THREE rare Hungarian wire-haired vizslas are heading to Holland this weekend.

But this will be no European vacation for the hounds.

Zack, Sariko and Usko, and their owner Roy Bebbington, 43, from Hudswell, near Richmond, are part of the Great Britain team competing in the European Vizsla Cup. Vizslas were bred for hunting and the five-day contest is a mixture of field trials, retrieval tests and a championship dog show.

Mr Bebbington, a North Yorkshire paramedic, said: "I went a couple of years ago as an individual entrant, but this will be the first time Great Britain has entered a team. I hope we can compete for the top honours."

Mr Bebbington said there are only about 750 vizslas in the UK. The wire-haired variety were bred by Hungarian peasants, while the smooth-haired dogs were favoured by the country's aristocracy.