Heidi Goes Home

Heidi was adopted today.
It was hard to say goodbye, but she is part of a big, loving family now.
A few updates will be posted as we hear back from her new family.
Good luck Heidi!

Heidi Gets a Home for Christmas

Going to be a hard week for us foster parents.
Christmas is such a happy time... and we hope to give Heidi a super happy and fun Christmas... she has a lot of missed Christmas Days to make up for.
While we are focusing on making her happy, we will be a bit sad. This week will be our last with her, our first foster.
While its hard for us to prepare for we are of course excited to report that Heidi has been invited to spend the rest of her days in a wonderful home in central Ohio, with a wonderful family and a their crazy weim Sadie (also a LWR pup).
Bittersweet is pretty much the only word for how we feel.
Heidi has won the dog lottery... we were able to help her along the way. Its been trying at times, but a lot of fun, and a wonderful experience.
I will try to post a few pictures of her new sister and her when we drop her off... that will probably be it for this blog though. Whats next for us, I dont know. We have to sit down, get a little past the emotional side of it, and decide if we have the intestinal fortitude to keep this up.
If we do, we will link over to our next foster from here.
Regardless of whats next for us, what's next for Heidi is a very scary week or three until she settles in... then a happy ending. She deserves at least that much.

Heidi's Secret Public Journal

"Heidi was from a puppy mill. where some really mean people make dogs keep breeding puppies to sell and make money with. Its illegal but people still do it. She was rescued and (her foster family is) taking care of her until someone adopts here. We can take care of her and she will adjust t everything, but Dad says we no because the lease says we cant, we can just go over and see her until someone says yes and can adopt her..."

From the journal of our neighbor's daughter, age 8. She and her younger brother come over once or twice a week to see our dogs... they obviously love Heidi very much. They hope some day they will live in a home where they can have a dog... they want a Golden I hear. Im sure they will adopt a rescue dog when the time comes. For now, they enjoy giving Heidi the love she needs. Just makes ya smile a bit doesn't it. :-)

New Video

Got some video of Heidi and Riley playing today.
Its pretty typical play-time for them. Heidi gets about 20 minutes of this in a day and she is happy as a bug in a rug.
You will notice that it sure seems like Heidi is the victor this time around... its not often she has the upper hand on Riley.

Oh... and another snoozefest photo!

Heidi photo update

Heidi isnt allowed on the furniture (just so the foster
home can make that decision and not have a battle).
Thought I snuck up on the snooze-fest, but turns
out someone busted me... the eye-shine gives her away!















Please ignore Zoe's butt. Not very lady-like.
Just a good photo of Heidi hanging out with a ball.
She has a few things that have become "hers" while
here. These will be going with her when she leaves
to provide her a bit of comfort during her transition
to her forever home.
















For generally being a Queen and a bit alpha, Zoe
has taken some sort of shine to Heidi it seems.
Heidi is just happy to get a snuggle and a nap.
It means Riley isnt attached to her neck for once!

She has us in stitches!

I mean, she WAS in stitches.
Heidi had her stitches out on Friday - she is back to full go and boy does it show.
She has lost about 3 lbs on her little diet and her belly is really looking good.
Yesterday after dinner she decided her bowl was a chew toy... silly girl.

Anyway, I will try to get a few more great pictures of her up yet this week as it looks like she will be spending Turkey Day with her foster family.

Heidi in Recovery

Heidi finally got spayed this week. With all the healing she had to do, we put it off a bit. Poor girl can only handle so much at once.
She went in Wednesday morning and did pretty well. She had a little bit of internal bleeding, so she had to stay through Friday afternoon. She spent two days with bandaids and ice packs on her belly. She is such a trooper.
Things are still a bit swollen, but she is back with us and doing well tonight. Hopefully we can have a quiet, uneventful weekend.
Once she heals up, she will be ready to find her new home!!!
We sure did miss her while she was gone, and yes, we will miss hear dearly when she leaves us for good, but knowing she is safe and happy in a home where she can stay forever... it doesn't get any better than that.

