Nearly Heaven Flying School is Closed

I am sorry to announce that Nearly Heaven Flying School is now closed. It will neither re-open under its existing name, nor indeed under a new name.

Neither Nearly Heaven, nor Susan Virr's legacy is affiliated with any other aeroclub.

However, I am pleased that my mother's legacy lives on in the large number of students and friends who flew with her in France. The family would like to thank all of you for your kind comments over the last few months.

Flying: Where next?

I am frequently asked if I know of a flying school that evidences the same high levels of energy and enthusiasm embodied by Nearly Heaven, sadly I don't know of any such in France, but  Susan Virr was taught by Phil Matthews at Cotswold Aeroclub, Gloucestershire Airport http://www.cotswoldaeroclub.com/ Phil can be reached on 01452 713942

Puppies are having fun

The Puppies are six weeks old now and  getting, bigger and stronger every day, they spend their days in their outside home, playing, fighting and generally having a great time.

In the evenings , they reluctantly come into their    stable, where they play with their toys, until sleep overtakes them.

Meg, is still feeding them, however, her visits to them are now infrequent and it is obvious that her milk is gradually drying up. She loves to play with them and I truly think, that she will always remain a puppy at heart.



Big Brother Teddy tolerating this puppy



All of our adult males are frightened of the puppies,they give them a wide berth, however Blanchette, adores the puppies and spends time enjoying their company and cleaning them, when their own mother is not looking.

Soon it will be time for the litter to visit the vet, to be microchipped and vaccinated, then they shall leave home to go to their new owners.This is always a sad time for us, as these wonderful little dogs fill us with joy every day.

Lucia spends lots of time with the puppies, they are truly bilingual, she speaks Spanish to the them, and the puppies never forget her terms of endearment.

At present we have two females and one male for sale.

Mum with her babies

Puppies are growing up

The latest litter of puppies are nearly four  weeks old and are keeping us captivated by their antics.
They are jumping , barking and playing with their siblings, but most of all they are growing rapidly  in front of our eyes.

When the puppies were born , they averaged 400 grams, now some of them are over three kilos!
They are gradually getting used to their first form of "house training" they have newspaper surrounding their beds and they dutifully trot out to use their "paper toilet"

Soon ,they will move from the kitchen to one of the stables, in a few days they will be strong enough to go into their outside play pen, during daylight hours  if the weather is favourable.

Of course Meg is an excellent mother and they are looked after 100% of the time, however since last week due to vociferous demand ,I have supplemented their diet with weetabix and milk, It is an amazing sight for when I put the bowl down, they gallop over to the bowl and the food vanishes in a few seconds.

Once they are replete, they stagger back to their bed, with protruding tummies for a little sleep. In about 45 minutes, the cycle begins again, first a feed from Mum , then a top up with their cereals, a little play and a little rest. It is certainly a "puppies life"

We have one boy and three girls available for reservation.
For further details call 0689713603 or send an email to puppies@pedigree-hungarian-vizslas.com

they are here!

Another Year Another Litter of Puppies?

How the years fly by! Once again another year has passed, since I was writing  on this blog about our forthcoming litter of puppies.

"Bicton Bear it All" or otherwise "Meg" has  finally come into season, we are hoping for another successful mating with her husband "Visions of Success" otherwise known as "Leko".




Leko and Meg

 Our dogs live on our small farm and mix regularly with all of our animals and poultry, which roam on a free range basis over the grounds.

We have horses, sheep and lambs, Vietnamese pot bellied pigs, chickens,geese, ducks and rabbits The dogs know that to chase or kill them is strictly forbidden, they abide by the rules reluctantly!

 We already have several  people who are patiently waiting  for a puppy, So I am delighted that things are moving along now.

For those of you who are new to this blog, "Meg" is the daughter of the illustrious Hungarian Vizsla

Hungargunn Bear it'n Mind who was the outright winner of Crufts Dog Show in 2010,.



Meg has had two previous litters of puppies, the first litter she had 10 beautiful puppies,then she astounded us by producing 13 puppies (11 survived). I do hope for a nice easy time this year, my wish would be a "small" litter of 7 or 8, however no doubt, she is sure to surprise us once again.

Lucia and I are very lucky, because many dogs, from our previous litters ,come back to visit us, therefore we see them through all of their stages of development.

