OUR ADOPTION STORY:

 

Our first and beloved Weim, Maggie, passed away in 2010 and it truly broke our hearts. We brought her home as a puppy two months after we were married so she was our first baby and we loved her with everything we had. When she passed at age 13 I remember thinking, I can't do this again, this is so incredibly painful! I was completely broken hearted and never wanted to feel that pain again. At that time our young children were 1 and 3 so I focused on them and the years flew by.

Our boys are 6 and 9 now and between them and my husband, the subject of getting a dog was coming up more and more frequently. I was full of excuses about why it wasn't the right time to get a dog. It became clear that I was the holdout (aka, the bad guy) and every time I walked by my husband on his laptop I would see him stalking the DC Area Weimaraner Rescue page. I mean, seriously stalking. He would frequently show me a cute Weim who needed a home and I began to feel tremendously guilty for not being ready for another dog, for not giving a dog a much needed home, and for not giving in to my children's wishes. One day I got frustrated and told my husband he spent way too much time looking at the rescue site and he said "I'm pretty sure there are far worse things I could be looking at online." Touché! I hate it when he's right!

When Grant showed up on the rescue site my husband immediately zeroed in on him. He would say "Wow, isn't he a handsome boy?" Or "Can't you just see our boys running around the yard with him?" I would say "Yeah, but he has a tail, that's just weird!" Or "It says on there that he's a hoarder, what does that mean? It can't be good!" At the same time we began to notice that our oldest son was experiencing allergic reactions around our friend's dogs. His eyes would become itchy and bloodshot, his throat would itch and he would start sneezing and coughing. I thought, look at that, he's allergic to dogs, guess we cant get one! Bummer!

Our oldest son was three when Maggie passed away and though he has some pretty bad allergies the dog thing was new. We wondered if his allergies were breed specific so we contacted Karin Bakken to see if we could visit with some Weims to find out. Although I was reluctant, I did know that if we were ever to get another dog, it just had to be a Weim. Karin informed us that Debbie and Dominique Bergeron were fosterers who lived a short highway ride away and had two Weims of their own, as well as one available for adoption. When she said his name was Grant I knew (or should have known!) at that very moment that I was in trouble. At that point I was secretly hoping for some serious allergic reactions from my son. After speaking with Debbie we realized that the Bergeron's also have a cat, which both my son and husband are allergic to so we agreed to meet at an ice cream shop. Debbie and Dom showed up with all three dogs and hung out with us for 3 hours. My kids had a blast running the dogs up and down the sidewalk (correction, running Grant and Jenna up and down the sidewalk; Cash wanted no part of that as he was busy relaxing in the shade) as we chatted with Debbie and Dom asking tons of questions and sharing Weim stories. They are the most wonderful people! Once we got in the car to leave, my son started to experience some mild reactions and we wondered if the cat at home had anything to do with it. It was clear that a home visit (and a bath shortly after arrival) was going to be the best test. We arranged for a weekend visit with Grant for the following weekend. At the ice cream shop I didn't really make any connection with Grant (not really on purpose but more because I was busy talking while the kids played with him) and wasn't feeling attached in any way so I felt safe doing the weekend visit. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking?? About an hour after he arrived and shortly after Debbie left and his bath was finished my husband said "So, what do you think?" I dissolved into tears and sobbed "I love him already!!" My husband looked shocked but no one was more surprised than me. I truly can't explain it but as soon as he walked into our house something clicked and I fell completely in love with him. I knew at that very moment that Grant was never leaving and that if my son turned out to truly be allergic we might have to give him away instead (kidding people!!) I'm happy to report that there are no allergy issues!

As a stay-home-mom, Grant has become my constant companion, following me everywhere I go. When I talk to him, walk by him or even glance in his direction, that crazy tail beats wildly and loudly on anything and everything in its path and I absolutely love it! He has changed our household in so many ways that I can hardly remember what life was like without him. My boys often argue over who gets to feed him dinner so we have to take turns. Same goes for who gets to give him treats, sit next to him, cuddle with him, etc. So glad we got him a huge dog bed because I often find the boys snuggled up to him on it. My oldest (the one I call my TV junkie) rarely asks to watch TV anymore as he's too busy playing with Grant. My youngest insists that I only make special home-made doggie treats for Grant when he's home so he can help and also proudly tells people that he is no longer the baby anymore because now he has a younger brother. The amount of laughter in our house has increased tenfold as Grant is a giant goof ball who constantly has us all in stitches. I bombard my husband with pictures and videos of Grant when he's at work and probably annoy my friends by talking about him constantly! We plan everything we do around Grant and often make decisions about where we will go based on our ability to bring him along. We are constantly stopped by people who want to pet him and go on and on about how beautiful he is. I proudly beam from ear to ear as I tell everyone that he is the best dog on earth, prompting my husband to remind me that I didn't actually give birth to him so I can't claim responsibility for his awesomeness. Whatever, he's MY dog and I can brag about him all I want! Actually, the joke around our house is about my hesitation to get a dog in the first place and how he's actually more MY dog. He listens to me so well that my new favorite phrase to the kids has become "If only you listened as well as Grant!"

I know this is an extremely long adoption story but did I mention how much I love Grant??? He is my perfect boy and we all love him more than I can express with words. We feel so blessed to have him as a part of our family and plan to spoil him rotten every chance we get. A big hug and thanks to everyone who had a part in bringing Grant into our lives. We are forever grateful to each and every one of you!!