"Thank you for Adopting Me" Artist Jessica Dreyer

15 Years ago, I answered an ad in the paper for Weimaranier Puppies. My husband John & I decided on the breed after much research because of their loyalty, intelligence, and their beautiful and almost mystical appearance. Nothing seemed too unusual at first with the call, cash only ($300) and a long ride to Columbia, MO. The plans were made and off we went one Saturday morning. The location was in the middle of nowhere and several times, we thought we were lost. At the end of a dirt road, the first thing to come into sight was the large barn which overshadowed the small farmhouse. When we got out of the car, I didn't notice any fenced pastures or farm animals....just a lot of barking coming from the barn. A lady rushed to meet us as we got out of the car. She told us to sit in the house while she got the only male left from a litter of nine. I watched her from the window as she went inside the barn and the barking became frnzy-like in nature. She held Gus in her arms and then set him down on the living room floor. It was love at first sight, even though he sure didn't look like the stately examples of his breed in the books we had researched. His ears were too long and his tale had been cropped incorrectly. It looked like they had just cut the tip off. "How cruel", I thought. We couldn't leave him behind, he was going to be a house pet, not a dog for stud. As we paid the cash, and headed for the car, her husband retrieved Gus's mother & father from the barn, which we had asked to see earlier. The mother was thin & the father was wild on his leash. The meeting was brief and back they headed to the barn. At that time the noise from the barn was deafening and I asked what other dogs she had in the barn. She told me they were her husband's hunting dogs. I asked if I could see them because I love dogs and was curious and she said NO. That ended our transaction and we returned home with our prize package. The vet check revealed Gus was healthy, but older than we first thought, and that Gus wasn't a top notch example of his breed, he thought due to overbreeding. I often wonder what would have happened to Gus, if we had not taken him. They were obviously in it for the cash only. Gus was one of the most lovable, intellegent, loyal dogs and we were blessed to have hime as a member of our family. He lived to be fifteen years old which our vet said was extremely unusual for his large breed....we felt that when his body began to fail him, he lived on in love. Artist Jessica Dreyer of St Charles, MO