CHILDREN: unknown
CATS: unknown
DOGS: Yes
UPDATE 4/13:
After spending even more time with this exuberant little guy we feel
increasingly certain that he is younger than 1 year of age. Everything
about the way he runs, pounces, plays with other dogs and interacts with
objects is what you would expect of a very young dog. The other day he
got on his back on the carpet and army rolled, slid and scratched his
way across the entire room while flopping all over the place having a
good ol time. Smoke is a cool dog and would be great for an outdoorsy
person as he loves to explore and currently has seemingly boundless
energy.
Smokey
is a friendly and very curious blue male Weimaraner who is 66# and10-12
months old. This lovely young guy is microchipped and we have already
established veterinary care to create a paper trail for his now
verifiable rabies and DAPP vaccines. We have no current health concerns
about him.
Whatever
Smokey's past may be is entirely a mystery and we have no substantiated
details from it to share. What we do know is that the left side of his
head is deformed somewhat and although possible that this was a birth
defect, the consensus seems to be that it was some type of early
accidental or intentional trauma. Smokey is presenting with no signs or
symptoms that this deformity is creating any issues for him at all in
functioning and leading an entirely normal Weimaraner life. The only,
and we cannot verify this, possible limitation is that he may not see as
clearly from his left eye as his right (but he absolutely can see from
it and his occasional lack of spatial awareness may be just as
attributable to his young age as anything else).
Smokey
has spent just over 2 weeks with our foster home and this is what we
have learned: He has integrated exceptionally well with our other two
Weimaraners (male/female) and has responded appropriately throughout his
time alongside them learning his place/role. He responds very well to
basic commands and is learning 'crate'. Although he will whine for a bit
in his crate initially, he has come to understand that he won't be in
there forever and that it is not a punishment (he now knows that if he
whines at night in his crate, this means we come let him out to go potty
which he does and then returns without fuss). We have had no issue
feeding him alongside our other dogs but he definitely will consume his
food and then look to any other unattended bowl for additional snacks.
There has been no issue with him marking anything inside our home but we
are also vigilant for such behaviors and allow near constant access to
the yard during the day while we work. Smokey has thus far shown himself
to have a short natural tether while also checking in frequently and we
have had no concerns having him extensively off-leash in the woods
alongside our other dogs since day 1 (we are also confident in our
ability to run him down if really needed).
He has definitely ridden in
the cab of a truck previously and he has taken to riding in the rear of
the truck just fine (in an enclosed canopy) except that he does not jump
in so you have to lift him...he will jump into the cab haha. He does
occasionally still jump up when he is excited but we are working on this
as he is still very much a young dog. He has been totally appropriate
with all of the adults and children he has met thus far but he does not
live alongside children currently. Visiting the vet was a scary
endeavour for him but once the treats started flowing he was very
accepting of the doctor doing their thing (and foster dad is always able
to hold/prod and handle as necessary). He is a total lover
who certainly enjoys snuggling up in a lap or forcing his way behind
your backside while on the couch. He has not destroyed anything
inappropriate and is only mildly interested in fetch...chase and run are
his preferred activities. Smokey has shown no aggression and on the few
occasions where he barks in a manner which feels indicative of him
"protecting" his people, he is gently corrected and responding as
anticipated. We suspect that he has experienced one "bad" owner and now
several immensely kind caretakers so he is ever increasingly more
confident that he is secure in day to day life (no abuse, no need to
flinch, regular feedings, just regular dog life and safety). Smokey is
an absolute joy and we have loved getting him out into the world (he
definitely had never encountered snow or large bodies of water prior to
his time with us because his reactions were of the "what the heck is
this?" variety...he did finally drink from a stream this past weekend
but was not about to trust stepping in it and his encounter with snow
was just pure joy).
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN AN ADOPTIVE HOME: An
existing well adjusted dog+ to continue showing Smokey the path forward
toward excellent canine citizenry. Your exercise plan cannot be "an
occasional walk of a couple miles", while walks are great for your
health and good for his socialization, this type of activity will not
yield a meaningful reduction in his young dog exuberance.
PHOTOS:
Smokey is in the pink collar. All pictures of him in the snow and/or
with the chest harness and orange lunge line were taken within hours of
us meeting and retrieving him.
***Smokey
is at this time intact. Oregon Weimaraner Rescue supports waiting to
spay/neuter large breed dogs until after the first reproductive cycle
for females and/or at 18 months of age to allow a reasonable opportunity
for growth plates to fully close. It will be a contractual requirement
of adoption that, at owner's sole expense and timing, he be neutered by
19 months of age**
