About Rescue:
We love rescue dogs. We have lots of club members that have great dogs and loving companions that they got from rescue. If you have a bent for a rescue dog, get one. But – be careful and choose well.
You see, that dog is in rescue for a reason. By definition, the dog had to be rescued. It was rescued from a bad situation. Perhaps that bad situation was that this was a dog that got lost and had no identification and the owners were never found. Good choice. Perhaps the dog seems fine but when it encounters certain triggers it becomes aggressive. Maybe that trigger is a child. Bad choice. How do you know? You don’t. Hopefully the Rescue group has done due diligence and evaluated the dog in a foster home for several weeks to hopefully find those triggers if any. Sometimes, a family just decides they can’t take care of their Weim anymore for whatever reason or they just don’t want their Weim now. All of those are just some of the reasons a Weim will wind up in Rescue.
So does this mean we are against rescue?
No. We totally support the rescue of any dog in need. We support the rescue efforts of our clubs and others. That said, we have some strong opinions about rescue that go much deeper than that. It is our strongest preference that we remove the need for rescue programs by removing the need to rescue dogs. We think that anyone involved in rescue would agree with that statement.
To that end, we screen the prospective puppy owners to try to determine which ones will be the best parents of the puppies we breed. Our logic is that if we pre-screen the new owners, we will reduce – hopefully to zero – the number of puppies that get returned.
And we do mean returned. Under no circumstances should you allow a Gray Matter Kennel puppy to be turned over to a shelter or to rescue – return that puppy to us so that we can find it a new home. We feel very strongly about this. In fact, if you transfer one of our puppies to a rescue program you will be in violation of our puppy contract.
Consider this. Owners will give their dog away with a “free to good home” ad and the puppy ends up in a puppy mill where it is bred for profit at every opportunity until it dies or can no longer reproduce. This is one of the very good reasons that rescue organizations spay and neuter dogs.
Realize that most rescue organizations and shelters are already full of unwanted dogs that others have decided they could not keep either. A lot of these dogs never find homes and are euthanized when the placement takes too long or the placement is judged too difficult. Do not believe the notion that all rescued dogs go to live on a big beautiful farm.
By insisting that all of our puppies get returned to us and not transferred to anyone else – and not bred indiscriminately – we do our part by removing the NEED for rescue programs through responsible breeding of high quality, healthy, well cared for dogs.
Even better, if you have a problem with your puppy, let’s figure out what is wrong and fix it. Call us.
Seriously, you will have a great puppy that has been bred for intelligence and temperament in addition to structural conformation. Most likely any behavior problem you are experiencing can be fixed by some obedience training that is enforced by you. You would be amazed at how much you can accomplish in just a few minutes a day of training by you and your dog. You just need to be taught the proper way to do this and then actually enforce it. A Weimaraner is a wonderful addition to any family, but a Weimaraner has to have rules and limitations.
Not all situations are the same and some people truly do have to give up their pet, but sometimes people are quick to find what they think is the “easy” solution. Think hard about what your reason is. And if in the future you find yourself at the crossroads of making another pet purchase, take the time to research that breed and see if the characteristics are what you are looking for and if they fit your lifestyle.
Not everyone wants a puppy or they feel the need to get a rescue. If you think that a Rescue Weim is what you would prefer, we can probably direct you to a good group that can help you find a dog for you.