Summer newsletter.indd - Weimaraner rescue in Northern California

THE NEWSLETTER OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEIMARANER RESCUE
VOLUME 1 ❤ NUMBER 4 ❤ AUGUST 2007
L E T T E R from T H E P R E S I D E N T
We finished 2006 having touched over
180 unwanted Weimaraners in some
way. Sometimes as little as a courtesy
listing on our site finds a new forever
home and sometimes we rescue them
from bad situations, transport, evaluate, kennel, foster, spend hundreds of
dollars on vet care, behavioral modifications and involve many volunteers
in an effort to save just one deserving
Weimaraner or Weimaraner mix.
We went through a major restructure
last year and I believe as a result of
that, we have the strongest organization we’ve ever had. We have successfully spread the workload that used to
be carried out by one or two dedicated
and exhausted individuals, to four
outstanding coordinators and scores of
volunteers. We are, however, seeking someone to replace Arlene as our
intake coordinator who would like, and
deserves to, retire. Please contact me
if you are interested at mayers@cwnet.
com.
Thanks to another successful Weim
County Gala, our third, we are financially sound and were able in Q4 to
make a donation to the Tarheel Rescue
Club in North Carolina, to help their
monumental effort to clean up a puppy
mill and rescue dozens of Weimaraners
from deplorable conditions.
Our ongoing needs are constant and
simple:
Funds
Foster Homes
All sorts of volunteer help
We appreciate your ongoing support of
our efforts to give every Weimaraner
a second chance to become a beloved,
contributing family member.
WEIMARANER
SUGGESTED LINKS
We have found the following links
to be very helpful to Weim owners:
info@dogtraininginstitute.com
Sincerely,
Michael Ayers
President
NCWR
www.4mdogbooks.com/
www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
www.weimclubamerica.org/
www.weimrescue911.org/home.htm
www.morcalweimrescue.org
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEIMARANER RESCUE
Officers & Board 2007
PRESIDENT
Michael Ayers
mayers@cwnet.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Debbie Gross
weimmom8@aol.com
TREASURER
Bill Merkel
wmerkel@sbcglobal.net
SECRETARY
Joanne Menapace
Joanne@sycamorepark.com
Kathy Dunn
vistatck@pacbell.net
Barbara Hodge
bbhartist@yahoo.com
Shiffra Steele
steeledog@gmail.com
Pam Goodley
pgoodley2@comcast.net
Arlene Marshrey
windwalker@powernet.net
BOARD MEMBERS
Dianne Venzon
dvenzon13@aol.com
Linda Conversa
lconversa@sbcglobal.net
Chris Wiedmeier
cwiedmeier@sbcglobal.net
Melanie Diamond
hohinc@comcast.net
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BUCK’S JOURNEY
As NCWR placement coordinator, I
have had the pleasure of placing many
great dogs in wonderful new homes.
I have seen the worst and the best in
people. Each adoption has a special
place in my heart but none more than
the story of Buck.
Buck’s journey begins on a street in
Tremonton Utah on December 22,
2006. Donna, who lives in the area,
saw this big weimaraner in the middle
of the street and not moving for traffic.
She was able to locate his owners who
admitted Buck had run off often. She
was told Buck had a previous owner
who let him get down to skin and
bones. His current owner got him 2
years before and used him as a hunting
dog but spent his days locked in a cold
garage, as they had no fencing. He was
now 107# and they realized he should
have a new home.
Donna, familiar with rescue groups in
Florida, offered to find a group to take
him and her pleas for help went out
on January 10th to numerous rescue
groups in four states.
Friends for Pets in So. California had
it all arranged to transport him but the
owners did not return calls. I finally
reached the owners by phone to find
out that Buck had run off and had been
missing for 3 days. They hadn’t bothered to tell anyone. Donna searched
for him and found him in a local
animal control shelter. The owners
paid the fine and left papers to release
ownership to NCWR.
