cheryl Mielcarek

Board Member, Charlie Mielcarek

Board Member, Britta-Lena Lasko

Direct Inquiries can be made to

Debra_robison@hotmail.com

Celebrating Over Four Decades of the Versatile Vizsla

V C C N E n u m b e r s

Nobody likes to get caught up on statistics, but we

must share some recent numbers that quite frankly,

reflect the good work of our club members and the

efforts of our new board:

Rescue: Since last September we have placed 6

Vizslas in new homes.

Treasurer’s Report: As of March 6, 2014 we have

$5,966.25 in the general club account and

$5,047.37 in the Rescue account.

Membership Status: Our current number of mem-

bers is holding strong at 56, including 31 family

memberships! We also have 22 past members who

have not yet renewed. If you are one of the 22 former

members, we would certainly welcome your renewal

and voice in club activities.

Szizlin’ Sabrina La Vie en Rose, submitted by VCCNE Treasurer, Deadra

Doku-Gardner