I hope you and all the other Weimaraner guardian angels are doing well. Everyday my children and I are so thankful that you trusted us with Samantha. I'm not sure if you remember but you wanted us to foster her to see how we liked the breed. I was hesitant to bring in an 8 year old dog since we had just lost our boy at only 6 years old. Well, it only took a couple of hours and we absolutely fell in love with her. When she came to us she was 84 pounds and she couldn't even take a walk (she was like trying to control a moose on a string) around the block without limping. She was so afraid of being left in the yard I would have to stay outside with her so she would go to potty. She didn't know how to play or chew on a bone or how to walk on a leash. She didn't talk, look you in the eyes, or even give any kisses, but she still stole our hearts. She has been through a lot in her few months with us. It has taken a lot to get her healthy but we are finally there. She has been on a strict diet, had 3 broken teeth pulled and the rest cleaned, a biopsy, x-rays, ultrasounds, lots of blood tests, and medications. She has had liver problems which we thought may be liver failure, but the current medication she is on is working wonders. Her liver values are dropping and getting closer to normal all the time. She goes back in February for her next blood test. She is down to 69 pounds which our vet says it perfect for her. (You have to allow a few extra pounds for all her saggy baggy elephant skin.) She still has to have one more biopsy but we wanted to get the liver under control first. 

She has to continue to have eye drops three times a day and will have to be for her entire life, but she doesn't mind. She knows it helps. She is a whole new dog. Any of our friends and family that met her when she first joined our family can?t believe how much she has changed and how amazing she looks. She loves her new life and her personality shines. She has inspired several people we know to check with MHWR when they are ready to adopt a dog. It is amazing to watch her walk on the leash as now you can see all muscles work in her legs as she enjoys longer walks and even jogging with us. (My son can even take her jogging by himself.) She has discovered the joy of kongs, peanut butter rawhides, car rides, long walks, snuggling with blankets, and being smothered with love. She rings a bell on the back door when she wants to go out and she even enjoys being outside for a few minutes by herself. She is now only on the liver medication, eye drops, and glucosomine. She is a pure joy to have in our lives. Thank you all for believing in us and for everything you do for all the amazing Weimaraners who deserve a second chance at life. We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas! Photos taken last weekend when we went on our annual Christmas tree hunt. She had so much fun!

Sheila, Anthony, and Alyssa Scaduto
 

Cash and Levi are quite content in their new Colorado Springs home. When the weather's sunny and there's no snow on the ground, they love sunning themselves in the back yard. They're getting better and better at learning how to walk on a leash. The gentle leader our vet recommended has been a lifesaver! They have also shown improvement socializing at the dog park. At first they were quite defensive, but every once in a while now, Cash or Levi will actually initiate play with another smaller dog. We were so fortunate to adopt such well-trained Weims. Completely housebroken, no chewing, no jumping on the furniture, and no counter-surfing...with one exception this past Valentine's Day.

Jessica and Patrick

Lucas has become a great companion. He doesn't like to leave my side for a second, and expects to enjoy every second of his life. He's very high energy, which fits into my life style. I do a lot of running which includes ultras, Mt biking, skiing, and skate skiing. I can count on him being there for every workout, and loving every second of it. Lucas is great with other dogs, people, and there's always this excitement for life that's with him. I highly recommend using Mile High Weims for adopting a lifelong companion. They put in countless hours making sure there a really good fit between Weim and owner.

Thank you very much,

Jurgen Montgomery

Hard to believe that this is the same Rosey who entered rescue earlier this year! Her story is below.

