From the President

State of the Rescue – April 2020

April 21, 2020 // by Kim// Leave a Comment

PRESIDENTIAL GREETINGS. 😊

Since January 1st, CalWEAR has adopted out 29 dogs. TWENTY-NINE!!! That’s nearly two every week! We are tremendously grateful for our adopters. 🥰 And for every dog that gets adopted, there are two more that we spend our resources on, but for a variety of reasons, they don’t get adopted (family changes their mind, dog went to another rescue, stray went home, long-term or indefinite foster care, hospice care, etc.). Add ‘em all up and that’s a lot of dogs we’re keeping track of! 📝

I am INCREDIBLY indebted to the @TeamCalWEAR village that makes up our network. This includes fellow transporters, fosters, sister rescues, and the Weimaraner community at large who drop a lot pennies in the bucket to help our cause. Without you, there is no us. So THANK YOU. ❤️

To those who have some down time and are looking for a Weimaraner to rescue and love on, now is a great time to get your application in. With shelters closed, we’re getting more and more phone calls to intake Weims and Weim mixes. Please also be patient with us. Our email and telephone traffic has been HIGHER in the last 30 days than they’ve been in the last three months, combined. 😳 Note: Incoming dogs are typically offered to families who are already on file, first. So get those apps in. 😉

WE NEED ALL THE FOSTER HOMES WE CAN GET RIGHT NOW. If we have to keep relying on our existing fosters, we fear greatly that we will burn them out, and no one wants to find a Weimie foster lying in the gutter. 😆

Lastly, with recent dogs like PHOENIX, HUNTER, GRETA, and KNOX (and probably a few more whose names are escaping me at the moment) requiring extra medical care, we are depleting our reserve by the minute. A few nickels or quarters to our Venmo account at @CalWEAR or PayPal account at donate@CalWEAR.org would be greatly appreciated. We’ll even dress up one of our foster dogs and make them do silly tricks if that will help sweeten the deal. Whatever it takes. 🙏🏼

Spread the love. Spread the cheer. And follow us on our brand new Instagram account at @TeamCalWEAR. 🥳

With love and gratitude,

– Kim/Lead Office Monkey ❤️

A Long Day for Rescue

June 29, 2019 // by Kim// Leave a Comment

Today was a tough day.

For starters, it began at 2:30 AM MDT. I couldn’t sleep, and I knew I had a pickup scheduled for early in the morning, so I loaded the fosters and off we went.

The first drop-off was a success.

Then we picked up the WEIMBUS and turned in the rental car. (It’s alive, and the crunchy noise is gone!!!)

Then we hit traffic.

We finally arrived in Orange; just 15 minutes after our mailbox closed for the weekend, so the SEVEN BOXES OF DOG FOOD (THANK YOU #teamCalWEAR!!!!! ) that was donated to us will have to be picked up another time.

And then we had an incident at a local meetup park.

A CalWEAR dog who had been “fine with other dogs” lashed out at a foster’s personal dog, and put a hole in her cheek. She’ll be okay, and the owner was VERY understanding, but – It’s a reminder that in rescue, we need to stay on alert and ALWAYS have our guard up. Always. Always. Always.

Now is a good time to remind everyone that in rescue, we work only with what we know. Dogs come to us with checkered histories at best. Some of them can go five months, three weeks, and six days, with no incident. And then BOOM. Someone gets clawed up, chomped on, or worse.

There’s a reason why dogs end up in rescue, and most of the the time, we discover that reason through our relationships with each dog. Not because of what a previous owner disclosed.

Rescuing a dog is NOBLE. But it’s not for everyone. Please, proceed with caution. Understand there’s probably a reason why the dog isn’t with his family. The question is: are the known imperfections (anxiety, extreme fear, excessive tumors, etc.) something you’re able to overcome? Are you comfortable knowing there’s a part of the story you’ll never get to hear?

