Blog Archives
Maize Turns “9”
Livee X Blue 2/28/2012
At age nine, our beautiful, fun and loving Maizie really enjoys her naps—but she is still full of playful puppy energy! She has a set schedule of when and where she likes to do things. She can tell time and wants to eat promptly at 7:00 am and 4:30 pm. She has an expected after-breakfast ritual of getting peanut butter in the 4 sections of her big black Kong bone. She runs upstairs to find it—and races back down the stairs into the kitchen and drops it on the floor at our feet for service! Then after that ritual, she expects to shake paws for 2 Quaker Oatmeal Squares and 3 blueberries! (How did she ever teach us that?!) She loves to cuddle after breakfast and some days becomes very vocal—almost singing and silly. She leaves us promptly if she sees a spot where the sun may be shining in on the floor (or on the guest room bed–formerly taboo, but won us over eventually!)
Squirrel spotting and chasing is her pastime at home. She sounds ferocious as she protects our backyard from them—but she wouldn’t know what to do if she got one! She has come nearly nose-to-nose with some on her walks—which becomes a stare-down contest! She gets a little dish of baby carrots every evening during our dinner meal—doled out one by one–as she lies politely and patiently on her fleece. Have you ever heard of a dog who asks for a lick of toothpaste every evening at bedtime when she sees me brushing my teeth?! Another ritual!! Maizie is a happy, healthy girl who brings smiles, laughs and joy to our lives every single day.
Mmmm…carrots and popcorn birthday treats! Why do you make me wear this silly hat every year? Actual “Maizie Socks!” (gift from our kids!)
Linda & Jerry LaBash
P.S. Maizie loves packages because they often contain new toys for her! This one came from Chewy for her birthday! She can’t keep soft toys though….they turn into multiple pieces very quickly!
Breeder Comment
We rejoice in the nine years — remembering her being a paper shredder and so much more. Thanks for remembering us and for taking such great care of Maizie.
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.
Gemma
~All is Well
She loves her stuffed birds
We are all doing great since our little girl came home to us! We are calling her “Gemma”. We just love her; and she and Susse get along great. No accidents in the house at all.
She loves to play inside the house and outside. She is a fast learner – knows her name and the command “Here” already. Oh, and she loves to chew!
Breeder Comment
Thank you for your concerted effort to get Gemma off to an excellent start. Of course, you are an experienced Weimar family. She is in good hands. We hope to receive news of her and Susse’s antics as they become co-conspirators of the best kind.
Nine Candles
~For Zeus and His Littermates
Zeus turned 9 on October 17th! I can still remember the night he was born and hearing from you! I was so excited! Time flies though. I hope you enjoy his birthday pictures. I take some every year on his birthday. You can tell he isn’t too thrilled about the kiss I was going to give him on his snout….his eyes are so funny!
In the picture of him opening his present (a pig ear), you can see he has his left, front foot wrapped up. In July he developed a lump on his toe. I took him to the vet back then and we thought it was a cyst or that something got embedded in his foot out in the field. The Vet couldn’t find anything so we gave him antibiotics and waited for it to heal. Sometimes it would look like it was getting better. I kept it all wrapped up to protect it but it just seemed like it was starting to get worse. I took him to the vet on Friday. This time he kept him at the office and put him out to take a biopsy of the lump. He sent it out to the lab and we should hear the results in a week. The Vet said that if it’s a tumor that he will have to remove his whole toe. I feel so sorry for the little guy. I just want him to get better so he can go out running through the fields again!
He’s been such a good boy and doesn’t chew on his wrap at all! He knows when it’s time to change it and lays down while I do it without fussing. Of course he gets a treat after I’m done! I will keep you posted on the results of the biopsy. I’m hoping for the best!
Take good care of yourself. I always enjoy hearing from you!
Love,
Jeanne & Zeus
Breeder Comment
Jeanne and Zeus (you are a dynamic duo) –the two of you have provided us with so many updates over the years, and each one was much appreciated. We wish you more time to share, and we are ever so thankful for the nine years and all your adventures.
Infamous
~Television Appearance
Fans of Tango may remember how much time we spend at the local dog park. Last week, one of our friends, Lucy the German Shepherd, showed up with “mom”, Beth, who told us that Tango had been on the local news. Fortunately, her husband got a photo of the TV screen, or else we would have missed it entirely. It turns out that at some point, I had commented on one of their meteorologist’s posts with a photo of Tango on our back porch from June, and they waited until last week to use it.
He’s even bigger and more handsome now! ~ Tom
Breeder Comment
Thanks for sharing this with us all–what a fun post. I am sure everyone will love it–and most certainly someone caught sight of Tango and wondered whose Weimaraner that was on the news. I see it shows he belongs to you, but —
Dixie
~Furniture Allowed
I thought I would give you an update on Dixie(pink collar). We have all adjusted pretty well.
All of our ideas about her not getting on the furniture went out the window. She is such a snuggler that it is impossible to resist!
She is smart, stubborn, sweet little girl. Hope all is well with you!
Breeder Comment
All bets are off–and what can we say, most Weims are furniture approved. It is hard to snuggle if they never get on your bed, sofa, or in a chair. Somehow when they wiggle into your heart they find a way on the furniture more often than not.
Do You Have One?
Maize Does
Nightly Rituals
Do you have one? Of course, we mean with the Weimaraner. The bedtime ritual seems to be a theme. The routine established is hard to undo. Keep this in mind as the fun begins. Will it be fun for you five years from now? Who can guess? Disappointing the Weimaraner is not readily embraced. Their stare-down look. The pout.
