We Love Our Rescued Dogs
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Update: We lost Shadow in August 2017. His big old heart just gave out. We miss him a lot.
We are a Weimeraner family and had been considering adding another dog to our family. We mentioned that at the kennel/shelter where we boarded our old dog, Babe, on November 12th, 2011. On November 29th, we got the call that they (Thundering Paws) had two Weims in an emergency situation, and would we take them. Our hearts went out to them....how could we say no? This is the male, Shadow, the first time we saw him. It has been a long road to recovery, but they are both such sweet, friendly dogs that we feel lucky to have them joining our family. 
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This is Shadow on February 29, 2012, almost exactly three months after he was first brought to the shelter. He and Misti have been packing away the groceries. Once they were healthy enough to go to twice a day feedings and came home with us, we switched them to Purina Pro Performance, which is higher in fat and protein for active dogs. Our vet, Becky Washburn Brown, had us add one raw egg per day (see this slide show on dangerous foods for dogs--we stopped feeding raw eggs), 3 tablespoons corn oil twice a day, a fish oil cap twice daily and a multivitamin twice daily. They really started slicking off all the dead, dry hair and putting on weight on that diet and have boundless energy. Both dogs are quickly learning leash training, sit, stay, wait....very smart dogs. We also had them both neutered as soon as they had recovered some weight. No more puppy mill for these two!!
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Three Years Later
These dogs have come such a long way! They are now housebroken and sleep on their big pillows at night, only getting up occasionally when they need to go out. They have learned to get along with the little dogs (our two miniature doxies). We built a 2800 square foot dog run that has two heated dog houses and they are living the good life!!
The heaters are just for dog houses and much safer than trying to use a space heater. We followed all the suggestions for insulating the houses and adding doors and it made such a difference! We tested by using a weather station sensor and found that when it was in the low 20s outside, the dog houses staid between 60 and 65 degrees when set on medium. Definitely worth a try if you have a dog that has to stay outside. Ours are only out when we are at work because they are just too big and active to stay locked in the house. We would not have a house standing when we got home. The heaters can be purchased on Amazon and we also suggest looking at these plans for a cold weather dog house from the Ontario, Canada SPCA.
Click on the image below to shop for Hound Heaters on Amazon.com This is an Amazon Affiliate link, which means I make a very small amount of money if you click and buy, but that is NOT why I like this heater. It keeps our babies comfy in cold weather-worth a lot to us.
The heaters are just for dog houses and much safer than trying to use a space heater. We followed all the suggestions for insulating the houses and adding doors and it made such a difference! We tested by using a weather station sensor and found that when it was in the low 20s outside, the dog houses staid between 60 and 65 degrees when set on medium. Definitely worth a try if you have a dog that has to stay outside. Ours are only out when we are at work because they are just too big and active to stay locked in the house. We would not have a house standing when we got home. The heaters can be purchased on Amazon and we also suggest looking at these plans for a cold weather dog house from the Ontario, Canada SPCA.
Click on the image below to shop for Hound Heaters on Amazon.com This is an Amazon Affiliate link, which means I make a very small amount of money if you click and buy, but that is NOT why I like this heater. It keeps our babies comfy in cold weather-worth a lot to us.
Play Time
Any animal kept confined needs something to do, some kind of enrichments to keep them occupied and thinking. Animals, like people, can develop destructive behaviors when they get bored. This is just one thing we do to brighten up the day for our two Weimaraners. We place dry kibble in the cavity of the dog tire toy. Misti will work tirelessly until she gets every last bite. Shadow just helps with the eating.