Thankfully, after the incident, we had two more successful foster placements (thank you Macy!), and then headed to Gavilan Hills, CA to…

MEET ZOEY.

Actually, that’s not her name.

Ten days ago, a starving young girl walked up to Julie’s driveway, and huddled behind the trash bin. Julie fed her and she stayed.

Knowing she belonged to SOMEONE, because why would a purebred Weimaraner just “show up” in a hidden neighborhood, Julie had her scanned for a microchip.

Name: Lola

DOB: 2/24/2017

Owner: XXXXXXXX

Phone: XXXXXXXX

The information was all there.

But here is how the listed owner answered the phone:

“Yeah, I had her. But I gave her away a year ago. No, I don’t know who I gave her to. No, I don’t want her back.”

?!?!?!!!!!!!!?!!!!!

So Julie called us.

And when we arrived, she told us about what a great dog Lola was. She’s housebroken. She’s crate trained. She’s easy going. She gets along with everyone. She’s grateful for food. She knows sit, down, wait, shake, and other paw. She’s not food possessive. She’s sweet. She’s velcro. She can leave anytime she wants, but she doesn’t.

We asked Julie to give her a new name. She didn’t respond to Lola anyway, and it’s not like the guy who named her cared about her.

So ZOEY thanked her temporary foster for giving her a safe place to stay, and then hopped in my car for her next journey.

Stay tuned… more tomorrow.

– Kim, exhausted bus driver

State of the Rescue – April 2019

April 3, 2019 // by Kim// Leave a Comment

Four and a half years ago, CalWEAR was founded because Southern CA was INUNDATED with Weimaraners who needed to be rescued, and we wanted to help.

It was tough in the beginning, and we almost quit. (The nastiness from animal rights activists and people who “think” they’re the expert on dogs is one of the worst nightmares we never could have predicted.)

But fast forward to 2019, and I’m glad we’re still here.

2018-138.

That’s Ty’s file number. That means he came onto our radar in 2018 (November 5th, to be exact), and tagged as the 138th dog we were working on.

As I lay in bed this morning with this dog cuddled up on my side, I can’t help to think where he might have been if we hadn’t picked him up. He was going blind from crud in his eyes and his owner didn’t know what to do. The word “euthanasia” was mentioned in her email if we couldn’t help.

It took awhile, but Ty was eventually turned over to us.

How anyone could give up a dog like this is beyond me. This guy embodies RESCUE because I can’t imagine where he’d be if we hadn’t interceded for him.

He’s been to our vet; his vision is restored. Yeah, he’s totally deaf, but that just makes him sweeter. And since he can’t hear himself bark, he doesn’t bark! We communicate with touch and sight. He gets along with everyone in my house, young or old, big or small.

On Sunday morning, we are picking up “2019-164.” [He’s a 16 month old youngster from a shelter in Santa Barbara whose family turned in because he was having “behavioral problems” that they couldn’t overcome. ($10 says no one ever invested time and energy in training him, but that’s another story.)]

That means that between November 5th and April 7th (5 months), we will have taken in TWENTY SIX DOGS.

Let me say that again. TWENTY SIX DOGS IN FIVE MONTHS.

For an organization that takes in about 30 a YEAR, it’s not hard to see that we’re well above normal.

We don’t like to ask for help. But I’m feeling a little overwhelmed this morning, so we’re gonna do it anyway.

TRANSPORT – We pick-up dogs all over the place. And we move them all over the place as well. If you can help us with transport, please shoot me an email or send me a text to let me know where you live and about how many miles from your home you’re willing to drive.

FOSTER – We don’t have a facility; we are 100% foster based. While this cuts down our overhead, we really operate this way because Weimaraners do better when they’re part of a family, and we learn more about them when they’re in our homes. DISCLOSURE – We DO board dogs when we have more intakes than we do foster homes. We don’t like it, but it’s better than turning dogs away. If you can foster, even if it’s just a few days, this would help keep our dogs out of boarding (which can run us up to $35/day depending on who is available).

