Matt and Emily Jones love to hike and when it came time to consider a dog, they wanted one that could keep up with them out on the trail. After some research they settled on a Vizsla, a Hungarian breed that is a hunting dog and found their dog Hank at breeder in Hermiston, Oregon. "They are people dogs," said Emily, "they call them 'Velcro Dogs,' because they always have to be touching you. They like to cuddle and they really like to be with people."

That was 5 and a half years ago. Because Hank has an unusual russet color, and athletic physique he is sometimes mistaken for a Ridgeback or a Weimaraner (though they are gray in color).

"We were living in an apartment and we saw a guy had a puppy," said Matt, "and it looked like a real sleek dog and maybe a fast dog." Hank is fast, "Probably one of the faster dogs outside of Greyhounds and Whippets," Matt said.

Hank loves to walk around West Seattle, notably Lincoln Park or, up to the Westcrest Dog Park and out at the Magnuson Dog Park where he can swim but really "any walk that involves a treat," is fine with him.

Those treats usually involve peanut butter in some form. It's his favorite.

As a regular diet he gets a dry food diet from Pet Pros.

"The only toy he hasn't destroyed," said Matt is a stuffed Giraffe of all things and Hank, because he is a hunting breed will catch a frisbee, and will go fetch a ball but once he has it, it's a game of keep away since he prefers to hang on to what he caught.

But as athletic as Hank is, as fast as he can run, and as much as he likes to swim, he really likes something else possibly more. "He likes Piggy-back rides" said Matt,"He likes to be carried around. He's a strange dog. He's 50 plus pounds but he loves being carried like a baby."

Hank is fond of snacking, like most dogs and he's been "involved in some food antics," Emily said, "He somehow climbed up and got a whole sheet of cookies and ate it." This was probably not Hank's finest hour however because as Matt explained, "There was so much he didn't even finish it which is kind of a miracle. He was so full that his stomach was swollen for days. He just laid on his side moaning with a distended stomach. He was not very happy."

Hank does have some canine friends and one, Stanley, is a Pug that Hank is fond of snuggling with, but he's not a cat fan. "He tries to eat cats, " Matt offered, or "he likes them too much," Emily said.

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