WEIMARANER RESCUE BLOG

WEIMARANER RESCUE BLOG
Weim lives matter!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Video: Tonka playing with my Weim Rocky

Tonka has been getting very well acquainted with my Weim Rocky and they've really started some good play.  The video tonight is after they had been playing for some time, so they were not as animated as they are at times, but it's still a fun video.  Watch to the end to see some good teeth snapping fun!



Friday, June 22, 2012

A VIDEO OF TONKA

This video of Tonka is pretty rough, especially at the beginning, but if you bear with it for a few seconds you'll see some video of Tonka playing with a ball or two and if you can hold out till the end of the video there's some real cute footage of Tonka sitting and then a head tilt.  I know in the past people have liked seeing the fosters in video, but it's tough when it's just me, the camera and Tonka.  Hope you enjoy this.



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

TONKA GOES TO THE VET:  PART 2


Today Tonka made a return visit to the vet for a booster shot that he needed.


While we waited in the exam room for the vet to come in I played with Tonka with his tug toy.  We weren't playing particularly hard, but all of a sudden he started to make odd motions with his mouth, like he was biting on something or something was stuck in his mouth.  I know he's always picking something up, so I started to search his mouth to find what he had this time, but could find nothing.  He continued with the strange movements of his mouth and so I looked again and this time found a tooth!  He lost one of his baby teeth!  This was a first for me, since I've not had a baby dog for over 25 years!


Once again Tonka showed no fears of any of the people he met or the procedures he was put through during his exam.  He was very fidgety, as any puppy would be, but his reactions to being restrained to have his ears checked and the shot given were as normal as could be expected of a young dog.


Tonka received a clean bill of health and he had gained another 3 plus pounds since his previous visit just a week before.  This pup is thriving and growing and it's time for him to find his new home.


Tonka made me very proud at the end of the visit when he showed just how far he has come in his training.  The vet had a treat to give him and she told him to sit.  Yes, he sat, took the treat and sat while he calmly chewed the treat.  Then he did a repeat performance for a second treat.  What a good boy he is.


Watch the Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue website if you or someone you know is interested in adopting him as I think he'll be listed for adoption in the next few days!  Hope he finds a great home!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Tonka Playing


It's said a picture is worth a thousand words.  I'll let these photos speak for themselves.










Wednesday, June 13, 2012

An Update on Tonka


It's been about 10 days since I posted about Tonka and that's because there hasn't been much to say.  Since Tonka has been sick I've kept him at home to keep him from spreading his cold to other dogs and to make sure he's not stressed and has a chance to get over his sniffles and sneezing.  Although he's been on antibiotics over 10 days he still has a bit of congestion and is still sneezing.


Monday I took Tonka to see our vet to get more medicine to make sure we wipe out whatever is going on with him.  This was his first trip anywhere for over a week and it was fun to have him out and about.


He showed no fear of anything at the vet's office and there was no shyness as he met each of the staff members at the office.  Tonka carried his tug toy into the office from the car and I played with him while we waited for the vet to come to examine him.


The visit with the vet went very well, as we found that Tonka's congestion is not deep in his chest or lungs, but it's more in his nose, so I'm hoping that means it won't be long until his sniffles go away.  His temp was normal and his suture from his neuter surgery was looking good.  He got his nails clipped and his ears looked at and did very well with all the handling by strangers.  Apparently Tonka is eating well, as he has gained 8 pounds in the first two weeks he's been here, he now weighs 28 pounds!


Following the exam both Dr. Gill and the vet tech played fetch and tug with Tonka and I think this visit to the vet ended up being a good experience for this young pup.


Tonka loves toys and loves to play fetch and tug.  He plays and plays and plays until he gets worn out from all the running.  When we take a walk he likes to carry his favorite squeak toy in his mouth, his chicken.  Today he carried his chicken during quite a bit of our afternoon walk and even held it tight in his mouth as he chased butterflies in a field.


This weekend I'm planning to take Tonka out and about more.  I think he needs exposure to new places and chances to meet people so we'll avoid meeting dogs for another week or so, but start finding new places to explore and enjoy.


Hopefully I can get some new photos of Tonka to show how handsome he is and how he is growing up.

Sunday, June 3, 2012


Transporting Oscar and Millie  

Today I drove to Cambridge, Ohio to pick up two Weims who are on their way to foster.  Oscar and Millie ended up in a shelter when their owner died and these two sweet Weims shouldn't have too much trouble finding new homes.


They quickly made friends with Dan when I stopped by the house on the way to New Stanton to transfer them for the next leg of their journey.


Oscar is handsome and loves to be close to people.  Millie is so sweet and loves chew toys.  They were both easy to handle on their leashes, even together, and with a bit of manners training they will make great additions to someone's family!


Saturday, June 2, 2012



FREE WITH EVERY PUPPY...

It seems like every time I pick up a puppy from a shelter they always come with something extra, a case of kennel cough, and it was no different this time.

Poor Tonka, he was just neutered on Tuesday and now he's a sick little boy.  I started noticing some congestion and sneezing, so on Friday morning, when I was sure it wasn't just my worry-wart nature imagining what wasn't there, I called the Western PA Humane Society and they said I could pick up some antibiotics for him.

So this means Tonka will stay with us a bit longer than originally planned, as we'll have to make sure he's totally healthy and not able to infect any dogs that he comes into contact with at his new home.  Tonka is such a sweet, wonderful puppy that we don't mind keeping him around, but he needs to start his new life with his forever family as soon as possible.

Luckily, I always quarantine foster dogs that come to our home for a few days to a week or more depending on the circumstances they are coming from and so my dogs have had next to no contact with Tonka and should not get sick and I hope that that is the case. 

I'm disappointed that Tonka will be remaining in quarantine and not joining the rest of us for our evenings in the living room until it is safe for my dogs to be around him.  I am happy, though, that we were able to set up a puppy apartment for Tonka in the basement where he should stay happy and safe during his healing time.

About a week before Tonka came to us I had ordered and received an ex-pen in anticipation of getting my own puppy next year.  We also have a very large crate, large enough for a Great Dane, that we use when we have dogs staying for a day or two.  We fastened the ex-pen to the large crate so that he has the use of the crate and also a wonderful play area so that he is not stuck in a small crate for the majority of the day.  Tonka is paper trained, so we put down papers and are allowing him to have some freedom while he is sick.  It's an easy area to clean and it seems to be working out very well.

At night we have a smaller crate we put Tonka in and last night we brought it upstairs since it was a very chilly night.  He sleeps well in the smaller crate and never makes a mess in it.  Once he's well and able to come upstairs full time we'll keep him in the smaller crate and get him fully potty trained, a process that I think will be easy as he seems to have the basic idea.

We take time to exercise him outside as often as possible and I go downstairs to play with him a couple times a day.  Tonka continues to work on his sit, bite inhibition and name recognition.  He is a fast learner and loves attention.  He also loves to play tug and fetch with his toys and this morning I added a ball to his collection of toys.  

This pup is nothing but fun!  I see no signs of separation anxiety, food aggression or other problems often seen in dogs that come into rescue and I just can't imagine why and/or how someone could give him up.  He's the best!