Hello Friends!  Here we are again, and – as promised – another installment from Words of the Weim! 

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend and was able to brush off the mustard and sand to get back to your daily routines!  The “Rescue” actually enjoyed a fairly quiet weekend… which in “rescue-eze” means that we didn’t have any “rush” pick ups from shelters or emergency – “I’ve had the dog for 8 years and now he’s gotta go… this weekend!”… so, all in all, a good weekend all around!  Of course, we always have a few folks working behind the scenes to keep things moving…

Debbie Rodgers, Rescue Hero and AWCR Secretary, spent the weekend coordinating with Susan Daly, one of our Rescue Heroes in Savannah who helped us pull Sky from Effingham County Animal Shelter.  We know the folks at Effingham Co. fairly well since it’s an area that is known for puppy mills and irresponsible breeding.  We’ve gotten several of our rescue weimies from them in the past.  The good news is that the Shelter Director has a soft spot for weims and will actually help us keep them out of the shelter by bringing them into a home at night so that their time in the shelter is minimized – while we work to transport them up to Atlanta.  Ella our sweet, little blue girl came from Effingham Co…

We also brought “Hank” from Spaulding County into our program… “Hank”, who’s real name is Lucius, is a really popular guy!  We had been working with the shelter since last week to let them know that we will be able to take him. During that time, we also received lots of emails from our fine members and rescue groups across the State of Georgia and the Southeast alerting us to him.  It does “take a village” and Lucius is a lucky boy!  Rescue Hero and AWCR member, Vickie Clute picked him up from the shelter on Wednesday afternoon!   Thanks, Vickie!  Check out our website this weekend and we should have Lucius posted!

Update on Elliott!  When we pull a weim from a shelter beyond metro Atlanta, we usually try to find out as much as possible before they arrive… neutered or spayed, heartworm status, age, etc….  So, in following our normal procedure, we asked that Elliott be heartworm tested prior to his trip to the ATL so that we an best determine where to vet and foster him.  They let us know that he was a “slight” heartworm positive after performing a SNAP test - which to us at AWCR means that he’s heartworm positive and we’ll treat him the same way regardless of intensity.  Well, imagine our surprise when we had him retested at our local vet – twice… including a definitive blood test – he was NEGATIVE!   On Thursday, he went home with Greg Crump for foster-to-adopt and is one his way to his very own happy ending!

The Hales sent us an update on Greta (f.k.a. Coco) and tell us that she’s definitely learning from her brother, Fritz, and has learned to be an indoor dog quite nicely!  Check it out! Thank you for giving Coco a home that she loves and deserves!

A few of us have been chatting about famous people who owned weims… President Dwight Eisenhower  had a weim named Heidi in the White House!   

Even Grace Kelly had a weimaraner that she received as a wedding gift from her brother Jack!

A big “shout out” and thank you to Steve Doan (Walker’s dad)  for taking the helm of our weim listings on the website!  He’s just one of the folks who – behind the scenes – help to make it all happen!

Speaking of our website, if you’re following us on Facebook or our website, you see that we have several listings with a   next to it.  This is our way of identifying a heartworm positive dog.  What does “heartworm positive” mean?  Well, in addition to the official definition from the American Heartworm Society (AHS), those of us in rescue realize that it means several other things, as well… First, it means that we will have to treat for heartworm disease – which can be very costly once xrays, bloodwork and immiticide injections are factored in, and can often cost more than $500, which is actually a discount on retail pricing at  our vets!  In 2009-2010, a signficant amount of our funds have been spent treating heartworm disease in our rescue dogs.  Second, it means that we will need to find a foster home that is generously willing to care for a weimie through treatment – which consists of 2 intramuscular injections of Immiticide and 30 days of “rest”.  During this time, we continue giving Heartgard (Ivermectin) – which kills off the “babies” and sterlizes the adult worms.  The injections kill the adults and “dissolve” the remains in the blood stream (that’s my “layman’s”  explanation… check out the AHS site above for more “official” information!).  Some rescues, due to cost, choose to treat with longterm Heartgard usage – which, while taking care of the babies and sterilization, it promotes a “natural” death of the adults – which depending on the severity of infestatoin may be a risk to the overall heart health of the dog.  AWCR is committed to the health and well-being of our rescue weimies, and we feel that immiticide injection treatment is the best course of treatment for our dogs!  Thank you to our the Nastasi Family, Allison Family and others who are helping to take car of our heartworm positive weimies! 

If you are interested in financially sponsoring  or fostering a heartworm positive dog, please send us an email at rescue@atlantalovesweims.org! 

Have you had a chance to meet Remy?  Remy is a 7 year old weim that came to us from North Carolina after her owner passed away while awaiting for a liver transplant and she was left to his mother – who was not in a position to take care of an active 7 year weimie!  Unfortunately, her “grandmother” was unaware of Remy’s health concerns, so after thorough examination and tests, we have determined that Remy has a severe case of pancreatitis and is diabetic!  We are continuting to treat her pancreatitis while we work with Dr. Ashley Alford at The Village Vets of Decatur to regulate her blood sugar through twice daily insulin injections.  Thank goodness, Colleen Bittinger – AWCR Rescue Hero and foster mom – who is a nurse, diligently tracks her progress by doing at-home tests for blood glucose and ketones in her urine.  We’ve already completed 2 glucose curves to determine insulin dosage – each involving an overnight stay… Additionally, while we are able to purchase Humulin NPH (insulin) at a regular pharmacy – as well as, needles, keto strips and glucose strips – Remy is racking up quite a bill at the vet and the pharmacy!  On a bright note, despite her health, Remy is a really sweet weim with a lot of energy for 7 years old!  Infact, the better she feels, the younger she looks and acts!  If you are interested in financially sponsoring Remy or adopting her, please send us an email at rescue@atlantalovesweims.org.