Arlene, our NCWR intake coordinator
went to work arranging transport. On
Friday, January 12, Donna delivered
him to Eva McCombs in Layton, Utah
where he was able to run and play in
her large backyard and spend an overnight. Eva drove to Winnemucca on
Saturday, January 13, to deliver Buck
to Arlene who continued the journey
to Reno. Arlene recognized instantly
Buck’s endearing nature. Lisa Roe
from So. Lake Tahoe was one of my
applicants and offered to overnight him
and deliver him to my house in Colfax
on Sunday. She and her family were so
taken by Buck’s personality.
An hour later, Kris Rouse who recently
lost her 14-year-old weim, arrived to
take Buck into foster in Newcastle.
Buck had a check up and surgery to
remove a fatty mass on his belly. He
was released to Kris that evening with
a drain at the site. I was amazed that
Buck got along with her three other
dogs, one an intact Lab. Kris had to
go out of town so Buck spent one night
with yet another foster, Jamie Money
from Roseville. It was obvious that
he wanted to play and not aware that
he was to rest and recuperate so Kris
picked him up and kept him quiet and
nursed his incision. Buck responded
to the kindness with total devotion.
Finally his incision was healed, he was
off tranquilizers and ready to meet his
new family. On Sunday Jan 28, Heidi
Smith and her family from Roseville,
who had the perfect application for
Buck, met with Kris and me and
adopted him on the spot. It was an
instant connection for both the family
and Buck.
Heidi reports that while he has been
through too much in his young life he
loves people. “Buck brings such exuberance and enthusiasm to everything
he does and shows that strong blend of
courage and fearlessness I love in this
breed”. His journey was complete!
What I want to stress in this story is
the incredible response from so many
people and many new friendships were
made between rescue groups. Once he
arrived in California I continued to get
emails from everyone who met him and
rescue groups who know about him.
It was a real Fan Club. Buck touched
many hearts on his incredible journey.
CUTTER
A Special Needs Dog
Cutter came into NCWR from
Southern California along with
his sister. Both dogs were sick and
spent some time in the hospital
recovering from upper respiratory problems. At the time they
were released, there were no foster
homes available, an all too frequent problem. They spent several months in a kennel. His sister
found a foster home first and was
eventually adopted by the foster. I
was able to provide a foster now for
Cutter.
Cutter was like most sweet, young
Weimaraners at 2 years old. As he
had been a backyard and kenneled
dog, he lacked the training needed
to become the perfect housedog
Weimaraners long to be. The roll
of fostering an energetic Weim,
in addition to providing a safe and
caring environment, is to help them
learn housetraining, leash training
and general manners.
Cutter is also one of our “special
needs” dogs because he had difficulty bearing weight on one of his
front legs. We suspect it is caused
by a birth defect in his shoulder.
To strengthen his leg we began a
massage program with Melanie
Diamond and Ttouch on the shoulder and leg. His favorite shoulder
strengthening exercises involved
playing in the yard and holding
down his toys. It is amazing to see
our special needs dogs adapt to
their disabilities and think that they
are as normal as any other Weim.
He has found a wonderful forever home with a family willing to
Barbara Hodge continue his therapy and enjoy his
NCWR Placement Coordinator personality. His new owner reports
that he is indeed a typical
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(continued on page 3)
thanized. She named him NEMO
(because his injured leg reminded
Weim, having helped himself to the her of the famous fish’s injured fin),
sausage on the counter and discovand contacted Northern California
ering the human bed was more apWeimaraner Rescue in hopes that
pealing than the new dog bed they
their resources could help Nemo.
bought for him. They love him
She delivered him to one of
anyway.
NCWR’s loving foster homes, and
Kathy Dunn was confident that she had placed
NCWR Board Member him in good hands. Once in the
care of NCWR, Nemo received
❤
a Neurological consultation. He
grew and became stronger, then
began receiving chiropractic adjustment, and his condition improved.
