Thanks folks.....
This is a bit of a long winded story about how we came to be Roscoe's family -
I have had dogs my entire life, but - this one was "special". We would tease that he was most often "short bus special", in that he never knew we even had a TV - while the other dog would genuinely watch a program with you. He would often turn his head and slam his nose on a corner - as if he never figured out how long his face was....And tho he was bred for being the all around hunting and companion dog - Roscoe would scare up a nest of baby rabbits - and run screaming and peeing as if they attacked him!
And yet - he had moments of savant like brilliance. He figured out how to open doors and let himself out of the house. The first few times - I thought the possibility of someone being in our house was real, and a serious firearm equipped search of the premises ensued - until I caught Roscoe opening a door. It made me feel as foolish as Elmer Fudd in one of the "hunting episodes"....
How he came to live with us:
When Tropical Storm Ivan moved thru here in 2004 we had some severe flooding - I had some property that I leased for a flying club, and it was river bottom land ( the only flat land we have here...). Fearing that the folks that live on the property might be in trouble, I took a pump and a generator out there. When I got to them, there was a skinny, cut, and beat up looking Weimer keeping his distance at 20-30 yards but nervously watching me. I asked the folks when they got a Weimer - they replied they didn't, but someone had dumped him after obviously abusing him. He kept begging to come in the house, but they had no room, and stated when the water receded they would take him to the dog pound.
So as I turned my back, and grabbed the generator, and swung it around out of the truck - I saw a brown streak out of the corner of my eye, and I turned to see that he had kept into the truck and hunkered down in the front corner of the bed , behind some boxes. The property caretaker then laughed and said - "Looks like YOU have a Weimer now..."
Here is the eerie part. My wife had every William Wegman book in print, and always loved them when we would see one in public ( Wegman is the fellow that dresses Weimers up as people and such - and photographs them), and had always admired the breed. She was at a nurses convention - and I decided to go straight to the vet with him. I told the vet" Larry - I am gonna pay you in cash, and in exchange you will forget this ever occurred and you will find him a home - if when you examine him you find that he has heart worms, hip dysplasia, insanity, or any identifiable defects". He agreed - tho he thought I was being pretty harsh, if not a complete jerk ( it is a natural talent I suppose....
) - but I explained I wanted to save my wife from any hurt and not take home a dog that would only be ill and cause great heartbreak.
The vet called me a couple of hours later - and said "I finished with the dog - and there is only one thing wrong with him..He needs a home - now, bring me my #$%^ money....
."
So, I took him home. The wife was beside herself and overjoyed and he took to her immediately But -it took about a year before I could reach out and pat him on the head with out him squatting a peeing out of fear - he had been abused - apparently by a man - that badly.
