06/07/2026
IN MEMORY OF VC MARTINSEN’S MO RIVER REGGIE UT 1 NA 1
Our hunting dogs leave an indelible lasting memory in our lives forever. When they depart this world, our sorrow and loss is profound. We find ourselves comparing all those that come after to that one dog. The special animal who changed our lives in ways we never expected. When we planned to breed our Versatile Champion Ginger to our CH UT 1 titled Milo, we had no idea how those puppies would change ours and our clients lives. But when their lineage is carried on, we are able to see these special dogs for years to come.
We met Phil through a phone inquiry for a puppy. We recognized that he was a special client who would give one of these puppies a very unique and special home. We only had one female in the litter and we kept her, Winnie, but when we watched and examined the boys, we knew this one puppy was special. Phil arrived 8 weeks later to pick up his new boy, whom he named Martinsen’s Mo River Reggie. Little did we know the journey they would take. Phil quickly and easily prepared Reggie for the hunting season and the NAVHDA Natural Ability test and they aced it with a Prize 1 112 pts. Phil had caught “the bug”. It’s recognizable in the bird dog world, it’s a hopeless addiction to wanting to train and hunt with your dog. Reggie was a special dog and he could take all the training Phil could throw at him and we could all see it. Later, during his steadiness training, a friend of ours, Bridget Nielsen was here watching Reggie being trained. He caught her eye immediately. His style, class, mental stability and rugged handsome were obvious. Fast forward, Reggie and Phil are testing in the NAVHDA Utility test, AND THEY SLAM DUNKED IT by earning a Prize 1 204 pts. Reggie was only 2.5 years old. Its a phenomenal feat for a dog of this age to achieve a Prize 1 in Utility let alone a maximum score. Reggie went on to the NAVHDA Invitational the following year are received a Maximum 200 pts Versatile Champion title! All before he turned 4 years old…..
Fast forward to 2018 and Bridget was preparing to breed her Ripley. She was inquiring about several stud dogs and we really hoped that she would choose Reggie. When she did, 10 gorgeous, talented pups arrived in 2018. It was the first step a breeder takes…. Having faith in a dog that has never been bred. In the world of vizsla stud dogs, only the AKC Conformation show champs or Dual Champion dogs are selected for stud. With so many choices, it’s often hard not to select a dog without those titles. Reggie wasn’t an AKC Conformation champion. He had never entered the show ring, but possessed the good looks to be able to compete.
Even without that, the leap of faith a breeder takes is what set Reggie on a journey into producing better vizslas that is truly special.
Reggie has been bred a total of 6 times. His mates have all been females who have demonstrated solid hunting ability, trainability, and terrific temperaments. Have any his mates been shown in the AKC Conformation show ring? Only two have and only 1 has received a CH title. But Reggie produced 4 AKC Conformation Show champions despite that fact. In addition, two of Reggie’s sons have also earned the Field Champion title in AKC Field trials, again as a result of dedicated owners and breeders placing these pups.
In Reggie’s breeding career, each female needed to prove their worth in the NAVHDA testing system or AKC system. These pairings were carefully planned and each puppy placed with owners who would give the best opportunity for success. Of those 6 pairings, Reggie produced 27 Natural Ability prized dogs with an average of 104 points out of 112. Many of those dogs went on to be trained for the very challenging Utility test with 23 individual tests with NINE progeny receiving Prize 1 Utility scores and a total average of 192 points out of 204 points. The icing on the cake is THREE of these dogs have gone on to receive the coveted Versatile Champion title with two from the Sheryle Tepp’s Magic who earned an Invitational Breeder’s Award litter! When Reggie’s mother received the coveted Versatile Champion title there were less than 20 vizslas in the fifty year history of NAVHDA to have earned that title. For the same stud dog to produce 3 Invitational Versatile Champions is truly unheard of and amazing. But to produce as many successful dogs over time…. That’s truly awesome. And his kids aren’t done yet…. His last natural litter has only turned 2 years old this year with several strong prospects in this litter for earning the Utility title in the future.
Carrying forward, Reggie’s son, Hank, has produced a Utility and Invitational Breeder’s award litter with Bridget Nielsen’s Blondie which shows that Reggie’s prepotency as a sire is a trait he passes to his kids. Reggie’s son from Ashley Uffman’s Julep, Zseke has earned two Prize 1 UT titles, slam dunked his AKC Conformation show champion title and sired two very promising litters to date. One of those progeny is pointed in the AKC Conformation ring and his second litter with Bettie are knockouts.
We look forward to seeing more of Reggie in his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. His calm and gentle demeanor is rare in such a fierce hunter. His ability to love the household felines while loving to chase down roosters and prairie chickens is an endearing quality unique to this special boy. His mental stability lives on in those progeny who earned the titles and his handsome rugged good looks have been stamped on those progeny and grand progeny. We know his loss for Phil and his wife Cindy is heartfelt and profound but his contribution to the vizsla breed will live on. Thank you Phil, Cindy, and Reggie, for everything. You were one special boy and will forever be cherished. What a ride…..
