WCGB - Rescue & Rehoming Success Stories

In 1989 I started work as a postman I covered a number of different areas in my town; with some I was familiar, others I didn’t have a clue. It was while I was delivering to one of these unfamiliar areas that I opened a gate, walked half way down a drive and looked up, only to see two enormous ‘suede’ dogs running towards me. Now for a postman this is your worst night mare... believe me. However when the dogs got to me, barking and jumping up, my initial reaction was to jam the letters into one dog’s mouth, after which the dog calmly just walked away back to the house looking very pleased with himself and leaving the other dog which by now was sniffing me and seemed to just be very curious, happy just to be stroked and fussed. Having been around dogs all my life I looked at him, he looked at me and instantly we just seemed to bond.

1998 - 9 Years later having now got a house of my own, I wanted a companion more than just the cat.... I thought about getting a dog...... In the back of my mind I had always remembered the beautiful ‘suede’ dogs that I had seen as a postman and started to do some research. I learned that the dogs were in fact Weimeraners. Having already got a rescue cat as I believe there are far too many animals out there in need of a good home, I wondered if there was a rescue centre for these dogs?

I got in touch with Lynn Leach who was the local co-ordinator for Weim Rescue in my area. She came out did the home visit and passed my details on as a suitable candidate for a rescue dog. About a month later I got a call from Lynn saying they had a dog in need of re homing but that it was in Lincolnshire; would I be prepared to go and have a look? Of course I would!

Jackson, as I named him, was originally called Max. He had been a double rescue case. From a puppy he went to live with a young family with 2 children, one of whom tormented him to a point where one day while waving an ice cream around Jackson had gone for the ice cream and accidently caught the little girl. The reaction to this was to put the dog outside and leave him there. Jackson subsequently escaped and was picked up by the dog warden and put on death row. He was then re-homed to and ex-police dog handler who, it is said, claimed he was untrainable and just chained him up outside. Again he escaped over a 6’ fence, this time to be picked up 3 days later starving, just wandering round on Cleethorpes beach.

Again he was rescued from death row, and after spending a week at the vet’s on a drip, was taken to the kennels where I was to meet him.

My first sight of Jackson brought it all back: here was the skinniest but most handsome’ suede’ dog I had ever met. He gave me his intelligent look – ears forward, head cocked to one side. I was able to take him out for a short walk down the fields. He was a NIGHTMARE on the lead, not surprising really as he’d been chained up outside, but off the lead so happy, just scenting things, running, but always checking to see where we were.

After about an hour we returned to the house, we discussed his story and whether he was suitable for me. They explained that they wanted to re home him outside the area as the original family had asked after him.....

I couldn’t leave without him, so I signed the adoption papers and put him in the car. The drive back was interesting to say the least. He had weim. tummy; as you can imagine after being half starved anything he ate went straight through.

After the chicken and rice diet, and some advice from Lynn, I managed to get him onto a dry dog food which he seemed to like and agree with and we were up and running.

My first experience of taking Jackson out was having him drag me under a metal gate to get at some cows in the field down the road, needles to say this was a very short walk, what had I taken on?

I spent many hours with him down at the recreation ground with him on a horse lunge line teaching him to come back, sit and acknowledge his new name, eventually the penny dropped. He was now ready for the wider world.

Now, I have a couple of friends who are well dressed, smart types, don’t have any animals, but who enjoy a nice relaxed walk on a Sunday after dinner. They thought it would be a nice idea to invite Jackson and myself out for a Sunday stroll around Dove Stone Reservoir. I agreed that as Jackson was doing so well I would bring him along. Now you all know there is no such thing as a nice relaxed walk with a Wiemeraner.... unfortunately at this point I did not. So after about half an hour we got to a bit with no people around and I let him off the lead.... The first thing he did was head for the woods, great I thought, he will have a snuffle around and come back. He did come back after about 5 mins... unfortunately he was preceded by a sheep running at full tilt. They were both heading for the water... I climbed down to where they were and somehow managed to get the lead round his neck. Jackson at this point decided that it would be great fun if we both went for a swim. So ten minuites later after getting us both out I emerged at the top of the bank looking like the creature from the black Lagoon. At this point my friend said ‘shall we carry on’!

Back at the car stripped down to knickers I drove home in a t shirt, thinking I pray to god I don’t get pulled over.

I had to concede that after several years of trying Jackson was never going to be very good on a lead. So we spent many happy hours down the woods playing sticks down at the bomb hole. After which we would wash our feet in the stream and go home.Over the years Jackson got me through some very difficult times, relationships, hassle at work, whatever was going on he was always there when I got home.

We went away for new year, not easy finding somewhere that will take a dog over the festive period. However if you look hard enough there are some out there. For anyone who has seen shrek, you will be familiar with the annoying donkey. In the back of the car Jackson was that annoying donkey..... As I was the one with the large car ‘discovery’ I had all the food in the back, you can imagine the temptation...... I am sure I took a block of cheese.... weeks later I find the wrapper.

Now imagine it’s new years day, you are recovering from the hangover from hell, you decide to go out for a walk, get the blood flowing, ... Jackson decides wouldn’t it be fun to go hunting..... He disappears off in front several time comes back, disappears off again.... only this time returns looking rather pleased with himself running towards us with a pheasant in his mouth, Doh! – He’s a nice dog really!

Several years later....

I remember when I met my – now wife, introducing her to Jackson for the first time.... he immediately jumped on the settee next to her curling up in a ball, but at the same time shoving her up and over the period of an hour he had ¾ of the sofa while we were squashed into the other ¼, .... What a good dog! I liked this very much.

It is now the winter of 2007 – Jackson had slowed down considerably he was about 2 when I got him in 1998 so he is 11 now, he has a very, very large tumour on his back leg, several smaller ones on his tummy, one on his front leg and a lump below his right eye.

I am now married, Jackson is at this point looking older, I know that one day his tumours etc will get him but I vowed that I would keep him going while ever he was not suffering.

While my wife was pregnant with our daughter he never left her side. Jackson used to lay his head on her belly and ‘crune’ while being stroked. He seemed to know that he was talking to her.

When she was born Jackson would keep me company on the settee when I got up in the middle of the night. I even drew a pic of him at 2am as he slept.

My daughter thought he was just the best thing, she laughed at him, cuddled him, stroked him. He was so patient.

It is now June 2009 I have spent the last 2 months trying to mend him.... He started again with a runny bum. But this time I couldn’t stop it....it was just water.. He lost a lot of weight very quickly. I mean within 2 weeks you could see his bones, but he was eating. His backend from time to time would collapse as he was going up the stairs and he would drink insesantly. I took him to the vets, and we tried various medicines but he just got worse to the point where he couldn’t hold himself for more than 2 hours at a time. I nursed him through the night for 3 weeks, 9pm, 11pm, 1am, 3am, 5am, my wife let him out at 7am before going to work. I got home at lunch time and cleaned up, it got to the point where he was passing what looked like just water. His lumps (tumours looked worse than ever due to his weight loss) Then I got home on Thursday last week, my mother in law had been looking after him. And The lump under his eye had burst, he was bleeding from his eye. I took him down to the vets after discussing the options I had to make a horrible decision. I am so sorry Jackson, I had to let you go.

Weimeraners make the biggest paw print on your heart. He was the most annoying donkey you could ever meet but he was my annoying donkey and I miss him more than you will ever know.

I just thought you should know what happens to you rescue dogs in the long term.

Dominic

Rescue and Rehoming - Success Stories and Pictures

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