When we met Jesse at our first “meet and greet”, we were very afraid and immediately had second thoughts. Although we had done research on Weimaraners, we were more than a bit intimidated by such a big and rambunctious girl.  At PetSmart, she took us for a walk around the store; then a short while later at the dog park – we saw her at full strength, running around like crazy, through the mud, in and out of the creek - like she was possessed.  With visions of our condominium being destroyed by this big crazy beast, we politely told Michelle and Darci that “we would think about it” and left knowing that this was too much dog for us.  After some conversations and soul searching, we decided that we would give Jesse a try, knowing full well that if we took her in that we would be her forever home.  Little did we realize that we were not fully trained and Jesse knew that she had a lot of work ahead of her to get us up to speed.  Howling with disapproval, Jesse let us and our condominium neighbors know that she was not pleased with being left alone, and soon we were shopping for a new house for Jesse.  Looking back, Jesse wasn’t happy with us at first, but day by day we earned her trust.  Within a few months, we began to see her real personality emerge – happy, rambunctious, always ready go for a ride in her truck to chase or point bunnies, squirrels, birds, kitties, coyotes, cows, or practically anything else with fur or feathers. In the 3 ½ years that she was with us, we never once had to set our alarm clock.  Without fail, Jesse was giving us slobbery kisses and nips at 6:15 every morning. She always knew when we were hurting or upset, and would lovingly bring us one of her toys to make it all better.  When Chuck had surgery on his foot, rather than the usual thundering up and down the stairs, she slowly took each step with him or sat there quietly watching as he made his way.  If one of us stayed up too late or slept on the couch Jesse would give us a bark or paw to let us know of her concern and wasn’t happy until we were in our proper places.  She was a big happy girl who loved riding “shotgun” in her truck; enjoyed sneaking coffee, beer and the occasional slice of pizza.  Once we woke to discover that during the night a “ghost” had placed perfectly clean forks, knives and a spatula in Jesse’s bed.  Whenever one of us was away and retuned home, we were always greeted by Jesse with her happy smile and her full body tail wag. Sadly, our Jesse passed over the Rainbow Bridge following surgery to remove an intestinal blockage.
We miss our big girl terribly.

~The Jernigans~

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.

Cojo was surrendered to an animal shelter. The animal shelter had Cojo up for adoption, but because she was surrendered at 51 pounds, her immune system could not help her fight the bugs at the shelter. The shelter asked rescue to help Cojo. A wonderful volunteer family picked Cojo up a few days before Christmas. Her health deteriorated quickly and her pnemonia was so severe, her only hope would be to have a portion of her lung removed. We thought a lot about what was right for Cojo, so the rescue committee decided to let Cojo go over the Rainbow Bridge. Her foster home was with her when she passed. While it was very hard for them, it was the best thing for Cojo. Because of the foster home, Cojo got to spend a couple of days in a loving home and she did not have to die in the shelter.

Blue was surrendered by his owners when he was two years old. A two year old blue male is usually an easy to place Weim, and Blue was no exception. Blue's new people are repeat Weim adopters. They have seen it all in the Weim world. One of their Weims passed from bloat, another of their Weims had pretty severe separation anxiety. Blue's family was ready for anything he could throw at them. Their female Weim slowly warmed up to Blue and they became friends. Blue was diagnosed with Canine Lymphoma. Unfortunately, this is a disease that is very hard to beat. His people did all they could for him, but ultimately had to let him go over the bridge instead of having him suffer. The female Weim took the loss hard as well. Next spring, this family will look for another Weim friend to bring into the family.

Max would be very proud to be here in the Mile High Weimaraner Rescue Rainbow Bridge page, as he had many friends in Rescue and these friends certainly saved his life. I first met Max 2 years ago, after he had been through a rough patch. He knew that we were meant for one another long before I did, as the first time I came to visit, he jumped into my car and settled in the back seat before I even had a chance to climb out. As he was a pretty big fellow, and I have some disabilities, I resisted his charms for as long as possible; but in the end I was putty in his paws. What sealed my fate was his extreme skill at tail wagging - body wagging, really. I was looking at him somewhat skeptically during my second visit, but as soon as our eyes met, he started wagging so hard that I thought he might take off like a helicopter. Thus began our love affair; and I would adopt him all over again in a New York minute.