At times we have had eight vizslas in the house at one time.
It is so nice to see our family greeting their offspring, the mothers always remember their children, and the males welcome all the dogs, without seeing them as intruding on their own territory.

We have three male dogs living here with two females as a family,they are always easy to handle,as long as they know who is their leader.


Of course they respect each other (as in a wolf pack) they know their places in the pecking order and they are happy and content.






Teddy trying to fly!

 
Hungarian Vizslas are very intelligent and very sensitive, however if they do not have boundaries, they can become naughty at times.The answer is to be their pack leader, they will then be obedient, loving and your constant shadow.

The best thing about Vizslas is how much they adore you they, demand your love and company, however at times, especially when they even want to join you in the bathroom, this can be the worst thing about them too.

As I write this I have one behind me on the office chair,one under the desk and another licking my ear!

If you wish to be added to the waiting list please just contact either myself or Lucia

A remarkable note!

Hello everybody!


After reading your messages I want to tell you my story!

Vizsla''s are wonderful dogs, I could not live without our five Vizsla's! When Sue say's No to them they jump to attention!

She takes all five dogs on the roads/fields when she goes riding the horses.

When they come to a junction, she say's heel and sit and they wait to cross the road.

She can put all six on Stay and leave them at the top of the field, she then can walk down to the house and go out of sight, they will only come when she calls them.

They are crazy with delight when she comes home from flying, but she ignores them totally, until they calm down and act sensibly.

They are not allowed to go down the stairs before her (she is their leader and mine!),It is so funny to watch them, if one tries to pass her, she stops on the stairs and just says" Back" the dog then walks backwards to get onto the stair behind her.( they look as though they are dancing) when the other Vizsla's, come here on holiday, they too learn this ritual and would not dream of trying to pass her, neither do I.

When a young Vizsla puppy goes to his new home, he looks sweet and adorable, and everyone is amused by his play.

However during his time in the litter and in the early weeks, the puppies, bite , chase and jump on top of each other during their play times.

However if he tries any of the same tricks on his mother or any of the older vizslas in his family, they will soon chastise him with a growl and if necessary the bitch will put his nose in her mouth and clamp on him. The puppy soon learns good manners and respect from the older dogs; These dogs are training the youngster, towards being a respectful adult and he soon learns that he is at the bottom of the "pecking line" and if he does not behave he will be punished and ostracized until he shows respect.

When the puppy arrives in his new home, he needs guidance from his new owners,he needs to learn where his boundaries lie and he must be at the bottom of the pecking order,or otherwise he will grow up thinking that he is the boss and his owners are mere puppies, to be played with and totally ignored when he chooses.



I am sure that you have seen how boisterously affectionate, over demanding and defiant your puppy can become.

He has boundless energy, and he is extremely intelligent.You must remember that this dog has been bred to work, therefore he needs both physical and mental stimulation.





If your dog respects you and sees you as his leader, he will be the most wonderful companion imaginable.He craves your love and he wants to be part of the family, he hates being locked up or being confined away from his master.

The Vizsla needs to respect the word NO, he is actually a very sensitive dog, so do not over control him, give him constant praise for all of his good deeds, but you must NEVER, tolerate biting, growling or any defiant aggression ( I can guarantee that if your Vizsla is doing any of these things, he does not see you as his master).

                                                 They are adorable!



 I'm missing all "mi cosas bonitas" = " my beautiful little things"

Lucia Andrade

August is Puppy Holiday Time!

This month we have two of this years puppies staying at Nearlyheaven ,while their owners visit the UK for a wedding.

They are great companions for our remaining puppy ( who is awaiting his new owners return from the USA in September).

Originally we put the puppies in their "own puppy  pen" to play during the daytime, however they were not too happy with being confined, they wanted to join the adult dogs in the garden.

 Happily they are all romping together and even "Zac" has been seen playing with them.(Zac has a horror of small puppies and usually runs away from them).

Each morning before I go to the airport ,I take all of the dogs into my fields to let
off steam, it is a wonderful sight to watch 8 Hungarian Vizsla dogs galloping at full pelt around together.The sheep and livestock just ignore them..... thankfully!
It is amusing watching their characteristics Lucia and I regularly look at a puppy and say he is doing that just like "Teddy" or look at that " he is lying down with his legs back just  like "Meg" etc.
Thankfully none of them have emulated "Blanchettes "puppy antics which was holding on to the tails of the horses when they galloped around the field!