Heidi Photo Overload

Hope you enjoyed the Heidi Photo Overload.

Heidi vs Riley

Just a few shots of the daily wrestling match that is Heidi vs Riley.

Kid Tested

Not having kids, we have been a bit hesitent about how Heidi will be around kids when offering her up for adoption.
Over the last few days we have managed to get a few friends to bring their kids by.
Long story short, between the Halloween party and a visit from 3 kids tonight, we are pretty much of the conclusion that Heidi likes kids better than adults.
At the party, the only person who could approach Heidi from the moment she arrived was a kid not much taller than her.
Tonight, a friend brought over 3 kids, ages 6-12 (soon to be 13). The youngest has taken quite a shine to Heidi, and Heidi is happy to return the favor. While the dad couldn't approach Heidi right away without her wandering off, the 6 year old just walked right up to her without a problem. When she did decide to wander, the little guy tracked her down and they sat in the hallway together, happy as two peas in a pod. Too bad they are renters and not in a place to take her. It would be a pretty good fit.

Halloween Heidi

We had a halloween party yesterday.

Heidi went as a backwards cow!

Having 15+ people in the house freaked her out for a while, but she calmed down and did well by the end of the night.

Amazingly, the one person who could approach her from the get-go was a friend's daughter, who isnt much taller than Heidi is. For some reason, Heidi felt completely unthreatened by her... apparently the memo hadn't made it this far, as this particular little girl has been known to give her cats and dogs at home heartburn on more than one occasion.

This dog amazes us regularly.

More Firsts

Two more firsts for Heidi yesterday.
She played fetch for the first time. She has sort of chased balls around before, but last night she went and got one and brought it back... repeatedly. She even stole the ball from Zoe and Riley a couple of times!
The second, we decided to try to let her sleep out of her crate last night. She had been kept in there thus far at night just to make sure she was safe and sound at night. Now that she is feeling more comfortable around here, we brought up a dog bed and let her sleep on the floor in our room.
She did FANTASTIC... until 6:30am, when she decided it was time to get up :-)
Oh... additional photos added to the slideshow today, and a new video of Heidi vs a fly has been put up too.

Another Vet Appointment

Heidi had another vet appointment today.
Full of good news!!!
She started with something like 6 or 7 ailments.
A quick recap....
Staph Infection.... GONE!
Ear Infection (x2).... GONE!
Heartworm... NEGATIVE TEST!
Round Worm.... GONE!
Ring Worm.... NEGATIVE TEST!
Mange.... GONE!
Heart Murmur.... GONE!

She got all of her shots today too!

We are getting one more round of shots in 4 weeks, and she is scheduled to get spayed at the beginning of November. Everyone at the vet's said she looks like a whole new dog... and acts like one too. Needless to say we are beaming with pride for her! Getting rid of that heart mumur has given her a bit more energy... she sure loves to rough house with Riley. She has these great little bursts of energy now... sure is good to see her so happy. Now we just need to get her a fantastic home where she has a 4 legged brother or sister to romp with, and she will be good to go.

The Heidi Update - Oct 2

Well, its been about a month now... depending on how you do the math.

While giving Heidi a bath today (still on the 2-bath-a-week thing) I did some thinking.

This is our first foster, and I've come to realize how much work it really is. At times I get a bit down about the things we still have to work on with Heidi... she still has a lot to learn.

But... today I thought a bit about how far we have come. Really, its quite remarkable. The scared little stinkpot from day one is but a shadow of what she has become already. Right now she is giving Bad Cuz the business in the living room... squeaking him for all he is worth. Her mange is doing much better - I noticed today that she has a good layer of hair going in the places that were bald... within a week I doubt you will be able to pick them out.

She does so very well on walks... today her usual mosey had a bit more bounce to it. You can really tell she is feeling better all around. Its quite amazing what these dogs can do when given the chance. A month of good food and vet care has made her a whole new Weim. I can't wait to see where she can go from here!