He was adopted into a wonderful
This Weimaraner puppy was
home with a 6-yr old yellow lab to
dumped as a newborn on a busy
play with. He continues to amaze
street, left to die, because his hind
legs “didn’t work right”. But an an- everyone with his ability to run and
jump and play as if there were never
gel named Tiffany happened upon
him, took him home and bottle-fed anything wrong with him. Nemo
might have had an upstream swim
him until he was strong. She knew
compared to most pups, but he’s
that his odd “hopping gait” in his
rear legs was not normal, but he was certainly swimming with the big
able to get around and play with her dogs now, thanks to NCWR!
two dogs, and seemed to be happy
Dianne Venzon
and pain-free. She could not keep
NCWR Board Member
him, but could not bear to turn him
over to a shelter for fear he’d be eu❤
(continued from page 2)
S W I MMING UPSTREAM
DALLAS
Needed a Job!
When Dallas came into NCWR’s
program in August 2006, she was
a repeat customer; she had been
adopted only a few months earlier
by a young family, but things did
not work out and they returned
her to NCWR. She was placed in
a foster home where there was a
stable pack in place, but did her best
to challenge all the females in that
pack. She was very high-energy
and dominant, and attached herself
like velcro to her foster dad. It was
clear that she needed a male human
in her life, and she needed a job to
channel her energy. NCWR received many applications for Dallas,
but none of them seemed to be the
right fit. One day, a young man
happened upon an NCWR volunteer and her service Weimaraner at
a local festival, and asked her about
her dog. It seems he was looking
for a hunting dog. He was referred
to www.norcalweimrescue.org when
he found Dalla’s listing. It was a
match made in heaven! Dallas got a
rewarding job to focus her energy
on, and her adoptive dad got a
GREAT hunting partner!
Dianne Venzon
NCWR
Board
Member
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OUR VAL U A B L E V O L U N T E E R S
The phone rings…a voice on
dog to arrange for a Home
Inspection. We provide
instructions and will ask for
a form to be filled out and
an answer to “would you
leave YOUR dog with these
people?”
Not all folks interested
in getting a Weimaraner
understand the needs of the
breed or can provide the
exercise and training needed.
Home Inspections are vital in
finding the best home possible
for our Rescue Dogs.
the other end says “We have a
Weimaraner in the Shelter. We are
crowded and he needs to get out of
here! He was a stray and no one
claimed him!”
Dian Bartlett, our Shelter Intake
Coordinator takes down all
the information about the dog
(sometimes there is not much
available) and writes a Rescue Dog
Profile. This profile is used for
listing the Weimaraner on our
NCWR Website, Petfinder, and
Virtual Pet Adoption. Dian then
looks for a volunteer to go to the
shelter to evaluate the dog and to
take pictures.
Another call comes in….”I’m
getting divorced and am moving
to an apartment and can’t keep my
Weimaraner.” Arlene Marshrey,
our general Intake Coordinator
handles this private placement in a
similar manner.
The next project is finding a foster
home for the Weimaraner to get
him out of the shelter or a critical
home situation as soon as possible.
This is normally one of the biggest
hurdles since we have very few
foster homes for male dogs. Dian
& Arlene review our Volunteer List
to see if we have a foster available.
Barbara Hodge, our Placement
Coordinator, reviews the Adoption
Applications to see if there is a
home that might fit this dog. We
also advertise on Craigs List and
will send out an e-mail asking for
help.
We frequently must find homes
for Senior Weimaraners over age
7. Our hope is to have several folks
wishing to foster only the Senior
dogs so that we have an immediate
place for these Seniors to go.
Once we have a foster home for
the dog, we contact our transport
volunteers in the area to see who
is available to pick up the dog
and transport to the foster home.
Dianne Venzon and Kathy Dunn
probably hold the record for the
number of Weimaraners fostered by
them over the past years. It is not
unusual for our new foster home
to fall in love with the Weimaraner
and adopt the dog.
Transporting the dog to the vet
for shots or spay/neuter is another
volunteer job. We make sure shots
are current and all rescue dogs
are altered. If there is a need for
other vet care, we cover that also.
Volunteers are contacted who live
in the area of need.
Home Inspections are vital for
placing a dog. It is not always
possible to fully evaluate a home
unless someone actually sees the
environment and meets the new
family. Barbara will contact a
volunteer regarding an applicant
being considered for a specific
Once Barbara have matched
up a Weimaraner with an
approved applicant, we
arrange for a meeting. If
all goes well, the dog goes home,
and Barbara sends the adoption
paperwork. We do follow up
to make sure all is going well. If
there are behavior or training
problems, our volunteer Kate
Powers is available for assistance
and suggestions.
