The Vizsla Club of Ohio was formed in 1965 by Hilda and Clif Boggs, and Virginia and Jack McHaney at the Boggs farm in Springfield, Ohio., February 21, 1965. This club was the fore-runner of the Vizsla Club of Greater Cleveland and the seed for the Miami Valley Vizsla Club.

The Vizsla Club of Ohio was unable to obtain approval for licensed AKC events without a name change. Since the membership majority had shifted to the Cleveland area in 1968, the club voted to change the location and name to the Vizsla Club of Greater Cleveland.

Once the newly named club was approved for licensed AKC events, the same four people formed the Miami Valley Vizsla Club, April 1969, at the Boggs farm where field, water, show and obedience work, competition and clinics continued periodically for all interested Vizsla owners.

The club’s By-Laws were written to ensure that it would be oriented toward family activities with Vizslas. A training session of some kind was required at each bi-monthly7 meeting. That has since been changed.

The MVVC had 26 charter addresses. Since that time, the number has averaged between 35 & 45. Charter officers were: Dr Paul Rothan PRESIDENT; Hilda Boggs, VICE-PRESIDENT; Clif Boggs-Secretary/Treasurer/Newsletter Editor

There were always activities planned for the junior family members. The club had field trial and water trial stakes for the younger set and they participated in Junior Showmanship for all-breed clubs.

In the fall of 1970, club members had fourteen dogs steady to wing and shot with several of these dogs being competitive in field trials. One was a Dual Champion. Seven members had used their dogs at stud and ten had bred and registered litters with the KC. Twenty-four members had dog interests other than in field trials.

The club has several members left from the early 1970’s, but only four adult members. They are Shirley and Paul Rothan & Clif and Hilda Boggs. Two junior members have grown up, own Vizslas and are members. They are Diana Boggs and Nancy (Boggs) Heinold DVM.

Field trials are people, dogs and horses. The only charter dog left is FC AFC Behi CseCse Csiny. The “Charter” horse is Oklahoma B. “B” has probably been used in handling more Vizsla field champions than any other horse living (or dead). His first one was Weedy Creek Lobo with Hank Rozanek in 1968. At 18 years of age, he is still strong like an ox, lays out in sub-freezing weather and is expected to help finish others to their titles.

The first sanctioned field trial was held on March 1, 1970 with 32 entries. A sanctioned field (water) trial was held August 9 and the third sanctioned field trial was held November 1. This enabled the club to obtain approval for its first licensed field trial March 6-7, 1971 (75 starters). The club has held two licensed field trials each year with the highest entry of 88 Vizslas in the spring of 1981.

MVVC held its first sanctioned B Match July 12, 1970, the second May 23, 1971 and the third January 18, 1973, when the wicket was bought.

The membership of Clara and Dave Kayser provided the workers and talent for the third A Match and first specialty show. Clara obtained approval for it May 31, 1976 in conjunction with the Clermont County Kennel Club at the Cincinnati Convention Center. AKC limited our shows to the Cincinnati area. Clara was responsible for every specialty show through 1981 when she quit because of a chronic back problem.

Robert Sloane has taken over the specialty. The 1982 specialty on Memorial Day weekend was likewise in conjunction with the Clermont Kennel Club at Old Coney Island Amusement Park east of Cincinnati beside the Ohio River. This location is one of the best.

The club has several members from outside its area because they have enjoyed the competition in our field trials and specialty shows or because of the Newsletter. This makes the task of providing statistics on member success more difficult. Current members, from all states, have approximately 60 show titles, 14 obedience titles, 21 field titles & 1 National title. Eight are (or were) Dual Champions.

One stake and only one, in field trials has always been open to all AKC registrable pointing breeds, even though very few are ever entered in competition. The all-age stake was open until the open Limited Stake was offered by AKC and the all-age stake was dropped.

It is evident that once our dogs earn their field championship titles, they can compete with any breed in gundog stakes, although other factors bear on one’s success at these field trials. A few puppy and derby age Vizslas are competitive.

