Blog

[chiendog]

I am now well on my way to becoming some kind of cyber-slacker.

I now have a BLOG!

For those of you that do not know what a blog is, it is a sort of on-line journal (blog is short for "web log") In my case, it an on-line version of thinking out loud ...mainly about dogs, photography, hunting and the like.

If you are curious and have a minute or two to throw away, have a look at
chiendog.blogspot.com/

Cheers!

[Anci]

;)Absolutely marvellous pictures!
Especially UMA with her bad-hair-day!
But the grey ones look fine too...
@nci

[Ingvild]

Absolutely fabulous pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!

[jossan]

Love your pictures!!!

[rute_paredes]

hello chiendog!

I loved your blog! the pictures are lovely, congrats!
You've just won yourself a reader!

rute

[Leslie]

Not only fantastic photo's but stories you actually want to read.

[Wetdog]

FANTASTIC!!! Wonderful pictures and stories, I loved it. Be sure to let us know when you post more, I wouldn't want to miss any.

[chiendog]

Thank you all for the positive feedback! Glad you like the photos and anecdotes.

I've updated the blog this morning....with a bit of a rant.

www.chiendog.blogspot.com

please note that if you click on any photo in the blog you will see it in a new window slightly bigger.

[moonbeam]

Bet you feel a whole heap better having got that off your chest Craig.

[marjolein]

Hehehe, I sooo agree with you!!! Great pics again!!

[rute_paredes]

wow, you were mighty miffed there Craig.

I'm afraid I don't hunt, so that pretty much means I don't take my Weimaraner out on hunting forrays. I do however understand that chasing, flushing, retrieving game is in my dog's nature so I try to give him as many chances as I can to engage in these activities or any as akin to them as possible.
Does that mean I am one of the chichi crowd stripping the Weimaraner of its primeval soul? I would not like to think so.
We chose the Weimaraner as the breed for our pet companion (Iago) because we lead an active life, travel to the countryside often and were convinced we could make this breed of dog happy in our household. We are caring and sensitive owners, we respect Iago's needs and see him as a 4-legged member of the family, basically.
I think something you are overlooking is that not every hunter treats his/her dogs with the respect and concern you obviously do. Some hunters see their animals as no more than utensils on legs, totally instrumentalized and fit for a purpose, doing their bit on the field. They are fed and, with luck, given a roof over their heads. They don't bring the dogs into their homes, just like they don't bring in their muddy field boots. They don't think that loving and emotionally nurturing the dog is important.
I'm not trying to have a go at hunters, not at all. I just know from experience that not every hunter's home is necessarily a happy or a good one for a breed such as the Weim, for whom the closeness to his master is so important.
Nor are all hunters kind, humane and caring towards their dogs.
I hope you will not take offense at my comment, I assure you none was meant.

rute

[chiendog]

No offense taken Rute, thank you for the thoughtful post.

As I pointed out in my blog, I have no issue with those that choose not to hunt with their Weimaraners. After all, there are people who own border collies yet do not heard sheep with them.

Yours is an ideal situation for a companion Weimaraner....a caring owner, time and space to get out and run etc. etc. I'm not sure if you enjoy a latte once in a while but I do! Iago sounds like a nice dog, probably from a good breeder who is honest about what his/her program is all about.

My problem is not with kind, caring dog owners like you. It is with the less than honest breeders that cater to an enourmous market for a breed that has been co-opted and transformed into a parody of its former self. When I think of all those German breeders whose blood sweat and tears went into the creation of a strong, noble breed of hunter for over a century....and who continue to struggle against the tsunami of absolute crap being bred around the world, I almost cry.

As a hunter, I know about the blood bond between man and dog. It is something a non-hunter can never, ever comprehend. It is a profound link to a fellow animal and to a hundred thousand years of shared history...sealed by the flesh and blood of shared quarry. While I applaud the efforts of non-hunting dog owners to allow their dogs to express as least some of their instincts in the field, I ask them in turn to try to understand just how deeply it hurts a hunter to see his chosen breed being dressed up as Red Riding Hood.

not every hunter treats his/her dogs with the respect and concern you obviously do. Some hunters see their animals as no more than utensils on legs, totally instrumentalized and fit for a purpose, doing their bit on the field

A person who treats his/her dogs as nothing more than a tool to be used and abused is an asshole. It matters not wheather he/sbe is a hunter. There is always a minority in any group of dog owners that is uncaring, even abusive. One look at the Rescue Committee waiting list should point this out very clearly. There are probably a hundred weims at any one time looking to be re-homed due to various degrees of mistreatment. I would be surprised if more than 1% of these dogs were from hunting homes.

Dogs should be treated with the respect they deserve. For a hunter this is even more important since the treatment the dog receives at home will be reflected iin the performance in the field.

Sorry for another mini-rant.... I need another latte!

Thanks again for your feedback Rute, give Iago (great name by the way) a biscuit for me!

[rute_paredes]

hello chiendog
I'm glad I didn't offend you.
I am afraid that the reason why I probably went a little too far in my comments regarding a type of creepy person that pass themselves as hunters comes from me knowing mostly sad stories.

But of course, there are cases of unethical, cruel treatment of animals anywhere you go, in so many different contexts...

i'm not so much a latte as an expresso person, though

When I think of all those German breeders whose blood sweat and tears went into the creation of a strong, noble breed of hunter for over a century....and who continue to struggle against the tsunami of absolute crap being bred around the world, I almost cry. [\quote]

I share your outrage and concern over the way Weimaraners are bred, over the shameful, shameful business of puppy mills and the overall disrespect for this noble breed. Silly pictures of Weims in full period dress and whig included.

I'm sure that from the hunter's point of view the pain and sadness can only be more acute.
No apologie needed, I think it was a very pertinent comment.
AI also think you should stick with the latte for the moment - the espresso could seriously send you into overdrive

thank you

rute and iago