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Good Morning from OwyheeStar Weimaraners…..

Thanks for dropping by to see what we have to say. We have been posting daily now for about 4 months and your interest has been overwhelming. Thanks for making us a part of your day!

Over the years we have had many clients. Every time we type that word it seems so impersonal but it is apt. Today we received a note from a long time client that is getting a second Weim from us……….

You are so amazing!  I love getting your emails… Thank you for taking the time to make me one of the lucky few that get the personal emails; those are of course always my favorite!  After all, we’ve been corresponding for over 5 years!  Its almost sad to see the “client” in your bulk emails; you’re my “weimy friend and expert”!  .

We have many wonderful people in our lives that came there due to the Weimaraners. We count ourselves greatly blessed. People come from all kinds of backgrounds. We might vary in age, ethnicity, size, likes, dislikes, beliefs, philosophies, party affiliations, etc but we agree on one thing–Weimaraners! The Weims bring us together in a way no one on the outside understands.

They say you begin to look like your pets. Somehow I feel we do not physically look like our gorgeous Weimaraners. Nevertheless, maybe we have taken on their heart. We are invested in each of our clients. Client is just a word that really means so much more to us. Yes like Terra said, we consider our clients friends and are really close in heart to many.

Often clients come back for a second Weimaraner from us, just as Terra is doing this time around. She actually lives with Sadie (and OwyheeStar girl) who is now five years old. It doesn’t seem possible.  All this time Terra has stayed in touch. In addition to Sadie she has two rescue Weims. Terra is an extreme Weim enthusiast. Of course that brings us together. Even before the rescues we stayed in touch.

Our clients (and keep in mind when we use that word it is not in any normal sense of the terminology), are beyond special. We look at them as becoming a part of our OwyheeStar extended family. We try to keep up with everyone once they join with us. We try to treat everyone equally. In the long haul, some clients are more on the fringes but they take excellent care of their Weims and we can live with scenario. Other are faithful to send us information on an occasional basis–several times the first year and then once or twice a year as time passes. Others are in a closer friendship with us. They keep us apprised of their personal life.

It is not a prerequisite to be on a deeper heart-to-heart relationship with us, but many people feel a special connection. We in turn feel that is very special. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with all the Emails. For this reason we have gone to the Blog and pre-made Emails. In truth there are only so many hours in a day. There are also Weim kids and pups that require a lot of attention. We also have five grandchildren and when possible we like to take in their events and be a part of their lives.

The point is that Weimaraners are all about relationship. Pretty much OwyheeStar wants to know who you are and what you are like before placing a puppy. Since we worked with troubled teens for 20+ years we got fairly good at reading people and reading between the lines. This gives us an advantage. We honestly try to weed out inquiries that seem wrong for us or ones we don’t have total peace about for placing a pup.

Relationships are important. If you lose your relationship with your Weimaraner all is lost. Compliance at the expense of your relationship is not a good trade-off. Likewise with us, our relationship with each client is important. Should something go awry (God forbid) we want our clients to know we have done everything within our power to avoid the situation. Beyond a scenario like that,……..relationships are important because we can offer true support and solutions. If you run up against a behavior problem and you have an OwyheeStar puppy Cliff is available by cell phone. He is also there if you have food questions or more technical problems. Technical problems such as something medical you might wonder about and want to run past someone. Sometimes it is a tough call whether you need a Vet Visit or not. He will talk to you directly about these issues.

If you call or Email him, please do tell him who you are and what pup you have. Cliff doesn’t file away all the personal data but he can remember a certain litter and if I fill him in on details he will probably remember you as well. His focus is training, breeding, and keeping the Weims healthy. He also keeps up the grounds.

Folks, to us you are so much more than clients. We regret than we can not just have an open-door policy that everyone can drop by at will. For many reasons that is not doable but if you are coming our direction and can give us a chance to plan we can often make it happen.

Sometimes it is not doable for reasons we won’t go into right now. Even so, you are always welcome to contact us for help. We will do what we can to help you. In truth, we would rather help you up front before you see trainers. Sometimes people are looking for a training solution and their pup gets confused because the rules keep changing. It is easy to have this problem because every trainer has a basket of ideas. Most trainers do not have a vast experience at working with Weimaraners. So, if you are having a minor issue you can check our Blog for that category and you might find some great advice. If you don’t find what you need then contact Cliff. You can always Email him at cliff@weims4sale.com that is a newer Email address and he has his real estate Email address which is also fine to use cliff@cliffsre.com.

By the time some clients (who are so much more than clients) spend months waiting for a pup to be born, they know us pretty well. They have watched all we do and how we have handled situations. Likewise, we have talked many times. Then when the pups are born the banter begins because everyone has waited and they are so excited. We do try to let you each know how excited we are to have a puppy for you. To us each pup is a gift of God and special. The family they go to is equally special.

Although we are forced to do things in a formal and bulk medium, it does not mean each of you don’t count. Please know you are valued. This is more than a business transaction. Were it that we could do about a fourth the work and spend half the money and probably make more in the end. This is bigger than a deal between friends. To us this event is important. Sometimes Shela gets so caught up in getting the pups into the clients hands she forgets we do need paid too! This has meant running down the airport lobby to catch someone who didn’t give us their cash.

You can help us out by identifying your pup in the subject line of each Email. With so many clients it is tough to keep track of what pup went to each person. Right now we know who is getting a pup from a certain litter. Three months from now the various pups from Polka Dot, Mollie, and Callie will blend together in our minds. Even when we can see the pup and the people together, it is often difficult to remember the details.

What we mean is to identify your pup in the subject line like this: Kolt — Callie X Benton 2009.  That gives us the litter right up front and since we file many things using that information it make is super easy expedite things. For example, if we are going to post a picture from Kolt to his future Web Page we would know colt’s mothers last name and look for that folder in Callie’s bin. Then we open his page and post the picture and comments.

Having this information up front is so helpful. It means we don’t have to back track and find out who was the pup’s mother. If we have the last name that we used to file things and the pups’s litter we can efficiently get things posted. When we have to search for files and sort through information and find out who the parents were it can often burn up a lot of time. Thanks a lot for doing that for us. Even people we have known for years and know their pups well can be a challenge. Honestly, Terra has Sadie and in our minds at this moment we could not without a doubt tell you who Sadie’s parent were and until she said 5 years ago we would not have known how long exactly it had been. We can probably make a good guess but we would never place a bet based on our assumptions.

As the years pass it gets more difficult. Partially due to numbers and partially due to the age on the brain. Please know we hold each of you special in our hearts even when we use the term client for loss of a better word. To us you are each both a valued client and friend.

We know people get very excited about the upcoming event. When needed and as time permits we can sometimes make a phone call. We do write some specific personal Emails too! Sometimes in the midst of a time and energy crunch our Emails are shorter and to the point. First we want to get you answered as soon as possible. We hope everyone has gotten the answers to their questions. There are a couple more Emails coming your way regarding puppy preparation.

If anyone finds they have lost one of those we can resend the Email if you contact us. As the time to pick up your new family member approaches a phone call may be in order to talk about specifics. If so, we can arrange that at your convenience.

Thanks for being a part of our lives!

~ Shela and Cliff

Note: If you are part of the extended OwyheeStar family or on our waiting list, then please feel free to share your questions, comments, pointers, insights, experiences, and valued tips. Please keep in mind that all of our information is based from our experience and is our personal opinion.  Information found within this blog and on our website is not meant to replace that of your personal Veterinary. We are not licensed Veterinarians or licensed Vet Techs. We do not give treatment advice, diagnose illness, or consider ourselves the final authority on Veterinary medicine.