Category Archives: Gracie X Dusty
Jacee
~ 14 Plus Years is not Enough
I hope you remember us Steve & Jeanne from Tenino, Wa. We got Jacee from you the summer of 2005 and sadly she went to doggie heaven this past Oct. She was the most wonderful dog and now we are thinking it’s time to get another puppy. Would you have any puppies in June or July?
Here is a picture of our wonderful girl from July 2020 with her Chihuahua sister who misses her very much. Thanks so much ~Jeanne
Breeder Comment
Oh, Jacee–she must be running free with other OwyheeStar Weims on the other side. We were sad to read of her loss, but what a life she had with your family. Thank you!
Greta
~Another Goodbye
I wanted to convey a message from my mom, Sandie, about the passing of her sweet Greta (Dusty x Gracie 2009). On Tuesday evening, Greta passed peacefully in her sleep in her favorite bed. Over the past twelve years, Greta (and her Vizsla sister Henna) enjoyed a wonderful Weim life, including long walks, warm beds, homemade dog food, and most importantly unconditional love from their “mama.” Greta has lived in Southern California, Idaho, and now Rosarito, Mexico and has been a wonderful foster sister to my mom’s many rescue dogs and a half sister to my own Weims, Lola (Deli x Dash 2003—passed in 2016), Byron (Dusty x Stormy 2007—passed in 2015) and Beatrix (Mouse x Stackhouse 2016). My mom would always call Greta her shadow, since she always followed her around the house, from room to room, including the bathroom! She would always seek out a way to be touching my mom in some way. Greta was an anomaly as far as Weims are concerned. From the day my mom brought her home, she was rarely destructive, rarely barked, was very calm, had an even temperament, and rarely “broke the rules.” Literally one in a million!
My mom is truly thankful for the twelve years she had with Greta and says thank you for allowing her to be Greta’s mama. She will miss her dearly. Greta is pictured below on the left next to Beatrix. ~ Carlin Stein
Breeder Comment
The reality of loss looms large when we open our hearts to these beautiful creatures. We all know it is only a matter of time–we desperately hope for longevity and quality of life. Thank you, Carlin, for sharing the news of Greta’s departure and what she meant to your mother.
Before Dusty
~The Much Loved Duke
Friday, April 5th –It is with a heavy broken heart I wanted to let you know we lost Duke (Dusty x Gracie) last night. I knew this day would come but are we ever ready to lose part of our heart and soul?? Foster came home from school to bloody urine and diarrhea. Duke has turned 13 January 2nd and I couldn’t see him suffer. I had a vet come to the house so he could die peacefully on his couch.
Kleenex Please
Breeder Comment
It has been a rough couple of days. The news of Duke’s passing came less than twenty-four hours before Dusty’s departure. We appreciate how much he was loved. Thank you, for the beautiful life your family gave him.
Planning Ahead
Slater is Incredible
~We are Considering adding a Longhair
I purchased a puppy from you many years ago–he is getting up there in age. Slater has been a wonderful blessing in our home he was born 12/27/07 from Gracie….boy does he love our kids. He is the love of our life! We hope you enjoy the photos we included.
Oh, we think we are going to need to get another OwyheeStar pup from you folks. This time we were considering a Longhaired boy. How soon would we need to fill out an application in order to purchase another puppy? We think our timeline would be sometime next year might be a good time to add a puppy to our family.
Breeder Comment
It has been quite a while since we last heard from you. What a pleasant surprise to receive your note. The last update you sent you shared a lot of photos of him with the kids and talked about him being a Versatile all-around Weimaraner, too.
To answer your questions —
- How Soon Do We Need to Fill out the Application? There is no simple answer. The application is considered good for about a year. Information can time out–things change within the household, your life, and sometimes even where you live. So, then I need to ask for an updated application. This process also refreshes things in my mind and heart–oh, and my memory. Balance that with the fact that names go on the list in the order we receive a Wait List Deposit after the Application has been reviewed/or reproved. In your situation, the application is more of a formality, but nevertheless essential. There are other facts — none of which we can ever predict.
- We Think our Timeline would be sometime next year — The Longhairs often take us a bit more time to get. This may well change in the future because we acquired a new Longhair Stud –Manfred (but he is not old enough to use just yet). We have folks waiting for a Longhair. We are trying to get a litter of Longhairs. We have to wait until we have the right female in season. It would be complicated to try to explain all the ins-and-outs of the making of a litter. It is even more so with our Longhairs. We do not breed back to the same lineage. There is a lot of careful planning required, and then, as I said, we have to have a female ‘in heat’ to be able to do the mating. Every mating doesn’t result in a litter–when it does, we cannot predict the number of pups born, their sex, the coat color, and sometimes the coat length. We frequently send off for expedited DNA testing on the mixed litter to ensure we are accurate in saying how many Longhairs are within the litter.