If you've ever read that poem called My Foster Dog is Beautiful she is definitely the dog in that poem! We had to wait for the other dogs to be unloaded from the transport because she was REALLY grumpy! So grumpy that the transport covered her kennel with several blankets. So, I stood there in the cold and waited for about 40 minutes. Finally, she emerged, hackles raised, and stinking like only a very smelly shelter dog could stink! I could smell her before she even got to me. There she was, with her saggy belly, no fur around her eyes, stinkin' and just freaked out. I loaded her into the car and took her home. I decided to let her chill in the car for 30 minutes because she refused to come out on her own. After I went to see her, she wagged her tail and hopped out of the car. She did her business and then we headed inside to my "party shower" so that I could scrub her down. Normally, I would never give a new foster dog a bath, especially one that seemed really freaked out, but the smell was seriously disgusting. It's like that Seinfeld episode where the car has bbo (beyond body odor) - really, it was so bad that I had to change my clothes. Let's just say that stinkin' collar is headed to the dump. I bathed her for a good 45 minutes. I have NEVER seen the crap come off of a dog like this before - she was greasy, filthy, and did I mention the smell? Anyway, she let me bathe her - I bet the warm water felt really good. And I scrubbed her really well. She now has the very expensive aroma of Isle of Dog shampoo and conditioner! It was all I had that could get her extra clean and help her to not be such a stinkpot! I cleaned her ears out (nastiness and definitely part of the smell), and I clipped her nails. The nail trimming endeavor took about an hour - I cut at least 4 to 5 inches off of her nails and I could have cut more. Her nails were curled up and she could barely walk. Now that she is 6 pounds lighter from the bath (you should see the amount of fur that came off of this dog!), smells amazing, and can actually walk on the pads of her feet, she is resting comfortably in her kennel for the night. She refused food, and she could stand to drop some weight. She discovered a mirror today - and flipped out! I never was able to convince her that the dog in the mirror was actually her on reflection. She lavished me with kisses and tried to climb in my lap. She is a very sweet girl. I'm calling her Rosey - as her future now has a rosey outlook and is no longer bleak. She'd make a great only dog for someone. She appears to be house-trained and crate-trained. And, aside from trying to kill her own reflection, she is quiet.

Congrats Rosey you are beautiful and very loved by your new family!

When we first applied to adopt a Weimaraner, we specified Aztec as the dog we wanted. Our thirteen year old weim has passed away in June, and I was determined to adopt a weim just like Kahlo. Kahlo was a large male with "issues." I wanted to adopt a dog that might have a more difficult time finding a forever home, and I felt equipped to handle the challenges. Aztec's description met my criteria. He seemed like a true rescue dog. He had been neglected for the first year of his life, chained outside through a Kansas winter, been through heartworm treatment, was on thyroid medication and was a very large male. After we brought him home, we realized he also had very little training, jumped excessively, constantly "mouthed," and had some possession aggression, all while thinking his 90 lb. body was that of a 3 month old puppy. We got our dog with "issues." "Azzy" is our work in progress. We have truly grown to love him and are committed to helping him acquire the social skills he never got in the first year of his life. He is incredibly smart, curious and loving. Like any self-respecting weim, he has enormous amounts of energy, loves affection (and any kind of attention, positive or negative), does hilarious things to make us laugh and has an enormous capacity to forgive and forget many of the hardships of his past. Aztec enjoys regular jogs, hikes, and has even gotten in some backcountry skiing this winter. One of his favorite pastimes is bugging our older, grouchy female dog and occasionally enticing her into a wrestling match. Aztec is doing really well with his commands. He is great in his kennel and has learned how to behave inside a home - no more jumping, mouthing and chewing! We are still working on some food issues, but we know it will take time. He's really doing great. Thank you so much to the Mile High Weimaraner Rescue who supported us in our desire to adopt Aztec and who helped us along the way with ideas and resources to help Aztec with his training and transition. He has carved his own special place in our home and our hearts. We are so happy to have him in our family.