Another aspect of volunteering is
staffing our rescue booth at public
events. Do you like talking with
folks about Weimraners and rescue
in general? Dianne Venzon has
put together a very professional
booth for NCWR and can always
use more volunteers. Please contact
Dvenzon13@aol.com if you are
interested in helping.
Volunteers are a crucial part of
rescuing a Weimaraner. We could
not accomplish all that we do
without our kind hearted, dedicated
volunteers and for them we are
very grateful. If you would like
to be added to our Volunteer list,
please contact Chris Wiedmeier at
cwiedmeier@sbcglobal.net
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WHY W E D O T H I S . . .
adopted Shadow about a year ago; ally softened her up (Guess we have
at that time she was with Kate (who created a monster!).
her and her husband was a wonderAll this to say; Shadow has been
ful parent) and loving life.
such a wonderful part of our lives
that I just
couldn’t
imagine life
without her
now. She
is our child
(albeit, an
older one...
but nonetheless, our family) she really
wants everyone there to
know how
good she has
been doing!!!
I
Since then, Shadow has made substantial leaps and bounds and loves
her new home...she even loves my
girlfriend’s cats?!? Who would have
thought (it was a little hairy at first,
but now things are great!)...she is
so sad when they don’t get to play
together now. I just can’t imagine,
she literally cries if she doesn’t get
to visit George (the brave one who
is young) and Gemini (the older
one who took a while to warm up,
but now they are the best of friends.
Shadow always insists on running
through the house when she gets
there to find them)...not to mention
the foot of the bed at night has re-
She suffered
a little bout
with some
allergies (dog
allergies, I
never
would have
guessed) and
a little bout
with an eye
ulcer (which I
have been informed by the specialist are somewhat common in this
breed, especially at her age). Other
than that, she is the kindest, sweetest dog ever! She loves her friends
(again, the cats, who would’ve
thought!?!) and wants to thank
everyone for not giving up on here,
despite her sensitive stomach these
days.
She asks that you look for her this
June in the 2007 SPCADoggy
Dash!!!
She will likely run some of it (you
should see her go these days, you
would never guess she had some
issues in the past), but wants everyone that took that time to care for
her to know that they aren’t forgotten and wants you to see how great
she is doing!!!
Shadow wouldn’t be my family today if it wasn’t for the love and care
at NCWR...she wants to do anything she can to help her friends,
including having them watch her
run and be inspired by her remarkable recovery and give hope to her
friends who are still waiting for a
loving home.
She has her little fits (like having to
eat dinner at 2AM when everyone is
asleep), but she is the sweetest girl
ever and just loves people (I’ll
settle for that because she doesn’t
chew on anything or whine..much!).
In fact, her grandpa and grandma
just couldn’t imagine not having her
around (might I add they make me
look bad by cooking her breakfast in
the morning and making the couch
for her to sleep during the day...ya,
you heard it right!). They just love
her too!!!
She is just the attention getter at the
dog park, in the City park and
running down the street with me.
Shadow would not have been a part
of our lives if it wasn’t for you!!!
Please continue your great work
and let Shadow (and me) know how
we can help her friends!
Regards,
Charles Berry
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NCWR BOOTH EVENTS
Please visit Northern California Weimaraner Rescue’s booth at an event listed below. We would love to meet you, introduce you to some of our adoptable dogs, and answer your questions about fostering or adopting a Weimaraner from
Northern California Weimaraner Rescue.
We’re passionate about our mission, and always happy to ‘talk Weimaraner’!
