I can remember so vividly that day I went to first pick up Millie. I had finally decided I was ready for a new companion, after losing my 11 year old Brown Lab six months prior.
Brandy the Lab and I had been buddies for 7 years strong. Her original owner and my housemate for those seven years had decided to move to Arkansas. I was heartbroken, (for Brandy of course). Anyway, after six months of grieving for Brandy, I decided I was finally ready to try and love another dog.
Enjoying William Wegman and his famous photos of his Weims, I started researching this breed. I kept reading over and over - "strong willed", "fiercely loyal", "high strung", and "needs lots of exercise". For some crazy reason I decided this was just what I needed! I love to exercise, and the park was close by my house so I had that one covered. I wanted a loyal dog, so that was easy. And the strong willed was good in that I didnt want some lapdog or scaredy cat! The high strung part was a little unsettling, but I figured I would be a great mom and could remedy that situation if it became an issue.
So I found an ad in the paper, and dragged my friend and co-worker Brian Holland with me down to Lexington to take a look. Millie was the only pup left from the litter, and she was already 13 weeks old. Additionally, I was told that she was the runt, which explained why she was last to go. The first two things I noticed when we walked in that house was that she had the most amazing carolina blue eyes and the biggest floppy silken ears. And second, she had this warty looking growth on the top of her head. The breeder assured me that she had hit her head on the corner of a table and that it would heal up nicely. Well as soon as I held her in my arms, and she gave me numerous little sloppy kisses, there was no turning back. We were meant for each other! I had found my new best friend! After meeting both the Mom (Nash's Humble Honey) and the Dad (Rash's Sir Phantom Nash), we loaded this gorgeous pup in the car and headed back home to Greensboro.
After settling her in at home with the new dog bed, various new play toys and bones, etc, I remember taking her across the street to show her off to my friends and neighbors Nancy and Kelli. As soon as we were let in the door, their dear old Dalmation Madison decided to greet her by piercing her immediately on one of her huge floppy ears. The first of many battle wounds in her life. Millie's problem, which continued over the next few years until she finally learned her lesson, was that she wanted to get in the face of every new dog she encountered and lick them! Many dogs did not like all this instant attention, thus either snapping at her, or worse, giving her more battle wounds.
But the hardest problem I had with this new Weim, was trying to figure out what to name her! She was so cute, so beautiful, and I wanted to do her justice. Which means I must have gone thru 1000's and 1000's of names. I was polling all my friends as well. I finally got so burnt out with potential names after two weeks (yes, I am embarrassed to say that this poor pup still had no name) at this point I was ready to pretty much settle on anything. My dear old friend Kelly Carpenter, whom had offered up many suggestions already, suggested Millicent, after her deceased mother. Taking Millie from that with variation, I ended up choosing Whippermill Shadow. Whew!! Finally name accomplished!! Time to start learning it!
*****NOTE
At the time being younger, unaware, unresourceful, I did buy Millie from a breeder. She is the best dog and friend I could have ever asked for, but my future plans are not to buy a dog from a breeder again. I want to take a second to point out that there are so many wonderful loving dogs that need a good home. Please support your local SPCA. In addition, after aquiring Millie, I learned that there are many Rescue Agencies out there for specific breeds. If you are determined to get a particular breed of dog, check online first and see what rescue agencies are available to you. There are several Weimaraner Rescue Agencies across the state and country. Thank you.