The Young Family

When we first heard about Moose he had just joined rescue and his fosters were just getting to know him. He had ended up in rescue after being surrendered to the local animal shelter because he was too much energy for the previous family. Moose had been in and out of the shelter about 4 times in his short 2.5 years. We were looking at another weim that we had made arrangements to go see but somehow kept going back to Moose. The main reason for wanting to add another weim to our family was for me to have a hunting partner. Our weim Diamond isn?t a hunter and since we love her so much were wanting another weim. Of course we needed a weim that also was going to be part of the family and do good with our children. After more info was posted on Moose?s bio he really started to sound like he would be a good fit for our family. So we had to meet him., and of course after meeting Moose we really liked him. But we agreed to still meet the other weim so that we could choose the best match. A week went by while we were waiting for the day we had set to meet the other weim and our family kept thinking about Moose. After much discussion we decided to not meet the other weim and adopted Moose. It is going on three months since we made Moose an official member of the family and it feels like he?s been here a lot longer. I think he feels at home here as he?s always wagging his stubby tail. It is always busy in our house but Moose is very schedule oriented and will let us know when its feeding time and when its time for bed. He is well behaved, minds his manners, and is even teaching Diamond (our female weim) some new things. The boys absolutely love playing with Moose and he enjoys it just as much. Even when it?s not play time Moose certainly loves those nap times as well with the boys. Moose is working on his hunting skills and we are excited for next season. We are having so much fun with Moose and we are thankful for Mile High adopting him to us.

The Wanner Family

My husband Chuck and I moved to Colorado August of 2006 with three elderly weimaraners, Utsi (the mom), Christa (a daughter), and Gabriel (a son from a second litter). When the last of the three, Christa, crossed the rainbow bridge at 14 years 2 months in mid-September of 2009, our house seemed so quiet without a little grey ghost running around anymore - or at least the presence of one there. Christa was not a rescue dog but we rescued her when she was three weeks old. She had a PDA (a heart valve that is there in vitro but is supposed to close during her birth but didn't). It was recommended by our vet to put her down but I asked for other alternatives and he recommended the vet school in Raleigh, NC - two hours from where we lived at the time. Saw a cardiologist there and to make a long story short - they were able to successfully heal here. Christa was special as you know how sometimes weims have white markings on their chest...hers had a little white cross and she was a sweetie. Her mom, Utsi, lived 15 years 8 months. After Christa died, I kept a watchful eye on the Mile High Weimaraner Rescue sight, and had a yearning to go to the adoption event in Golden on October 3rd. I went through many obstacles to get there...road construction on E-470....getting lost once in Golden and taking a wrong turn only to find myself driving through the hills, confronting a major back-up due to an accident, but eventually got to the adopt-a-pet event in Golden. When I found the MHWR booth I ran into Nikki and she told me you know I'd give you any weimaraner you wanted. There were two females there and one male. I had already made my mind up I wanted a male as I lost my dear Gabriel unexpectantly to an infection that got in his bloodstream and it happened when I was out of town. I had a hard time getting over his loss as he followed me all over the house ... more so than the female weims we owned. Nikki pointed out Hunter to me that they just got him in from a shelter in Grand Junction and everyone loved him at Camp Bow Wow where he was boarded the night previously. She handed me his leash and I walked him around the parking lot and he seemed so good with other dogs and people already - it was amazing. I knew he wasn't just all weimaraner though as he has a lot of brown in his coat and huge paws. I took him home that afternoon for a trial...so quiet in the backseat of my car...never said boo. He adapted very well to our home and could smell the scents of our previous dogs. He checked on me several times on the first evening and went back to his pillow. It wasn't too long afterwards that he found out our bed was more comfortable and that's fine as my husband is working overseas for two years and he just made himself at home on the other side of the bed. He has yet to go on our furniture though - has never done it on his own even when I'm out of the house. He didn't tolerate a crate though - perhaps because he was sheltered for three months at a young age (he apparently was dropped off at a shelter on the 4th of July). That's ok though, as he's fine alone when I leave as long as I give him something to occupy his busy mind. Training helped tremendously with overcoming some challenges of getting into things. He is the perfect dog. I did a DNA test on him and he's about 3/4 weimaraner+1/4 labrador ~ a perfect combination of breeds ~ a weimador! His favorite past time is the dog park in the South Pinery in Parker and playing fetch with the oversized tennis ball. I haven't tried swimming with him yet, but no doubt he'd love the water. Found out early on he has pulmonary hypertension - a slow heart rate prompted me to get more testing done by a cardiologist. He said getting him out of higher altitude will help him so as a coincidence - we are heading to California this next week. He will get to meet some of my siblings weimaraners there too. I am blessed to have found Hunter and the joy he gives me is priceless. He will always be well taken care of and loved as all dogs should be. God bless all of you doing such great work in saving these beautiful dogs and finding them great homes.