Did you know that your vet can prescribe medication to be filled at a “people” pharmacy?  While there are medications that are specific to people and pets, some medications can be prescribed for either!  The Publix Free Antibiotics program provides up to a 14 day supply of antibiotics FREE of charge – even for dogs!  Kroger, Walmart, Target and others offer discounted generics for $4!  Next time your vet prescribes a medication, bring a list and ask if it can be filled at a “people” pharmacy!  It will save you money and make for easier refills (if prescribed) since regular pharmacies are available, in some cases, 24 hours/day!

Hey!  Did you sign up for the Pet Safety Day: A CPR & First Aid Training Event at Loving Hands Animal Clinic on July 17th?  We’ll be holding an adoption day at the event and soliciting donations, so stop by and see us!  If you are interested in attending the Training event, please RSVP to Loving Hands Animal Clinic 770-667-9022.  Hurry!  Space is limited! 

I guess that’s all for now!  I will leave you with the following thoughts… When people ask “how” or “why” I got so involved with rescuing weims…. I tell them that I really don’t know… It just feels right… Ultimately it doesn’t matter how much time or resources that you focus on rescuing weims… it just matters that you did and we truly appreciate all of you that support AWCR!

Hello Friends!  I have to tell ya, I’ve been planning to send out a new newsletter since March, but something always comes up and I continued to put it off.  Here we are in JULY (!) and I still haven’t been able to sit down long enough to put one together.  So…  I thought that I’d try something new! A BLOG!  Heck, why not?  We’re already on Facebook and Twitter, however, not all of our members subscribe to those sites (but if you click on the links above, you can find out how to join us!).  So we’re constantly asking how to keep folks informed without sending out multiple emails that either become a nuisance or end up in “junk mail” folders…. isn’t this the next “natural” step in our entry into what the experts call “social media”?

What can you expect from “Words of the Weim”?  Well, first, I’m going to try to do a weekly blog giving an update of what’s happening, reminder, and a little about the dogs that we’re bringing into AWCR.  I also hope to have a few guest bloggers that will share information about the various teams and functions within Atlanta Weimaraner Club Rescue, general rescue topics, and even a word from our vets about taking care of these beautiful gray dogs!

So, let’s jump in and I’ll tell ya a bit about what’s been happening this week… (btw, it’s not always gonna be this long!)

Holiday weeks are always tough for folks involved in animal rescue efforts.  Most places that we board are not able to keep rescue dogs over the holiday and our vets are full, as well, with their regular customers.  So, in addition to working with the weims that are coming from the shelters, we are usually searching for temporary foster homes for the weimies we have in boarding.  We’ve been lucky this holiday weekend, as we only had 2 weimies in boarding – Enzo and Edison.  Enzo is a 9 year old weim that was surrendered to us from his family who were unable to care for him moving forward.  He’s been staying at Camp Bow Wow Duluth with Jeff Hahn, owner of Camp Bow Wow Duluth, a fellow weim owner and AWCR Member, and his fine staff who always take good care of our gray dogs!  Jeff, one of our “Rescue Heros” will be bringing him home each evening over the holiday weekend!  Edison is a 5-6 year old weim that several folks met at the Animal Rescue Fair (ARF) at Wills Park in Alpharetta.  He’s a big, goofy guy that has been boarding with our friends at Pet’s Playhouse on Ponce in Decatur.  Thanks to Erin & Jared Lace, he’s got a place to rest his head this weekend!

…and speaking of Erin & Jared – We’d like to welcome them back as summer fosters!  Erin & Jared are teachers and volunteer with us to foster in the summer while they are out of school! They started their “foster summer” last week with Max, one of our Weimador pups that was waiting for his foster home!  Thanks for all you help… and it’s only JULY!

Welcome ELLIOTT!  Thanks to AWCR Members, Cheryl & Ron Baer, and the fine folks at Putnam County Animal Control, gorgeous boy, Elliott arrived safely in Atlanta today!  He’s about 3 years old, a bit skinny, but Cheryl says  he’s a very sweet and very smart boy!  He does a sharp sit, down and stay!  Hard to believe that he spent a week at the shelter and no one came to get him!  He is heartworm positive and needs to be neutered, so he’ll spend a few days at the vet… check the website for updates!

The Nastasi family checked in tonight to tell us that MAXIMUS is settling in nicely with their family!  He loves being the center of attention – he’s a weim!  He’ll be starting heartworm treatment soon, so check back for updates on how he’s doing!

We’ve got lots more happening that I’m excited to tell you about…. so check back on Facebook or this site for updates!

Also, tell us what you think about our blog!