Many members have come and gone since 1969 and one might wonder why so few charter members remain. Some moved out of state, some failed to be competitive, some lost interest in the breed, some died and others found something better and less expensive to do in their spare time.

Charter members Paul & Shirley Rothan became Vizsla owners because they “failed” the critical evaluation to become Weimaraner owners. How about that? Irony of ironies. Paul had never hunted and had no desire with their Boxers, so he got hooked on the breed’s potential and began field trialing at a local Weimaraner trial March 1967.

Once Rothans were involved with field trials, they like so many others since then, decided there were too many restrictions in the city against owning and breeding dogs. They found a small farm outside the city limits and quickly made the conversion by taking in two coturnix quail and house-breaking them, as well as for helping to train their dogs. This was followed by housebreaking a Bantam rooster who also was taught to relive his sexual anxiety on a knotted up pair of Paul’s socks-or were they Shirley’s? Their conversion from city to country folks is continuing even today. Their station wagon gave way to a van, truck camper & horse trailer and finally, a motor home. Others in the club have followed the same pattern.

Paul’s most recent accomplishment was in winning the 1981 Vizsla Club of America’s National Amateur Championship with DC AFC Fieldstone’s Tip Top Timmy. He finished his amateur & open championship titles at that trial.

Paul and Shirley have bred several champions, three Duals and other Field Champions. They judge field trials and are active in all of the club’s activities. Because Vizslas could not occupy all of their spare time, Shirley took on the difficult job of raising and breeding Arabian horses.

Charter members Hilda and Clif Boggs purchased their first Vizsla in 1961. They began their field trial careers by going to New Sharon, Iowa in 1963. At that trial, Clif was in the first brace with Paul Sabo as he recalls and he had never been to one before and was totally ignorant, except he had a helluva a hunting dog. The next fall at the same location, Hilda placed third in Open Puppy with her new pup, Trixie. The rest of their story does not need to be re-told.

Clif was later elected to the VCA Board and served one year as VCOA Secretary. He prepared the present Vizsla flyer and the pedigree form, the first Nationals field trial catalog for the VCOA Bloomfield, Iowa May 1965 and was VCA Field Trial Secretary in 1968 at Harpster, Ohio.

Hilda also served on the VCA Board, and was VCA National Specialty Chairman three times & Secretary twice. Hilda initiated the first Field and Show Futurity was Chairman in 1969.

Hilda and Clif visited Hungary on their own for three weeks in September 1977. Clif braved his first real use of their language at the Budapest airport and could not be understood! They even took a nine-day horseback trip cross country and their riding master left them and lost them with a school boy who spoke no English.

Their 16mm “The Vizsla” lasts 45 minutes and is available for showing.

Both the author & publisher of “The Vizsla” 1973 & 1981 (Clif Boggs & John Ingram) are club members. John is part owner of a bird dog supply business, Dogs Unlimited. John was once Editor of HUNTING DOG magazine and MVVC Newsletter Editor after Clif passed it on. John was followed by Marylee Sloane and Diana Boggs.

The club members from Kentucky and Indiana are active. The current President is from Kentucky and his wife, Sharon, is a member of the VCA Board. She initiated and has prepared the VCA Membership Pamphlet for 1980 & 1981.

The two club VCA Hall of Fame dogs are DC Behi’s Csinos Csiny CD HOF & CH Csinos v Hunt CDX HOF. Csinos lacked one field point of having a Dual Championship.

MVVC members have had many wonderful, as well as harrowing experiences all over the United States with their dogs.

They have come to know and enjoy the KING OF SPORTS. Acquaintances have been struck with many other Vizsla owners from different parts of the country, and some have made lasting friendships. They take pride in trying to run good Vizsla field trials and in picking fair and honest judges. A great many bird dog judges have entered through the Miami Valley Vizsla Club for their very first assignment into that select fraternity.

MVVC is the leader in its service to Vizslas & their owners.