DONATE – We went through all the hoops in 2014 to become a 501c3 public charity. We can give you a receipt for anything you send us. Have $10 to spare?! That will feed a dog for a week. Have $20? Buy us half a bag of dog food. $50 gets us one wellness check with our veterinarian. $75 buys us a tank of gas to pull dogs and move them into foster homes. $100 gets one of our guys spayed or neutered (as long as we can get them into the low cost clinic). We’re also happy to accept crates, igloos, dog beds, blankets, toys, food, treats, bowls, collars, leashes, and anything else a dog might need to feel at home.

NETWORK – In lieu of cash or material donations, we’d just be glad if you spread the word about the work we do. Share on social media about the dogs who need transport, foster care, etc. #CalWEAR

SERVICE – Computer savvy? Have engaging writing skills? Dabble in portrait photography? Have time to keep up with social media?! We could use you in the virtual office to keep our mission going.

ADOPT – If you’re looking for a companion, please consider rescue. None of them are perfect, but all of them are deserving.

Website: www.CalWEAR.org

Email: hello@CalWEAR.org

Phone: 949-278-2981

Donations: PayPal to “donate@CalWEAR.org”

Mailbox address: 3024 E. Chapman Avenue # 248, Orange, CA 92869

ONE MILLION thank yous to our existing network. For those of you who have donated your time and dollars, and opened up your home so one of ours has a place to crash, taken time off of work to meet with a prospective adopter, plowed through Petsmart for bags of dog food, fostered and then failed , our hearts go out to you. THANK YOU for your part in our mission.

With eternal gratitude,

– Kim Burnell, President and Co-Founder, California Weimaraner Education and Rescue, Inc.

Status: 501c3 Nonprofit Public CharityEIN: 47-1725629

State of the Rescue – December 2017

December 31, 2018 // by Kim// Leave a Comment

A message from the CalWEAR front office:

As I transported Rosco (the last intake of 2017) this afternoon, I had some “quiet time” to think about this past year.

The biggest lesson I learned is that folks who find themselves in dire straits never WANT to surrender their animals. We’re usually their very last resort after they’ve checked with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for places their dogs can stay. So many times this year, and as recent as yesterday, twice, I was on the receiving end of an intake whose owner was reduced to tears after saying goodbye. Not just tears; it was the mascara-running, bleary-vision, tummy-wrenching type that one feels when their heart is being ripped out of their chest. Recently, a family had to downsize the amount of dogs they owned. They had lost their home and the apartment they finally found for their family had a limit of two dogs; they faced eviction if they were caught with all three. Mom tried to be brave and kept her cool with me while she was telling me about her boy’s likes and dislikes, and little quirks she wanted his new owner to know. After pulling out of the parking stall, I looked out my window and caught a glimpse of her buckled over in the front seat, sobbing over her steering wheel.

Tonight, I’m thankful that were in a position to help, and I’m honored to be part of a rescue that doesn’t judge. Good news, it appears the boy will soon have a new home of his own! And I sure hope that if I’m ever in a position where I need to give up my own dogs, there’s an organization out there that would take care of them for me and find them the very best of homes so they would be well taken care of for the rest of their days.

On a brighter note, we had a lot of good times! The t-shirt fundraiser the Hendricks family did for Libby was a smashing success. Beth fostered a Weim she fell in love with and vouched for him to make sure he had a chance. Deborah took in countless dogs off the streets. Shasta’s mom was overjoyed the moment she found out Shasta was hers. (Shasta also broke our record for “most inquiries” in one single dog; we received almost 50 applications for her specifically.) We placed dogs out of state in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Lost dogs were reunited with their families, others who were never claim were adopted. We even talked a few owners off the ledge of surrendering their dogs and offered training and advice so they could keep them. (Hi, Spirit!) Oh, and remember Scarlett from Summer 2015?! She was a parvo puppy who came into the East LA shelter from the streets, and ultimately taken in by CalWEAR. It took an extraordinary amount of fundraising to save her life, and we received a hefty loan from a private donor to pay her medical bills. Today, Scarlett is happy and healthy, and we FINALLY scrounged up enough dollars to re-pay that loan. Whew!

