More People Kicking Their Dogs Out on the Street

Our neighborhood is a popular spot for people to drop their dogs off when the dogs are no longer wanted. I have a feeling some of the people simply can’t afford the dogs any more, but that’s no excuse. Why not take the dogs to the animal shelter, where they will be safe from coyotes and get fed?

Last year we took in one stray, a young American Bull Dog. Our next door neighbor took in 2 dogs, a chihuahua and a small terrier. There were other strays we saw but who wouldn’t allow us to get close to them.

It’s always so sad to see a dog roaming the neighborhood, dirty, hungry, looking for their owner.

A second dog we took in is a Weimaraner whose owners decided they needed to find another home for her. They had planned to breed her, but their daughter couldn’t play in their backyard because the dog was too wild, and the dog kept jumping the fence into our yard to play with our American Bull Dog. So they offered her to us so the two dogs could be together.

The two dogs are best friends. Because they are so big (about 55 pounds and 80 pounds each) it’s like having two elephants playing in the backyard. Thankfully, when they are in the house they are fairly quiet and spend most of the time sleeping.

Weimaraners are great guard dogs, watch dogs, companion dogs, and hunters. She’s already caught several rats, a couple of pigeons, and almost got a duck that happened to fly into our yard. She’s very beautiful, and incredibly fast.

A couple of warnings about Weimaraners - they will go after smaller animals like pet rabbits, cats and birds unless they are socialized with them at a young age. They love to be inside with the family (they were bred to be companion dogs) but need plenty of exercise.

If you have the time to take your dog on a couple of walks each day, want a dog that wants to be with you, and have time to train a strong-willed dog, a Weimaraner is a great dog breed to have.