We look forward to working with you again. We cannot be happier to know that Slater is well and much-loved. Thanks ever so much!
First Camping Trip
All The Details
Diesel had his first camping trip this last weekend. What a trooper! Diesel had a German shepherd puppy to play with along a few other dogs.
Diesel stayed close to camp and when he got tired went to the tent to nap or found a sunny spot to stretch out.
We hiked up to some lakes on Saturday and Diesel did amazing! Puppy power to the fullest!
I did let my friends daughter take Diesel to her tent Saturday night since a queen air mattress with myself, Foster, and Duke is pretty full. Apparently, Diesel woke up and started whining so she had to bring him home and she said as soon as he got to our tent his little tail went to wagging, he came in and plopped down between Duke and Foster so I had to move my sleeping position lol!
On a sadder note, this will be Duke’s last hiking trip, It is just too hard on him. He can go camping next year but the hike is just too much for him, I won’t put him through that again.
It was a great weekend and excited to see how Diesel does next year-I am sure he will be thankful not to get high centered on logs 🙂
Sheila
PS:
This is at the trailhead of the hike up the mountain, I take a picture of Foster there every year, it will be fun to compare these and next years.
Breeder Comment
Cliff and I are glad this could work out for you–that we got a hunt-potential blue male pup in time for Foster to have the summer to spend some time with him. Thank you–for all the extra effort you put into making this work Sheila. You are an awesome Mom and a great Weimaraner person.
Foster & Diesel
A Boy and his Weim
Foster is so smitten with Diesel! Foster wants to be Diesel’ s world!
I am just so excited for Foster and so pleased with Duke’s reaction-he is a good boy 🐾❤🐾
Breeder Note
Duke is the original OwyheeStar (a Blue Weimaraner) that has been a part of the family since Foster was young. He has done everything –hunted, slept with, and hung out with Foster for a goodly number of years. It was a concern bringing home a new baby; however, Sheila reports that Duke is doing well. Last night they both slept with Foster.
Can an older Weim learn to swim?
Stella has been swimming since March this year–she learned to swim a few summers ago really well, and we can’t keep her out of the water–even when we think it’s freezing that early! She’ll swim for hours (3 or more sometimes :)), and then when we go home she passes out…lol. She still loves her healthy food, has her fun little quirks, and definitely keep us busy 🙂 She still gets plenty of attention when we’re out and about too…people love her! Can you believe she is right at five years old?
Breeder’s Note: Once the Weimaraner gets the idea to swim, they love the water. If they get the notion that they are not going to swim, then there is some work to do. The person who works with them must coax them in the right manner to break the barrier. Cliff has great success with his water-training, but he relies on getting them to be a solid retriever first. Then it is all about, consistency, the right location, and patience.
- Sadie is a client’s Weim that Cliff worked with for them. Maybe you remember what Ron wrote about her–Click here to read Sadie’s Update
- Then there was Bayou who shows no interest in the water- Click here to read about Bayou
Featured Weimaraner — Stella
Stella is expecting…a little brother
Just wanted to send you an update about Stella, as well as us! Stella is almost 4 1/2, and still the love of our lives 🙂 She is also going to be a big sister here in August, as Kenny and I are expecting a little boy or girl in late August! We both know that she is going to love “her” baby, as she is so amazing with kids, and with babies in particular…she just loves them.
Stella loves the water…..
Stella has been swimming since March this year…she learned to swim a few summers ago really well, and we can’t keep her out of the water…even when we think it’s freezing that early! She’ll swim for hours (3 or more sometimes :)), and then when we go home she passes out…lol. She still loves her healthy food, has her fun little quirks, and definitely keep us busy 🙂 She still gets plenty of attention when we’re out and about too…people love her!
Lots of love and doggy kisses…
Kenny, Christy, and Stella
The Weimar Knows Best
Lucy and Rascal are a pair.
Rascal used to have a Labrador sibling, but when Sadie passed over the rainbow bridge, Ellen took home Lucy. It is Ellen’s first Weimaraner. Rascal is a rat terrier. Ellen, Bob, Lucy, and Rascal live on a small hobby farm (south of Ontario), much like us. Ellen captured this photo of Lucy, which tells Rascal a thing or two.