Unfortunately, sadness and heartache is a part of rescue. We said goodbye to Kopek this year; he was the very FIRST dog CalWEAR ever placed in 2014. We also bid farewell to Jazz, Winnie, and Sterling, who all knew love and family in their golden years. The most heart-wrenching loss of the year was Libby. She was a dog I had in my own home as a foster. I pulled her out of the Baldwin Park shelter myself and fell in love with her the moment I met her. Libby had previously lived in a garage and was covered from head to toe in oil and grease. Underneath it all, she was perhaps the sweetest dog that has come through CalWEAR. Unfortunately, she passed on the operating table a few days later while our vet was in the middle of removing her cantaloupe-sized tumor. I didn’t see that one coming, and I’m still heartbroken over her loss. We couldn’t save Diesel or Lilly, either. We gave them a chance hoping that their aggression towards people was circumstantial, but we were wrong and feel badly that we couldn’t help them.

Looking forward to 2018, we continue our mission to help those in need. As a foster based outfit, we can’t promise we’ll have room for everyone who needs us, but we’ll do our best. We resolve to get better about fundraising, and we have all sorts of plans to improve our education and outreach efforts.

To our friends and family of adopters, fosters, transporters, well-wishers, angels and donators, a BIG thank you from me on behalf of all of us. Best wishes to you and yours in the year ahead.

– With love and gratitude, Kim/CalWEAR President and Co-Founder

Mary Campilongo

I can’t thank CalWEAR enough for my girlina Kyla. She is the light of our lives.

Elizabeth Peterson

Send Gunner a donation hope he gets better.

Tammy Basile

Thank you for all that you and everyone volunteering with CalWEAR does for these wonderful dogs. Your stories fill me with sadness sometimes but more often with hope that these special dogs are being placed with their forever families. Cheers to a all the grey dogs out there and the humans that help them.

Robin Miller Reid

Scarlett, our sweet, sweet princess. She is the light of our lives (as is Zeke, our other CalWEAR pup) and Ruger. Thank you for giving her a chance at life. We can never repay you for the joy she brings. Happy New Year, CalWEAR! All our love, Bert, Robin, Ryan, Noah, Zeke, Scarlett and Ruger!

Lana Ashleigh

Shasta would like you to know she’s settled in nicely to her role of running the entire house

#divadog

Helen Johnston

No place here just a liquor store.

California Weimaraner Education and Rescue

Hi Helen, that’s our mailbox address. We are a foster based organization, our dogs are in foster homes, not at a facility.

Helen Johnston

Thank you very much for the response.

Myth Burkhart Srsic

Well said, Kim. As Intake for NCWR, I really just listen, and even if I don’t agree with the reason they are giving me for surrendering their dogs, I know I don’t know the whole story. They are so often heartbroken and truly having a hard time. Many of them contact me days later and asking how their dog is doing. I am just thankful that we have a team in place to make it all up to these dogs and give them the best new life possible. Thanks you for what CaWear is doing!

Rani Hunter

We are so thankful you trusted us with Maggie

Laura Scott

Thank you for all you do Kim! Here is my Lucy girl (gray) and Charlie boy (blue). We got Lucy from CalWEAR the summer of 2015 and she has come a long way! We picked her up from Beth and brought her home to Oregon. I just want you all to know she is so loved and is doing great! Lucy has overcome a lot of her separation anxiety and doesn’t nip or jump on people anymore. She loves to run and play and has been fantastic with our son. She is definitely momma’s girl and loves her weim brother Charlie! Thanks for bringing her into our lives! Happy New Year to all of you at CalWEAR!