Claudia and Chuck Curran

Everyone who has heard of Echo, knows that he is a success story in and of himself. We first met him at a Meet & Greet, but were a bit apprehensive because of the care he might need because of his background of such severe abuse and neglect. Our daughter in Boston had been checking out the available dogs on the rescue website and called shortly after we got home from the Meet & Greet and said "Mom, Echo needs you and dad". Turns out she was so right, but what we have found out in the three months since we have had him is just how much we needed him. He is a total love of a dog. Any problems we have had have been so minor in return for the love and affection he gives us. We are older and retired and had become a bit sedentary but Echo had remedied that. We go to the dog park with him each day where he can run to his hearts content. He loves to be wherever we are as you can tell from the photos. Or son visited last weekend and remarked that he thinks Echo has finally realized that he has found his forever family. We can not thank MHW rescue enough for their part in rehabilatating this beautiful animal so that he can finally enjoy the life he so totally deserves.

The Lee Family

Hank is wonderful. We are so in love with him. It is so hard to believe that he did not grow up here with us. He fits right in to our family!

Thank you Steve and Della

In January 2010, I saw a post on MHWR's Facebook page. The story about Pearl's owner having to surrender her because she was dying of cancer, broke my heart. She was brought to the vet to be euthanized. Luckily the vet decided she was too solid of a dog to just put her down even though she was clearly in her "senior years". I had no idea Pearl was in my area when I clicked on the Facebook post and offered to take her. After going through the paperwork and approval process I was given the opportunity to pick up Pearl from the vet which was only 15 miles from where we live in Missouri. This would have been a storybook beginning, except the vet decided to treat Pearl for heartworms. He gave me instructions on how to care for her, etc. Keep her calm. No excitement or running. Within three days Pearl went into convulsions and lost all control of her faculties. My kids and I were certain she was going to die but we refused to take her back to the vet knowing he would probably go ahead and put her down. We did everything possible to make her comfortable and keep her alive. With help from the MHWR gals who gave me instructions on things we could give Pearl such as Pedialyte and maple syrup rubbed on her gums to keep her blood sugars up??.A MIRACLE OCCURRED!!! She pulled through!!!! I continue to give her potassium, glucosamine and fish oil tablets several times a week. Within a few days I could tell the glucosamine helped her joints feel better. I had adopted a one year old Weim in June 2009 from a friend. Mollie is as wild and crazy as they come. Old Girl Pearl helps keep her in line, along with my five year old Bracco Italiano Pointer, Tucker. Pearl is so calm you have to sometimes check her for a pulse. But she gets excited when I come home from work or from an errand, and shows major enthusiasm when it's breakfast or dinner time. You can throw animal cookies in the air and she catches them just fine. She may be old, but she can still run with the other dogs! We are now a THREE DOG FAMILY.

The moral of our story is this????.never hesitate to adopt an older dog. Just think of the life they might have led before you decided to provide them with a safe, warm and loving home. Pearl looks at me with such gratefulness. WE ARE TWO OLD GIRLS WHO HAVE BONDED FOR LIFE! I am thankful she is there to greet me when I come home?.along with my other two pups that we adore!!!! I am thankful for the MHWR volunteers who take on such huge tasks to rescue this gorgeous breed that needs lots of love and attention, strong guidance and training. Thank you MHWR for giving us the opportunity to adopt Pearl.

Julie Nelson Independence, Missouri