“I told you Rascal–the poodle had fleas”
The Weimar is …….
The Weimar wants to be top-dog no matter how many humans (or critters) live in your home. They have style. They have savvy. They find ways to entertain you, control everyone and everything, and to manipulate their situation. Recently, a person commented on this blog that the Weimaraner is actually a Mentalist–like Patrick Jane on the popular TV series with the same name.
Methodology might vary
Some Weims sulk and pout when they do not get their way. Others, chew, and destroy things. Non-compliance and destruction are common topics for many people who live with the Weimaraner. The Weimaraner that withholds their affection to get what they want, can upset the entire household. You might see this behavior personified is when you add a second Weimaraner. The dream of bringing home a playmate can turn to disillusionment. Eventually, they will become best friends, (it will come to that), but in the short-haul, the Weimaraner often makes their human pay for making them share the limelight.
There are other behaviors which can surface during stress-points, or in an effort to manipulate (as well as to get the upper paw). Displeasure (or anxiety) can lead to shredding bedding, furniture, or even gnawing of the Sheetrock. Acting out behaviors can take many forms. More than one dog-savvy person has been caught unaware.
Some things are best avoided…
The best approach is not to let the bad behaviors begin. The use of crate-training can help facilitate housebreaking, but also keeps the Weimaraner from having the opportunity to be destructive. Some people view the crate a doggy-jail, and nothing more could be further from the truth. Yes, initially, the puppy will rebuff their human for thinking of leaving them in a crate. However, eventually most learn to love it. The reason they pitch such a fit during the crate-training is they are prone to separation-anxiety. It is painful for them to have to be separated from you. This includes having to be in the crate instead of your bed. Some people do sleep with their Weimaraner. Others, do not. Regardless, there are times when the crate is invaluable–when traveling, when they are upset about a certain person, when you must be gone, and in situations where you are not sure how they might react.
Mentalist or Manipulator?
Ellen’s photo hints to the entertaining and manipulative behavior a family might see. They like to control and manipulate not only the humans, but the other critters in the house. This can happen in some pretty unique ways. Years ago, we had a big Manx kitty. We had two Weimar girls running free. One was on Cliff’s lap, and clearly the more manipulative one was on the floor wanting on Cliff’s lap. The cat pranced by the recliner, and what happened next left Cliff, and I mouth agape (and laughing for quite some time). Deli pointed the cat, and Callie jumped down to follow the cat. Deli deftly slipped onto to Cliff’s lap. Callie was shocked; she had lost her coveted spot.
These things happen to good people. The Weimaraner is a life-changing experience. They make us a better person.
Featured Weimaraner — Lucy
Lucy here and I am just saying………….
I have a lot of work here. I live only about two miles as the crow flies from OwyheeStar. So, I don’t live far from where my life started. This is me laughing. I have a lot of things to laugh about, and to talk about really. First, I have two humans that are laughable, and then there is a little pip-squeak thing (they call a dog) named Rascal.
Humans……..
(As humans go) these have been some work to manage. My Mom, well she is Shela’s helper. I think I have her well bamboozled, but she believes she has me somewhat managed–checkmate. (Seriously, what human can manage a intelli-critter like me?) Then there is this big guy (my Dad) that people call Bob. I call him the cookie-man. He thinks a cookie will cure all that ails me. I think Dad is a sharp cookie too! He loads me up, and we swing through McDonald’s. I see a lot of other things on the menu, and some of them end up between my Dad’s lips, and in his credit, he never forgets to get me something. So, as you can see I have this family pretty well-trained.
Did I say this is a job with a lot of overtime???
There is a lot of work at this home other than managing and training the humans. Rascal and I, we have a love-hate relationship. Racal is not gray, he is not blue, nor is he a longhair. He is red. What’s up with that? He is squat to the ground. I think he must be a super runt, or possibly a rat posing as a dog. Humans what do they know? He is sometimes a good bun-warmer, and he gives me someone else to outshine. That is a good confidence builder.
Yesterday, I went for a run in the yard. Seriously, these folks live on a farm and there is a lot of work here. I tracked in a little mud, and I think it was a Federal offense…. As I said, “What freshly mopped floor are you talking about?”
“and then I pointed the chickens, chased the cat, and told that stray dog to get lost!”
As you can see I have my work cut out for me. You know what I am saying…..thanks for your concern. ~ Lucy
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