If you have questions or might be interested in helping out at NCWR’s booth, please contact Dianne Venzon, PR Chair
at DVenzon13@aol.com
August
Sat, Aug 18, 9a–3p: SASF Strutt Your Mutt, Victory Park, Stockton wwwstocktonpets.org
SEPTEMBER
Sat-Sun, Sept 8-9, 10a–6p: Bay Area Pet Fair & Adoptathon, Marin Center, San Rafael www.bayareapetfair.com
Sat, Sept 15, 10a–5p: Bark in the Park, William Street Park, San Jose www.barksanjose.org
Sat, Sept 22, 9a–4p: SCARF Dog Walk & Adoption Faire, Andrews Park, Vacaville www.scanimalfoundation.org
OCTOBER
Sat, Oct 13, 9a–1p: San Francisco Doggone Fun Run, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco www.sfspca.org
Sun, Oct 28, 11a–3p: San Francisco Pet Pride Day, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco www.petprideday.com
NOVEMBER
Sun, Nov 4, 1p–4p: Weim Country Gala, Calistoga, www.norcalweimrescue.org
Fri, Nov 23, 1p–5p: Festival of Lights, Yountville, www.yountville.com
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Event dates are subject to change, please check www.norcalweimrescue.org for updates!
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SPONSOR a SET o f N C W R T R A D I N G C A R D S !
Would you like your business name* logo*website address*phone number
in the hands of 2,000 dog-loving humans? It can be if you sponsor a set of
Northern California Weimaraner Rescue’s Trading Cards! These trading cards are used in lieu of business cards by all our volunteers, whether
out walking with their
own rescued Weimaraner, at one of our many
PR booth events, or on
display at many Northern California vet offices,
feed stores, and other
dog-related businesses.
The front of the trading
card features a rescued
Weimaraner, and the
back of the card includes information about
NCWR, and features the
business sponsor’s logo
and information.
There are two sponsorship packages available:
1. A PERSONAL sponsorship is $75 and is for the dog’s photo on the
front of the card. The only requirement is that the Weimaraner must have
been rescued, whether or not through NCWR. A high-resolution jpeg
photo of the dog is required, preferably without any red-eye or ghost-eye
(as can happen so often with Weimaraner eyes!)
2. A BUSINESS sponsorship is
$300, and basically underwrites the cost of the
cards. As NCWR is a
501(c)(3) non-profit, this
donation is tax-deductible per applicable tax
laws. All that is needed is
a jpeg file of the business
logo, and whatever other
information (phone, web
address, etc) that you
want included.
We currently have several
dogs on our waiting list
for personal sponsorships, needing to be matched up
with business sponsors, so if you
are a business interested in sponsoring a set of NCWR Trading
Cards, please email Dianne Venzon
at DVenzon13@aol.com for more
information and the sponsorship
forms.
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Name ...........................................................................................................................
Address ...........................................................................................................................
E- Mail Address ....................................................................................................
Dedication (In Memory of...) ..................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................
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Best Friend $50 U
Friend for Life $100 U
Guardian Angel $500 or more UOther $.......... U
Amount (check one); Buddy $25
Please send checks (written to NCWR) to NCWR, PO Box 1125, Middletown CA 95461
NCWR Federal Tax ID# 300307164
GET YOUR
NCWR MAGNET!
J
oin us for our premiere fund-raising event of the year, the acclaimed
Weim Country Gala, hosted by the fabulous Clos Pegase Winery in
Calistoga. Enjoy the camaraderie of other Weimaraner Lovers as you sip
Napa Valley’s finest wines & taste gourmet Hors d’ Oeuvres.
We’ll have spectacular items to bid on in the Silent & Live Auction...
gold Weimaraner jewelry by Virginia Perry-Gardiner studios,
art by William Wegman & Harry Giglio & more!
Have your family portrait taken by photographer Tonya Perme. Or, have
your dog pose for a watercolor portrait, get her a massage or have a
custom necklace made by 4 Legged Designs!
We will present our Parade of Rescued Weimaraners and
their heartwarming stories.
Your ticket includes a program & souvenir Weim Country logo wine glass.
Reservations, $35 each in advance, $40 at the door.
Mail payment to Debbie Gross
4167 Stonefield Lane, Fairfield, CA 94534,
or pay through PayPal at www.norcalweimrescue.org
$6 each
Order online at
www.norcalweimrescue.org
through Paypal or by
check to;
NCWR
Po Box 1125
Middletown CA
95461
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