The Great Breed Debate

When we first laid eyes on Manny at the Humane Society we were told he was a lab pit pull mix. I didn't question it for a second. I knew he had pit coloring, but he had the floppy ears of a lab. It was the wildest thing because I could see Manny in a lab and pit bull. The way people looked at Manny as a puppy we figured he must have had some Pit in him. Never had we seen a puppy so ignored. Who doesn't love a puppy?! And just the other day I had a lady look at Manny with pure distaste and disgust. It is incredibly eye opening to see the stigma pit bulls have. It made me so sad.

So Manny is a year old now. He doesn't have the lab or pit bull build. He isn’t stocky. He is actually the opposite: really lean and tall. I had it in my head he must have some Greyhound in him then. I didn't need to do a DNA Test because I had just convinced myself he was a mix of Lab, Pit Bull, and Greyhound.

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Then last weekend my family was over and my SIL’s mom mentioned she thought Manny was a Vizsla. I didn't really give it a second thought. Our friends have a Vizsla mix and Manny didn’t look anything like Chili Bean. A few days later I started reading this blog and Julie had a Vizsla and he looked JUST. LIKE. MANNY. I could not get over the similarities!

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I googled Vizsla and showed G the above picture and he said “Oh my gosh! That is Manny!”

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Not only do they have similar face features, but they have the EXACT same body type! G and I were fascinated and just dumbfounded that Manny was a Viszla. I mean, he is a rescue dog and probably still has Lab and Pit in him, but it's hard to deny the Viszla resemblance!

So you can imagine my surprise when I started reading about the Vizsla breed and realized Manny has the exact same temperament. Highly affectionate. Check. Loyal. Check. Energetic. Check. 

Great with children. Check. Thrive on attention. Check. Excellent retrievers. Check. Good guard dog. Check. Gentle-mannered. Check. Hunting dogs. This explains why he goes after every single squirrel, chipmunk, and bird. CHECK.

I was so happy to read "Vizslas are excellent swimmers. Some may need a little motivation to get in the water but as they get used to it they will love it." (via) There is hope for Manny yet!

I read that Vizslas are easily trainable so I haven't been as easy on Manny. I have really pushed him to listen when I say a command and the craziest thing is happening. He is obeying. He is smarter than I gave him credit for. I also read how important exercise is so I've started running during our walks in the morning and he is LOVING it.

I don't know. Maybe it's crazy, but I just feel like I know Manny better. I feel closer to him. I should still do the DNA Test, but I'm pretty sure he's got a lot of Vizsla in him.