Catherine Reed

It takes a lot heart and a lot of hours of hard work to make it all happen. Thank you for all your efforts. I am sure you have made a difference for many Weimaraners.

Lisa M. Pelton Woellhof

Thank you for everything you do!!

Julia Pond

Thank you Kim!

Debbie Greg Sanderson

Thank you for everything you do

Thomas J. White

My hard-to-adopt senior pound puppy is the sweetest creature I have ever known. He doesn’t absorb food well; most of his teeth are ground down to the gums; he is going blind and deaf; and he has a gimpy front leg. I have never been happier than since I adopted him, and he is my best friend in the world. I have so much love for all you do, taking in dogs from those crying to give them up, and rescuing senior pound dogs from euthanasia. The way we treat dogs is evidence of our humanity, and y’all at CalWEAR are simply the best.

Bob Chavez

Thank you for what you do. We loss our Seim Sterling this year and our heart is broken. What a spirit and light, she touched so many people.

Shirley Mox

Amazing stories, makes me happy to read about your wonderful work!! What special people u r. We adore our weim, Gunnar

Amy Boring

Michelle Elizabeth

There is nothing like the love from a weimy. My girl has been gone just over a year, lost her at 15. I miss her everyday..

Wendi Swadley Johnston

Wishing you and all at CalWEAR (including our beloved Weims) a happy, healthy 2018! With love, Jeff, Wendi, Bear (a CalWEAR rescue) and Mia (a Mile High Weim Rescue) girl.

Christine Trujillo

You have a big heart Kim. I hope that never changes.

Fernando Garcia

An update on Lena (Lina)

Tricia Bosak

I ring in my New Year to this post. I have three rescue weims and one senior who passed this year. Thank you for this post and for all you do. From Pennsylvania

Wes Carty

Roscoe is having an awesome time here in Newport Beach. Goes to work with us pretty much everyday and we take trips to the dog park daily! He’s basically the perfect dog and love him sooooo much!

Michele Kirkey-Garcia

Thank you for all that you do, and thank you for Lena! She fills our hearts with so much love (

California Weimaraner Education and Rescue

It’s SOOO nice to Lena so happy in her new home! THANK YOU for adopting her.

Deborah Thompson

Oh I LOVE this! Lena was in such poor shape when her owner dumped her in my driveway. To be fair, she cried when she left Lena with me but Lena never spent a day indoors. Her owner brought her to me because her husband was beating her for chasing the neighbors chickens. She snuck her out and brought her to me. Look at her now!!!!!!

TY Kim Burnell
for taking her into your wonderful program so last minute and finding this wonderful home for her.

Michele Kirkey-Garcia

Here’s Lina giving a high five during free run at the parkie park. She’s happy!

Loves to pester/play with her brother,

Moses Garcia

. She’s learning to be less afraid of the furnace turning on at night. Loves her warm dog bed so much so, hard to get her out to potty when it’s cold or rainy. Lena will never sleep outside again.

Laura Lou

Miss you guys!! Keep up the fight and thank you for all that you do!

Anita Good

Saige wishes you a very Happy New Year and wants you to know she is loved beyond measure! Thank you for everything you do to help grey dogs in need!

California Weimaraner Education and Rescue

Thank you for giving Saige such a GREAT life!

Stephanie Schuster

Tears of gratitude for the unconditional love shown by the dedicated volunteers of CalWEAR. Such a gift you give to so many. Peace and love and a wonder filled home

Letting Libby Go

July 8, 2017 // by Kim// Leave a Comment

July 8, 2017:

We’re absolutely heartbroken to report that Libby didn’t make it out of surgery this morning. Dr. Kali at North Tustin Veterinary Clinic did the best he could, but the mass was simply too much. Letting her go was especially hard since this one was QUICK to wiggle her way into my heart. To everyone who loved her as much as we did, THANK YOU. Thank you for believing in an older girl, and for giving her shot at surgery. Thank you for supporting our organization. Libby’s last few days were spent with other dogs, lots of blankets, boiled chicken, and love. Thank you for helping us give her that. With love and gratitude, Kim and the rest of Team CalWEAR.

