Country/Date of Origin: Hungary/9th Century
On the steppes of Hungary, where game was plentiful, this superb hunting dog flourished for centuries. Thought to have been brought by the Magyar people when they conquered the land, this dog is an excellent pointer, retriever and tracker.
It was especially suited to tracking partridges and rabbits in the tall grass steppes. The numbers of Vizsla dropped dramatically between the two world wars that ravaged its homeland. In the Russian occupation that followed, families fleeing to western European countries brought the dogs with them and extended the breed's popularity. Vizslas were admitted to the American Kennel Club in 1960.