This is Atos. He is one of my best friends. His parents are my boyfriends parents. I have known them for sixteen years and they have had three dogs since then. The first one was a German short haired pointer which is similar to the Weimmaraner. After he passed away they got another dog which was a Weimaraner. He was about nine months old and the former owners were not able to handle his overly rambunctious nature, typical of this breed. However Marc's parents adopted him, with confidence that they could handle him. They have years of dog ownership under their belt.
During the time they brought him home, Marc and I were planning to leave our job and as always during these times, we temporarily movedstayed with them. The new dog became our good friend. He considered us as much family as he did his owners. His name was" Wotan". They are German so they always call their dogs by a German name.
He was very powerful and hard to control on a leash. Marc and I would take him to a nearby wooded area where he could run freely and it scared us that he may never return but he always did.
This breed of dog is known for having to be exercised very often. They are powerful, and were originally bred in Germany to hunt large game. Eventually they made there way over to America. Now the breed is not as pure, so they say. There is a saying that the Weimaraner is the dog with the human brain. I personally think there are many dogs like that but that's what they say.
The second dog, the Weimaraner that Marc's parents adopted passed away from something relating to poison. They suspect the next door neighbor who put out poison for the rabbits, but really who knows.
They were heart broken. They gave us the news after we had left him and moved to Montreal. It was sad that we had to leave him, and then he passed away.
After sometime Marc's sister surprised them with a Weimaraner puppy that they named Atos. We came to visit where they lived, which was Ontario and we met him.
A year later the parents and the dog moved to be with us in Montreal. We saw him quite often. We came to stay with them in summer for a few weeks before we left for Mexico in September. Last week we returned.
It was a sad shock for us to find that " Atos" had gained so much weight we almost didn't recognize him. His nails are overgrown. He stopped being walked by me over a year ago, because he ran after small animals, and one day, had me rolling in the middle of the street. Fortunately there were no cars at the time, or I wouldn't be writing this.
The seniors that are his parents, have trouble walking. One is on dialyses and the other is on heart medication. they are feeding the dog ham and cheese sandwiches on top of everything else, and unlimited kibble in his bowl.
He used to go to the dog park but they stopped for some reason. He is now limited to the back yard for an occasional ball toss and to do his business.
We feel very helpless. He is our friend but not our dog. His parents feel they are doing nothing wrong and the dog clearly loves and worships them. He is one of the most gentle dogs I have ever met, as long as there is no cat or small dog in sight, not that he would have a chance to get them with all the weight he carries.
I took him out today to toss a ball which he loves, and he spent time enjoying the spring sunshine. It is a long hard winter in Montreal Canada, so even the animals are soaking up the droplets of sun when they can.
We don't know how long we will stay here. Our lives are a mystery as always, but in the meantime we will try to help this guy get back into shape and try our best to encourage better eating habits.
As every dog does, so does "Atos" love to eat snow.