We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken. Please join us in lighting a candle for Libby tonight to help her find her way across the bridge. With love and gratitude, Team CalWEAR.

July 7, 2017:

MISS LIBERTY’S DIARY, DAY 4: I feel awful. Food doesn’t sound appealing. Water doesn’t sound appealing. My foster mamma swears my cantaloupe is growing by the minute. Today, she noticed it “bulging” even more than normal. My skin is stretched so tight it’s starting to crack, bleed, and leak. Uploading the cantaloupe photo in the comments so those who don’t want to don’t have to see it. One more sleep, and then it’s surgery time!!! Wish me luck. Love, Libby.

July 6, 2017:

MISS LIBERTY’S DIARY, DAY 3: It’s a lazy day at the house. It’s also a drag (literally) carrying this cantaloupe around so I nap a lot. My foster sister Friday taught me that it’s okay to pull crate mats out of the crate, so I tried it for my afternoon siesta. My other foster sister Britta says she’s too good for crates, or crate mats, so she just sleeps on the rug. You can see how much darker I am to her. But we’re both Weimaraners, through and through. Two more days until cantaloupe harvest!!! Toodles for now. Love, Libby.

July 5, 2017:

MISS LIBERTY’S DIARY, DAY 2: Today was “go see the vet” day. It’s kind of like going to the dentist. Not fun, but oh so necessary… And at the end of it all, I DID feel better. My foster momma ratted me out to the vet by telling her that I hadn’t been eating my meals. So then of course they gave me a super duper thorough check-up. That’s when they discovered I was running a fever, and that I had a double ear infection. They muzzled me to flush them out, although they really didn’t have to do that; I didn’t really mind the procedure. Because I seemed dehydrated, they also gave me some subcutaneous fluids to perk me up. Then they sent me home with antibiotics. I get to come back on Saturday morning to get my cantaloupe removed. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that it all goes well!!! The vet total (including today’s visit, Saturday’s surgery estimate, and a rescue discount) comes out to about $1,764.12. So far, between my friend Elaine at the At-Choo Foundation (hiiii!!!) and my foster mamma asking for her personal friends to contribute to my surgery, we’ve raised about 2/3 of this amount. Between now and this weekend, we’re hopeful we can cross the finish line and all will be a-okay. If you’d like to help, donations can be made via PayPal to donate@CalWEAR.org. Any amount, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated. More to follow. Love, Libby.

July 4, 2017:

The Hendricks family has generously designed limited edition CalWEAR t-shirts, with 100% of the proceeds going towards Libby’s upcoming surgery. Please consider making a purchase. T-shirts will be shipped directly to your mailbox. Thank you for the consideration!!!

– With love and gratitude, Team CalWEAR

July 4, 2017:

MISS LIBERTY’S DIARY, DAY 1: I woke up in a crate this morning. It was so plush full of blankets I didn’t get out right away. Everything still seemed new and overwhelming to me so I didn’t really want my breakfast. Then I slept. And I slept. And I slept. Guess I was tired. Now it’s middle of the afternoon and my new humans, I think they call them “foster parents?” keep baiting me with what they claim to be freshly cooked chicken breasts. They want me to sit for the chicken but I don’t do it. Standing is better, I get to the chicken sooner. Gotta go, they’re now throwing the chicken for me to catch. This is a fun game!!! Love, Libby.

July 3, 2017 Update # 2:

MEET LIBERTY. This ten year old girl just busted out of the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter!!! First up, freedom ride… Complete with chicken McNuggets and French fries. Then we go home. On Wednesday, we’re gonna see about getting this softball-size tumor removed.

It’s going to take a village with this one. Luckily, we have dollars from “Chance” and “Diesel” earmarked for the next medical dog. This is it. Here we go!!!!