There aren’t many Wirehaired Vizlas in North America, so Nemes, a Wirehaired Vizla with golden hair and light eyes, owned by Minnesotan
Denise Doll-Kiefer, can’t help but stand out in a crowd. Nemes is De-nise’s third versatile dog; her first and second VHD’s were both smooth-coat-ed Vizlas. She traveled a long way to get Nemes— across the Atlantic to Bu- dapest to be exact. Judging from the beautiful bond they share, her pup was worth every second of that extended travel time. Denise joined the Minnesota chapter of NAVHDA when Nemes was three. She had already participated successfully in various AKC programs, and it ap-pealed to her to get some versatile hunting experience since she had a versatile dog. Nemes’s breeder also encouraged Denise to check out the organization. Since Nemes was already three, the duo set their sights on the Utility Test.
Her first UT with him was also her first time par- ticipating in a NAVHDA test, and Nemes scored a 201; Denise’s many hours of training and time with her dog paid off. “I built off of what he was able to handle,” she explains. If there were a scale of involve-ment from 1-10 for NAVHDA participation, she says, “When I started all this, I would have been a 1 or a 2.” But she dedicated herself to getting Nemes in top form, and after the UT, she would now consider herself very involved with NAVHDA, at maybe a 9 or 10. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Denise worked diligent-ly and waited patiently until she thought her dog was 100% ready before testing him. She wholeheartedly believes that her tireless obedience work with him over the years complements and supports his hunt training.
She says, “There’s so much obedience in the field work, that it’s a necessity.” Nemes does more than hunt tests—hunting in the real world is a favorite hobby, if not passion, for De- nise and her husband, Roger. Denise says her husband has totally supported her ‘addiction’ to dog training and hunting over the years. And hunting, she says, “is as important to me as a trained dog. We love to wild bird hunt.” The couple frequently treks to the nearby Dakotas for pheasant hunting. A former CFO, Denise is now retired from her high-octane career and able
to spend a lot of time with her dog training and hunt- ing, but she has been a hunter for as long as she can remember and can’t imagine slowing down anytime soon. Growing up, she remembers, “As a farm girl, I did everything—grouse, duck, geese.” After her kids were grown and work slowed down, she got back into the hunting scene full throttle. The hardworking handler feels that joining NAVH- DA was a great decision for her and her dog, espe- cially for the invaluable learning experience she has gained from fellow members who have similar goals
and dreams for themselves and their dogs. “I’m very competitive,” she acknowledges, “and the competitive side of me [enjoys] watching my peers be successful and have the same ups and downs I have. [NAVHDA] fits my goals and my road map. [It shows you] that it’s possible.” Plus, the feedback she receives from fellow members and judges is worth its weight in gold. She greatly appreciates, “Being able to talk through things with people, and have fellow members to bounce things off with…having people who get your story and get what you’re going through.” She adds, “The people in NAVHDA are open and willing to help you.” Denise is clearly sold on the Wirehaired Vizla breed, and she is more in love with Nemes than ever. She says, “His demeanor is unbelievable. He is a hardcore working dog, and he’s fun. He has a switch off and on like the Vi- zla in general.” The two share a special bond: “He and I have this understanding. I can look into his eyes and we know. That’s what keeps me coming back. It’s something we do together. I’m learning a ton, and he’s having fun.” Her most memorable NAVHDA moment to date is unmistakably the UT test. She recalls, “The duck search is the hardest thing. You have to get a four.” They start-ed with the duck search in their UT, and she will never forget the feeling when the senior judge came over and told her Nemes “nailed it.” She explains, “When the judge says ‘you can call your dog in,’ it means he has seen enough, and it meant he did it and was good. When I heard ‘call your dog in,’ I was pumped. It set the tone for the rest of the day.” She also appreciated the warm welcome she received that day, remembering, “When we gathered the day of the test, the senior judge asked if this was anyone’s first time to test either UT or NAVHDA and I said, ‘yes,
both!’ and they were so warm and helpful all day to make me as comfortable as possible.” To someone who is unsure about joining NAVHDA, De-nise would strongly encourage attending an event and ob-serving a training session and talking to others. “It seems overwhelming and intimidating,” she admits, “but per- sonally I’ve noticed a lot more females getting involved.” She also has an idea brewing that forming a personalized mentor program would benefit NAVHDA members. Another goal for this unstoppable handler is to be-come a NAVHDA judge. She says, “Having more women in the sport will encourage others to enjoy this sport.” Her first step will be to apply to become an Ap- prentice Judge, and she has already met most of the re-quirements. “Now,” she says, “I just need to decide if I want to move forward before our Invitational.” Denise already has her sights set on another Wire-haired Vizla puppy in the not-so-distant future, but notes, “There is still a ton to do with Nemes.” She’s hopeful to earn a VC with him at the next Invitational and is ready to put in the work to reach that goal. She
is also considering bringing him back to Hungary to put some new titles on him. In the meantime, working with Nemes, Denise reflects, “is everything I thought it could be. He has a great bloodline. He was resilient when I made mistakes.” For this unstoppable duo, the future
is wide open.
