We don't want to be a downer during this time of year, but we wanted people to know that our beautiful boy Zeke passed last week. Although he was strong and stoic, he lost his battle to an infection that did not respond to meds. I want to thank everyone and anyone in this group, especially Darci, who always had answers for us (usually within the hour) for whatever the issue was at the time. Zeke was a stray that we had no prior medical history on and suffered with seizures caused by epilepsy. He also would get chronic infections of his liver and urinary tract, which we treated almost monthly. Although he wasn't in the best shape physically, he was a typical Weim who was smart, loving, and always wanted things his way. Thanks again to everyone for your advice and constant discussions about Weims in need.

"You have gone ahead and nothing is the same
leaving paw prints on my heart that always will remain"
Please read Sterling's touching story here

~Joe and Carolyn Beavers~

It all started when MHWCR called me and asked if I would be interested in fostering this sweet guy named “Winston” to keep him from being euthanized at the shelter two days later. Winston had a family before for pretty much his whole life, but they couldn’t afford to care for his medical condition and gave him to the shelter. So I talked it over with my husband and children and we all agreed to foster Winston until he was found a more permanent foster home. When I first saw him I thought I was going to have to go get a saddle to ride him home! Winston was 106lbs. Most of his weight was due to his hypothyroidism, but that didn’t discourage me from wanting to bring this guy home so our family could help him get better. So, I went to the vet right away that day to get his medication as I didn’t want to wait for him to start his treatment. Then, I went to a pet store to buy him special “hypoallergenic” food, and of course chewy toys, treats, leash, and so on!!! While he was in the car I had a blanket for him to lay on. I initially thought he was going to chew it into pieces, but turns out, he just wanted the blanket to suckle on. 

Our family soon learned after having him in our home, this is what made Winston feel secure. So every blanket we brought out he would go after and try to take from us. Winston came into our home that day, and it felt like he had already been a part of our family and we already knew he was the one we wanted to adopt. He was so well behaved and had such an easy going temperament. He got along well with our Vizsla Kayden and they became friends. We gave him a “doggie bath” so he could smell better. His color was a beautiful dark blue, and it showed when we took him outside. Everywhere we took Winston, we got compliments on how beautiful he was. Although we only had Winston for 5 days, he touched our family very much and we feel he was brought to us, so that we could provide him with the love & happiness he needed before his passing. Winston had a condition that was inevitably going to put him through a life of misery. So, he was put to rest on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. We miss him, but know that he is no longer in any kind of pain or suffering. To some the date of 9/11 will be a day of sadness, but for us that is a day of joy, as that is the day “Winston” came into our lives. Thank You Weimaraner Rescue for giving us that gift!

~Lucilla Giron and Family~

Snickers came to us in a very unconventional way for a rescue. He was very much loved by his previous owners but he outgrew their very small home. They contacted the Weimaraner rescue director to put him up for adoption. I happened to run in to the director at lunch the very next day and she proceeded to tell me about this wonderfully trained and very handsome dog named Snickers. He seemed too good to be true and a perfect match for our 1 year old Weim, Aspen. We went to meet him that very night and that very night he came home to be a part of our family for the next 11 years.

He was so smart, so handsome, such a lover. He loved swimming, hiking and most of all just being our companion. He loved every day he was with us and we did the same in return. He was diagnosed with bone cancer in January of 2008 and we lost him to the disease 5 weeks later. Those 5 weeks we had with him were such a blessing. You don’t realize what you have in a dog until you are delivered the devastating news that they will only be around a bit longer. We cherished our days with him. We fed him whatever he wanted. We petted him even longer than usual. We loved him deeper than imaginable.

Snickers can never be replaced. He was a one of kind. You could see his soul through his eyes. I know now that when the day comes for us to pass, he will be waiting there with his Kong ready to run. He was definitely not too good to be true…he was our dog Snickers.

An old boyfriend and I picked Finley from two litters of Weim puppies in May 1997. He was the smallest puppy, but he was the one because he had a white "special spot" on his chest. After I broke up with the boyfriend, the one thing I fought for was Finley. I only had to pay the boyfriend for his half of the cost of Finley so he could get his own puppy. I would have paid ten times that amount to keep Fins.

Finley was a constant companion, and he was with me through the best of times and the worst of times. When I was upset, he would comfort me by laying his head on my lap and looking up with me with pure adoration. He was by my side, comforting me, when I was on bed rest for 3 months with a difficult pregnancy. When I was happy about something, he would run around the house celebrating with exuberance as only a Weim can do, knocking over end tables and running into chairs. When I brought my infant son home from the hospital in 2004, he greeted him as a member of the pack, with love and excitement, not an ounce of jealousy.

Finley was a true Weimaraner through and through. He was a champion counter surfer, he loved sleeping on the leather couch, and he inhaled his food so quickly that I was often confused about whether or not I had actually fed him. He knew how to play hide and seek, and he loved to show me his treasures, like a live possum or a half-eaten rabbit he’d caught in the back yard.

I married my husband in 2002 and became an instant mom to two children (then 8 and 10) who had lost their biological mother. Initially, I thought that Finley would have a hard time adjusting. True to his nature, not only did he embrace the entire new family, the children adored and loved him. They fought over whose turn it was to have Finley sleep in their bed. They gave Finley "spa days" where he would be lavished with attention in the bathtub. They dressed him up in bikinis and assorted outfits. Finley always looked slightly humiliated, but I knew he really adored the attention. My husband often complained about Finley’s behavior; I explained, "He’s a Weimaraner." I’m sure there were times when he wondered why I had fought for Finley, but in the end, my husband cried and cried when Finley died.

I watched as Finley suffered a stroke on November 20, 2007. He was in the hospital for over a week, unable to bark or walk. He still had the will to live so I brought him home and nursed him, taking him to physical therapy and waking up at night to put on his harness and taking him out to the back yard. He couldn’t bark, he couldn’t clean himself, and he couldn’t walk. Over time, Finley was able to walk in circles (like a car at Daytona 500) and bark when he was extremely excited, but he lost his Weimaraner spark. I would have been honored to keep Finley in whatever condition he was in, but he stopped eating and wouldn’t get off of the couch. Blood work showed that he was in renal failure, and his blood pressure and liver enzymes had increased again, despite medication.

The day I helped Finley over the Rainbow Bridge, he ate a favorite meal (rice and hamburger with pancakes for a snack), went for a walk in the spot where I am going to sprinkle his ashes and was constantly hugged and pet by all of the members of the family. I was by his side when he crossed to the other side. True to his nature, he didn’t complain or whimper. I am fortunate that he was mine; I hope I was deserving of him.