| Who
is Sylvia & What is Varazs Perm. Reg'd Vizslas?
My name is Sylvia Dorosh. I am a baby
boomer and was born in Toronto, Ontario - a 2nd generation Canadian of Ukrainian
heritage - and attended grade and high schools in London, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba and then university (undergrad & graduate) in
Guelph, Ontario.
My education includes a Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of Guelph.
I am married and have 2 adult stepchildren. My husband, Michael, is a university professor in
Psychology at the University of Guelph. In addition to dogs, I
really enjoy travel, hiking, fine wines, music, art and architecture, birds,
gardening, and scuba diving.
Varazs is my kennel name. Varazs means "magic" in Hungarian.
The kennel name, Varazs, is now permanently registered with the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) (hence, Perm. Reg'd)
of which I have been a member in good standing
since 1991. The CKC governs kennel names as part of its authority for purebred dogs in Canada under
the Animal Pedigree Act. To quality for permanent
registration, one has to be a CKC member in good standing for 10 years,
have been breeding for 10 years, and produced at least five titled dogs.
We have owned and loved many Vizslas since
1978. Currently we share our home with three Vizslas: 2 females: Miska
(6 yr old) and her 2 yr old daughter, Diva,
and a neutered male Tyro (3 years). In January 2008, we lost our beloved
Sasha who was out
of our very first litter born Dec, 31, 1992.
Top
We are We Located?
My "kennel" is located on 10 gorgeous, wooded acres close to the Niagara escarpment in
south-western Ontario. (See map below.) My husband and I live
happily in an area literally surrounded by hundreds of acres of
woods and lots of trails where we can exercise our dogs off lead. We
have lots of wildlife (except, unfortunately, for upland game). Deer
pass through here; we have resident rabbits and a fox family that returns
to raise
kits almost every year. Small flocks of Rosebreasted Grosbeaks and
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return annually to our property to breed and
raise their young. Occasionally, rare Pileated woodpeckers and
Red-bellied woodpeckers are seen
and heard tapping away on our trees. Scarlet Tanangers, Indigo
Buntings, occasional hawks, flycatchers, and warblers visit here too.
Moffat, Ontario, Canada is
situated about:
- 30
minutes from Pearson International Airport (Toronto, ON)
- 20 minutes from Mississauga, ON
- 20 minutes from Burlington, ON
- 45 - 60 minutes or 70 km. from downtown, Toronto,
ON
- 20 minutes from Guelph/Milton, ON
- 3.5 hours from Detroit, MI
- 1.5 hours from Buffalo, NY
- 7-8 hours driving time (almost non-stop) from
Enola, PA
- 3,607 km or 2,241 miles from our winter home near Phoenix, AZ
Starting in 2009, I now split my time between our home in Arizona, USA and
Ontario, Ontario.
Top
Club Membership:
I am currently a member
of:
For about five or six years, I was the Vizsla Breedlines columnist for Dogs
in Canada magazine, writing monthly articles about Vizslas.
I have trained my dogs at Campaign Dog Academy
and Companion Dogs
in Cambridge, ON (obedience) in Georgetown, Say
Yes (agility) in Alberton, and at Ruffwood
Kennels in Belwood for field.
My favourite dog-related
charity is the Pet Trust Foundation,
Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), Guelph, Ontario, Canada which funds veterinary research into dogs' health
and well-being and other
important animal-related programs. In November 2004, I was honoured by OVC
for financial contributions to the purchase of an Magnetic Resonance
Imaging MRI) machine for animals. Another dog-related cause I
favour is the Lions
Foundation of Canada Dogguides.
Currently (2009, 2010), I became the Editor of the Voice Voice, the
official publication of the Vizsla Society of Ontario.
Brief
History
We
acquired our first Vizsla, Csarda, in 1978. I dabbled in conformation, obedience and field with
Csarda. Despite his glorious pedigree, he was not a show specimen
and he had phobias about slippery floors and mats that also ruled out
obedience competitions. I knew next to nothing about applied dog behaviour or
training then and so his
fate was simply to become a wonderful,
family companion to us, which he was for 14.5 years. Little did
I know how my life would change with Vizsla #2!!
Our second Vizsla, Buster,
was a 16-month old, male bought in 1989 from someone in Toronto, ON who
had imported him into Canada from Judy Vernon's Kezdet's
kennels in New York State. Buster became my
first Champion, first obedience titled dog and first Top Vizsla in Canada
(he was #4 Vizsla in Canada in 1992). I became hooked on dog sports and
activities after that!
Then with the arrival of my first Vizsla puppy,
Nekah, in
1991, my life changed more dramatically. I became considerably more involved in CKC and AKC licensed
events and started doing my own show handling. Since 1990, I've also been very active in Vizsla club and dog activities,
including conformation and
obedience and time and resources allowing, field and agility.
Top of page
In 1992, I, along with 11 other individuals,
started up Vizsla Canada Inc., a national club devoted to the smooth and wirehaired
Vizsla. I was one of the principal founding members and became the club's
first Vice-President. I went on to become the President and simultaneously
carried the roles of Correspondence/Recording Secretary, and newsletter
Editor. I was instrumental in getting Vizsla Canada legally
incorporated and also designed and managed the club's website for several
years. At the same time, I wrote monthly articles for Dogs in
Canada magazine, as the Vizsla Breedlines columnist. I organized
several club events, including our first national specialty show in 1998
and promoted merchandise and book sales to raise money for the club.
Looking back, I don't know how I found or had the energy to do all that I
did for Vizsla Canada in its formative years, but somehow I did and I
enjoyed it.
Briefly back to my dogs . . .
Foundation
Dogs
In 1992, we had our first litter out of my
foundation dogs, Buster and Nekah. Nekah,
the dog-love of my life, became a top producing dam.
Thirteen (or an
incredible 62%) of Nekah's pups hold a variety of titles (CH, CD, FDJ, TT and
CGC), 5 are
group (conformation) winners/placers, and 2 more were pointed in Canada but
didn't finish their titles. I don't know if this
is a record for Canada, but it certainly is very high for a Vizsla in this country.
Nekah and Buster are also grandparents of several titled
dogs which are listed on Titled Dogs'
page. They have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge but will never be
forgotten.
Since 1992, I've only bred nine litters and
been a co-breeder on two other litters with Sherryanne Farr of Blackbullets
kennels. My goal is NOT to produce a lot
of dogs. Instead, I want quality over quantity and I strongly believe in maintaining the Vizsla as a versatile,
healthy dog. I don't have total control over the 'healthy'
aspects of breeding except to do as much testing and screening as are available
to our breed. But I sure can do - and do - lots to maintain this breed as
versatile. To find out more about my breeding philosophy,
goals and guarantees, please go to my Breeding
page.
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