Thought I would include a few photos to show you what I mean....

The photos on the left are around weeks 1 and 2, those on the right are week 4.

More Photos

A few more Heidi photos...

Heidi and Audrey

Kind of a big weekend for Heidi.
Our niece Audrey came to visit Friday night-Sat afternoon.
Heidi may be in love.
Audrey is 6, and the first kid Heidi has spent a lot of time around since she has been here.
I think she followed Audrey around the entire time she was here.
She is exhausted... and sleeping... now, but she had a great time hanging out with Audrey.
We had to remind Audrey that fast movements and loud noises still scare Heidi a bit, but they did very well together, even on a walk around the block, and they both really seemed to like each other!

Big Day!

Today was another big day for Heidi... she doesn't know it yet, but it was.
We submitted her bio to LWR for posting online.
Hopefully they will love it, and someone out there will love her.
Thought this would be a good place to put a few more tid-bits about her... since those reading this may just be interested in adopting her.

- Heidi hates pills... she hates all medicine. Who doesn't. A few tricks here and there are very helpful, and we have a large bag full of them.
- She really likes the kids and JRT next door... we feel she would do just fine with small dogs and kids. As her bio states, ideally she is best in a home with kids that are old enough to understand that she has had a rough past, and things like a quickly raised hand or yelling will really scare her. The mill she came from had mostly small dogs in it, including many JRTs, so she has been exposed to them for a long time, hence her love affair with the neighbor dog.
- She has tried to chase 2 bunnies while on walks, so small pets and cats may not be ideal for her.
- Two blocks is a good walk in her book - she takes her time and really enjoys them. Her hips and back show a bit of wear from all the weight she has carried over the years, so she doesnt do much running. Stairs are new to her, but she has them down pretty well... in sort of the ugly duckling climbing a hill of loose stones sort of way!
- Our 11 month old Weim pup has really helped her learn what toys and playing are all about. They romp around in the house and yard quite well... although the sessions are short lived, she really does seem to love playing with other dogs. This is why in her bio we said she would be best in a home with other dogs. They would also provide her a great role model on how to be a pet, something she has not had the joy of doing in her lifetime.
- Her health conditions are all pretty well on their way to under control. We are still awaiting word on the ringworm tests, and the heart murmur is improved, but not yet gone. Hopefully our next vet visit will yield more positive results. She is a real trooper.

I hope you will consider Heidi for your home. She has had a rough life, and it shows on her. Despite what people have done to her, she has a wonderful personality and she just loves to snuggle up to you. She will make a fantastic pet for the right family... maybe for your family.

Oh... while we are in the Toledo area... we are certainly willing to travel to help her find the perfect home. If you are interested, please contact LWR and let them know you want to consider making a Weimaraner a part of your life!

Second Trip to the Vet

Today we took Heidi to the vet... second trip. Trip one we left with a laundry list of medical issues. Literally. We were dealing with hookworm, ringworm, mites, ear infections, staph infection in the skin, and a class 4 heart murmur.

Today was much better. The hookworm we are doing follow-up on later this week, ringworm is still a big question mark (waiting for results), ear infections are gone, skin infection is well under control, the mites (mange) will take time, but we are making good progress, and the heart murmur is a class 2... so hopefully its just a poor nutrition/dehydration thing.

We go back in 3 weeks for our next appointment. In the meantime, she is joining Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers. Gotta lose 10 lbs or so.

A couple of pictures. She sometimes carries her food bowl around the house, she makes a mess, but is good about cleaning it up. And one mid nap. Naps are nice.

Hi... Im Heidi

Hi there... I'm Heidi.

Im a 5 year old weimaraner. I was rescued from a puppy mill over Labor Day weekend, 2008. I am currently living at my foster home in the Toledo, Ohio area.

When I arrived I was quite scared, but now that I've settled in a bit, I feel right at home.

Soon I will be up for adoption and I will be looking for a place that I can call my home forever!

I hope you will stop back to see me again.