Support, Encouragement, and Education for the OwyheeStar Extended Family...
Cliff and Pete in the field for the first time….
Notice the pigeon has been launched into the air. It is a very cool picture and you might want to double click and open it for a better look.
Pete watches the pigeon take flight…
He has shown great desire and although these photos don’t show it, he did an extensive search for birds.
Elenor loves hiking!
Elenor loves snow!
Well Elenor is growing up fast and she is learning a lot. Some what we’ve taught her and some what she’s taught us. We love her to death and wouldn’t want it any other way. We have been doing a lot out with her with hiking and snow shoeing and lazy house stuff.
We have recently learned her new hobby of eating her beds, so no more of those beds stuffed with white material! No thats too tempting to pull out and spread all over the house, no we get old blankets and our old bed covers to chew on and chew we do. Her favorite bone is the beloved Knuckle bone that she carves away at until they are tiny bits.
Elenor loves company!
She loves company and greets them with stamping feet like she needs to go potty, really funny but cute too. Besides being a lover she knows this is her house and when she thinks there is a threat that seldom heard bark reveals itself from the deepness of that chest! Watch out to who ever tries getting in here.
Elenor's Crate!
She still loves her crate but not her gentle lead which she tries to avoid, but never gets out of wearing it on long walks and such where pulling isn’t wanted!
Well I just wanted to say a few things and share our appreciation to ya’ll for breeding such an angel, everyone tells us she is very well behaved and not as rowdy as other weims, so they think, but we work on calm a lot and she knows when its time to settle. Here are a few pictures that we’ve taken recently too. Cheers and hope this new year is treating you well
Lucas, Merridy and Elenor
PS: Lucas is well known in some circles. He fronts a band called “Lucas Young and the High Horse”. They have a record coming out very soon. Elenor says to watch for it!
Dusty here with a note from Bradley about his beloved “Belle”. (02/07/2010)First and of most importance…Belle is doing extremely well. I cannot imagine my life without her. While I wanted a versatile hunting dog, nothing compares to the companionship. I need to update you with pictures and info. about her hunting experiences and how great she is doing. However, I am writing to you about the possibility of any additional puppies for my girlfreind’s father. He is a hunter, but like me, a family dog is really what is about. Please let me know of any upcoming pups…I will forward you pics of Belle soon…
Note: We appreciate our repeat clients as well as those that send referrals our direction. Thank you Bradley!
Dusty here saying Happy Super Bowl to all you fans!
Some of my cousins are not so wild about the water. Cliff says it is important to get them into the water early and to keep working at it until you see success. He tells the story that early-on I was not wild about the water. You should see me swim now! Well look below….
Deuce Watches Diva in the water!
Diva at Swim Practice!
First Swim!
Cliff insists that all the pups swim before leaving OwyheeStar unless it is too cold. Otherwise he fills the farm pond and they get a dip in the ponds. We are always amazed at their ability to swim. Weims have webbed toes so that helps too!
The best swimmers carry their body way out of the water. Don’t worry, I believe every Weim can learn to swim if you start early and keep working on it. Cliff says I used to leave the dummies in the water and not even go after them at times. Now you just try to keep me back if you send a dummy into the pond. Sometimes I have to sit on the bank while someone else retrieves. This is not nearly as much fun! Diva’s Tip brought to you by …
Arliss and Patrick!
A couple of winters ago Arleen (Vancouver, WA) had an outbreak.
Young Arliss
She doesn’t breed dogs, she doesn’t run a kennel, she doesn’t have a lot of pets, and her place is kept immaculately clean. So, how could this happen?
Breeders always need to be on the alert because they are at a higher risk for a Giardia outbreak. Giardia is highly contagious and easily spreads from one dog to another. Since the protozoa cysts are shed in the feces (and these egg-like cysts have a protective shell) they can remain in the environment a long time.
Even with vigilant scooping a cyst can fall to the ground and they are surprisingly resistant to the cold, heat, water, etc. The cyst can be picked up on your pet’s feet and ingested during grooming. Once ingested, the gut has the perfect environment for rapid growth.
Beyond kennel settings others high-risk areas exist: for example dog parks, ponds, and areas that have puddles. Some dogs never seem to have a problem. Some seem able to carry Giardia but are themselves immune. There are many mysteries about Giardia that have no answers. Nevertheless, with the right conditions Giardia can happen to your pet.
Knowing once this parasite is ingested, it can take off like wildfire we wanted to provide this reminder. Very soon after ingesting he protozoa, your puppy or adult Weimaraner could have a serious case of diarrhea. Remembering Arleen’s experience and thinking about our ideal damp conditions here in Eastern Oregon brought to mind this topic. Cliff and I wrote Arleen recently and brought up this topic and she said it had been on her mind too. We wrote how we have the perfect spring for Giardia to be a problem and we must to be on the guard here at OwyheeStar.
Arleen wrote: Yes, I want to avoid Giardia also, just thinking of that the other day looking at my wet back yard and how they all would rather drink from puddles than from there dish. And it is going to be a wet spring.
Arliss & Co.
We suggested she spray her backyard with a garden sprayer containing 10% bleach solution a couple of times this spring.
The problem as we see it, is the birds that come to drink from a puddle can also track the one-celled protozoa. The protozoa deposited in a small puddle awaits such an opportunity. All it takes is the right condition to multiple. When Arliss and company drink from an infected puddle they may contract Giardia. Arleen having the previous unfortunate fortuitous encounter, wants to take measures to avoid that from happening again.
Here are 3 great links for your own research:
Note: The photos in this blog are of Arleen’s fur-family.
Laycee Tired Out!
Laycee enters this family at the most opportune time. Darin’s beloved grandfather passed on just days before Laycee entered their lives. Darin is not new to Weims, however, maybe he has fallen even harder this time around.
Laycee Kisses are Great!
More Laycee Kisses!
I be Phoning Cliff & Shela!
Thanks for sharing
Your Photos & Comments
May she live long…
Dusty's Birthday Cake
Holistic Ice Cream Cake
We wanted to give Dusty a special treat and a birthday cake seemed in order.
To make Dusty’s ice cream cake take a small ramekin and fill it with vanilla ice cream. Then slip Holistix treats inside the ramekin forcing the ice cream to the middle.
You could prepare this ahead of time and freeze. Serve by inverting on a plate. Then use small round treats or break up large treats to simulate a candle. We stacked these (small treats) using peanut butter. This is an easy to make doggie ice-cream cake.
Dusty can't believe his good fortune!
I Think I will just take it to go!
Breezy Meets Her Family!
All in all, things are going quite well! We are so blessed to have her and she is beautiful! Like I said to Cliff, the pictures just don’t do her justice!
Here are few photos of our special day……..
Sara and Breezy
J P and Breezy
Breezy with JP and Sara
The drive went well. The two settled down quickly and slept nearly the entire way. The pig ears were a nice distraction when they were awake.
Breezy on the way home...
Last night was…well, long. But we all got some rest, just not a ton. This morning we explored the house some more. She’s still getting comfortable with her surroundings.
Diva’s Tip brought to you by …
