Welcome to our site! A little about us . . . Newell is a food salesman at Ben E. Keith Foods and is an avid hunter, Kristi taught 2nd grade for 21 years in San Antonio and here in Devine. She is "retired" from teaching children and is now focusing on teaching puppies and their forever families. Our kennel mirrors a classroom that is filled with love, laughter (barking), discipline, organization, consistency, and a lot of recess time! Our own Vizslas (8 of them presently) are very much a part of the family. We have three kids that were 1, 2, and 4 when we got our first Vizsla, "Lil". Just to put things into perspective, our three kids (Tres, Sadie, and Lexie) are all in their late 20's and early 30's and have all graduated from Texas A&M University. Tres, our son, is a store leader at HEB. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Castroville and have two sons (Layne - born in February 2021) and (Levi - born in May 2023). Sadie, our daughter, is a 2nd grade teacher. She and her husband, Nathan, live here in Devine and have a son (Rhett - born in September 2021). Lexie, our youngest daughter, is also married and enjoying the role as a military spouse to her husband, Connor. They have a daughter (Kennedy - born in December 2022). They just transitioned from Arizona to South Korea where Connor will be flying an A-10. All three of our kids have a Vizsla or two of their own!
When our family was introduced to the Vizsla breed back in 1997, we were not only looking for a good hunting companion, but would also be a perfect match with our three small children. "Lil" was our first Vizsla, and it didn't take long for us to add another to our family, then another, then another. Long story short - we have had up to 10 Vizslas at one time. Our love for this breed is an obvious one and can be easily understood by any Vizsla owner!
“Lil” passed several years ago, and because of her and the light she shed in our lives, life as we knew it was forever changed - a life with the Vizsla. This breed is an excellent family dog, natural hunting retriever/companion, and a best friend. We have had a total of 17 Vizslas join our family and have been breeding them since 1998. During the first years, we would only have 1-2 litters every year or two. Now that we have more Vizslas in our family, we’re able to have around 3-7 litters of per year. The positive thing about having only a few litters is that they receive more time and gobs of attention. The negative part (for someone wanting one) is that we don’t have as many pups as we get requests. Waiting for a puppy once you’ve made your mind up to get one is one of the hardest things to do – we know firsthand what it's like to be on a waiting list – and it’s a hard place to be!
People that haven't owned one have asked us to describe the Vizsla, so here are some descriptive words that best exemplify this breed: loyal, intelligent, energetic, loving, playful, obedient, and athletic; but also sneaky, hyper, and mischievous. We honestly don't know how any other breed tops this one! They are nicknamed 'the Velcro dog' and there could not be a better way to put it - they are stuck to you like Velcro. They LOVE attention! They love to please their owners. They love to creepy-crawl their way up into your lap! They love the space to run and exercise. Hunting is a natural instinct, which is one of the primary reasons we started with Lil. We had no idea how much we would fall in love with their personalities in addition to their hunting abilities. Any owner of a Vizsla would not argue - this breed is almost humanistic. Each and every one of the Vizslas we've had the privilege of bringing into our family has had their own unique personality.
Describing their active personalities . . . some may call it hyper, we call it full (very full) of energy. Of course, their behavior will be whatever you allow them to get away with. We can't stress that enough. They are fast learners. As stated earlier, they want nothing more than to please you! Some of the ways that we handle their need for activity is to open our back gate to a 50 acre field and let me run, play fetch with a ball, take them to the tank to let them swim, or go on a hunting excursion.
We say this with respect and hope it is not taken offensively: if you live in a home that does not have a backyard or a place to exercise them, this breed is probably not for you. If you are not willing to spend quality time with them on a daily basis, this breed is not for you. A Vizsla needs an active person (or family) that is able to give ample love, attention, discipline when needed, consistency, and plenty of exercise. We’ve been asked numerous times if this breed gets along with other animals – and the answer is yes. Of course it’s important to introduce them carefully and teach them not to chase cats, etc. Again, they will handle situations in a way that is presented to them. If you allow them to chase your cat, then guess what? Game on!
In 2014, we built a little kennel (some call it a luxury suite) for our puppies and grown dogs. We use it for the grown dogs when the weather is bad or when we're keeping males & females together or separate for breeding purposes. You can see a few pictures in the ‘photos’ or social media tabs. When we have puppies, Kristi spends most of her day out there tending, nesting, and working with the pups.
Our puppies have their dew-claws removes and tails docked at just a few days old. Dew-claw removal and tails docked is non-negotiable for us. They are dewormed every other week, first set of shots are given, and are checked from our Veterinarian at 6 weeks of age.
Kristi sends out weekly updates and pictures each week starting at ‘Week 1’ all the way through the pick up day. Our goal is to involve and educate our new owners as much as we can during the time we have them. We feel it is super important for the families who get one of our puppies to be a part of the whole process. Our puppies (and adults) are precious to us and receive the best care possible. We send our new puppy owners home with a booklet of information about the breed and suggestions for handling new puppies, a scented blanket, toys, a leash, and a small bag of the puppy food we feed them (Purina ProPlan Chicken and Rice Formula). We also have a guarantee for our puppies. During the weeks that they are with us, we also condition them with a Gun-shy conditioning system from Master’s Voice. This helps them overcoming fear of loud noises such as gunshots and thunder. We highly suggest that the pups stay with their litter mates for the first 7-8 weeks. This allows them to bond, to socialize, to learn from each other, and to build their immunities. Our puppies do come with AKC papers and are ready to be registered by their new families.
Occasionally, we have puppies available from a litter that we have at the time of someone reaching out to us. If there is not one available at that time, you have the option of being placed on our waiting list. What we ask of you if you want to be placed on the waiting list is to please either call, text, or email us so we can visit with you a little bit. At that point, we will email you a short information form for you to print, fill out and mail back to us. We also ask for a $100 deposit. This deposit and the order in which we receive your form will hold your spot for upcoming puppies. As mentioned earlier, there are times that people will need to wait for a puppy and we thank you in advance for your patience. If you have any questions, please call. If you want to come out to see them, meet them, and fall in love for yourself, we would love to have you and your family out.