Maxie had a lot of heart, and a lot of physical courage. Over the years, he had severely injured both hocks struggling to escape cages due to unremitting separation fears; when the hocks were imaged, no one understood how he could even stand. But Max had never seen his radiology reports, so he stood, walked, trotted and ran just fine, thank you. And also leapt, rolled and splashed quite well, too. He excelled in Weimie spirit, was an extremely gentle and grateful spirit, and tried so very, very hard to be good. He eventually even managed to overcome his separation fears, which was a great victory for him.

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Maxie died at 8 1/2 years old, just a few weeks ago. He had a very rapid, very deadly form of cancer; however, it was still quite possible for him to die a good death filled to the brim with love and companionship. Unfortunately, I was too eager to believe some veterinary specialists when they claimed that he might still be helped; and Max, although continuing to feel wonderful right up until admission to the hospital 8 days after diagnosis, died a very hard death in the hospital on day 9. God bless you, my dear friend.

I had the rare instance to be with my dog when he was born and when he died. George was born to a litter of 11 dogs in my backyard in South Carolina. As the pups were weaned, George would wake us in the morning howling for food. After all of his brothers and sisters were gone, George, the runt of the litter, was still around. He had this unbelievable zest for life, was curious, and hence his name George. Wherever we went, people loved George. He was so sweet, and funny. His personality shone through like a sunshine breaking through on a stormy day. Always happy! George knew when to console me with his head on my lap, and when to leave me alone. He loved hunting, chasing deer, ducks and fox. Near the end, he would come out of the bushes with a three or four foot bull snake in his mouth, and bring it to me. George, always the dutiful dog.

He could out run every dog, but he would sometimes let them win, or let them get the ball as we played fetch. George loved bread, and to gulp down bowls of water. He loved to swim, and he loved to walk me. He noticed planes in the sky and bugs and worms on the ground, and fish in a pond. He was with me during some of my brightest times and my gloomiest ones too! Those of you, who know me, know that I believe in Angels. George was as close to being an Angel on earth as I’ve ever seen. The night he died he entertained me with his antics of sleeping on his back, tip toeing around the house and pointing bunny rabbits.

After his kidney’s failed, he rallied to come home and for 10 days, I got to share a last time with George. He did not make me take him anywhere to leave us. He died on his bed, in my house, in a sweet and peaceful manner. He taught me a lot. His greatest lesson was that of unconditional love. Dogs know how to do that. He left just as he came, quiet and peaceful, in my presence. But oh, oh did he live!

Jaime was given up to rescue after her owners were evicted from their home. Jaime was 10 years old, a very sweet girl, but was in very bad shape. Her owners had not provided Jaime with the proper veterinary care for several years, and among other ailments and infections, Jaime had a very large, malignant tumor on the back of her neck. Despite being in obvious pain, Jaime would move just to be near a human and receive attention. Jaime spent her time in a hospice home, as it was determined that her medical condition was not treatable. Jaime needed kindness and humanity, and that’s what rescue provided.

Opie was a Weim that came into rescue at just under 10 years of age. Opie came to us with numerous tumors, kidney problems, liver problems, urinary leaking, and arthritis. Despite all of these problems, his foster family did not want to send him over the bridge. He had a lot of love left to give and still had life in him that he wanted to experience. His wonderful foster family kept and cared for him during his four months in rescue. Despite Opie's failing health, he enjoyed short walks every day. He was very easygoing and a sweet, loving good boy. He'll join the foster home's other Weims over the bridge - Otto, Gretchen and Jake will welcome Opie into their pack.

Opie incurred over $1500 in vet bills during his hospice care. Justifying expenses like Opie's is a difficult one. Had Opie been one of our personal dogs, paying that kind of money to keep him comfortable and knowing what he was facing wouldn't even be a consideration. Because of Opie's foster parents belief in him and what life he had left to give, they have paid for many of those bills. We would very much like to reimburse them for the care they provided. If you have been wanting to donate to rescue to help the dogs currently in need, don't forget about the dogs who needed rescues help, not in finding a new home, but giving them that last final act of kindness we can provide.