The rituals or routine activities are the Weim’s life. There is no going back.
Linda (Maizie’s Mom) writes, “This is a nightly ritual here.”
Maizie started this and now she expects this every single night when we are ready to get into bed! Often Jerry is too tired, but the happy gleeful look on her face with a toy in her mouth and wagging tail is too much to ignore‼️😉.
Breeder Comment
What could we add here? Nothing!
Brady
~And His Orange Dog
Brady is growing fast and I’m behind on getting pictures to you.
Orange Dog lasted about two week before he lost his head and just came apart at the seams.
Brady Larry & Ila
Breeder Comment
We are happy to receive this note regarding Brady–as I know our readers will enjoy seeing your fabulous photographs. Thanks, Larry–and Ila.
Bluebell
Thank’s for the info. We’ll get her paperwork taken care of soon.
Bluebell has had her shot, all is well so far, back on schedule, thank’s again for helping with that, I so needed it. She’s gone out on her own to potty twice today, she’s figured out our doggie screen door (long story but it works), slept all night, in her crate at 8pm and awakening at 7 this morning!
Of course she’s snoozing within sight of Bell and I go early when she does and watch movies, seems to be all working out. This morning both dogs had a lovely moment, Bell’s unwilling to warm quickly as Bluebell likes to jump up and outright bite her, but in less than a week, they already are much closer. Being 14 August 29, Bell is very sweet with all that’s going on and adjusting well.
There’s a first week update…our family is doing well with the new addition of Bluebell #8…Thank’s again for all your hard work. Debbie
Breeder Comment
Thank you, Debbie, for the beautiful update. So happy that things are going reasonably well–I mean a tiny pup and the aged girl, it is challenging. But you have this managed.
Here she is a few days before she left OwyheeStar. That face says a lot.
From Ireland
~ Winston and his Family
I wanted to send along a quick update on Winston. Mr. is 9 now, going on 10. We moved into a proper house rather than an apartment which is a big change for him as he’s been an apartment dog his whole life. Barking at the mailman is his new favorite passion! He immediately identified the most comfortable chair in the house and claimed it for himself (see picture). We moved next to a giant park which is perfect for him (a small part of the park is in the picture attached). On rainy days, we can wander through the park with him and on drier days, ball chases are still his specialty. We also have some walks that take us along a lovely canal. The only thing we’re really missing in Ireland is doggie friends. Many dogs are not well socialized in Dublin and their owners are not on top of their dogs. We’ve had enough near bites and bites that I just don’t trust most dogs around Winston anymore. Luckily, he’s never been that interested in other dogs – he’s more human and ball focused – so I don’t think he’s missing much.
We’re expecting our first human child any day now so we contemplated getting another dog while I am off for 6 months on maternity leave, but honestly, finding a breeder we like as much as you has been an impossible challenge so we’ve put that plan on pause for now. I must admit, I think Winston prefers it that way – he likes being the center of our world. With the baby coming, that will change a little, but I’m confident he will love having a new human to sneak food off of, get cuddles from and follow around.
We started to notice some stiffness in Winston after park trips and that his “gallop” changed a bit and became more of a bunny hop in his back legs rather than moving them independently. After a visit to the vet, they found his hips have slight incongruity (aka hips are slightly the wrong shape for the socket they fit into) and mild degenerative joint disease. We went through a course of Cartrophen and I must say, we’ve noticed a great improvement already. Hopefully, that treatment will suffice for quite a while to keep him spry.
I still can’t believe that I’ve had Winston for almost 10 years. I can’t imagine my life without him – he’s my constant companion and I’m so grateful for him. Can’t wait to see the bond that he forms with baby!
Best, Rebecca Armistead
Breeder Comment
Thank you, Rebecca, for remembering us. We are so happy that your move has found you well adjusted. Winston has had the best of everything–with you accommodating his needs despite any obstacle you faced along the way. Thank you, again for giving him a great life. You are a testament to what can happen even when someone doesn’t live in an ideal setting–with acreage and whatnot. But now–he has it all in Ireland.
It is not uncommon for older dogs to become stiff–to have problems, but of course, we had to see it happening to any OwyheeStar offspring. To me—he seems a bit young to have that much tightness in the hips. (Eke) Dusty (his father) passed at 14+ years. The last few months he was very shaky in the back end. He had OFA certified Good hips and a good family history of good to excellent hips. He has lumps and bumps we left alone–because we thought it for the best. Penny (his Mama) lived to 12+ for sure–I cannot remember exactly when she passed. Of course, the average life for a Weimaraner has been reported to be 11 years and 2 months. The expectation is somewhere between 9 and 15 years–with a few exceptional cases living to be around 16 years. We all want the 16 years.
I believe the Cartrophen is the same as Carprofen –a Generic form of Rimadyl (click here—to read more about this drug. ) What I like to suggest is Duralactin — I don’t know if you can buy this in Europe or not. Amazon also has it for sale. The Duralactin can be used any time for a slight injury or when inflammation might be a problem. It helped Dusty remain mobile and seemingly pain-free. We love this option, as things like Rimadyl affect their vital organs–and in some cases, there is a life-threatening reaction.
Finally, thank you, for all the kind words about us. I do so hope when you are ready for another Weimaraner you find the perfect breeder. I am sure you will. Sooner or later something unwanted comes knocking on our door.
Owyheestar Weimaraner's News 