Miracles DO Happen

The amazing story of how we're NOW the
proud parents of Betsy Belle -- mother
of our Weimaraner, Brooklyn....

Our precious, Brooklyn, came to us at ten weeks old. We got her from Ashley Counts and fiance, Jake. Brooke was the pride of our life. We loved her as we would one of the children, and she "ruled the roost". As you can see by the photos below, she was quite the PUPPY PRINCESS. We lost our beloved Brooke on Jan. 24, and it almost devastated us. We grieved so deeply -- and she is buried under the apple tree in our back yard. The story that has transpired since Brooke's death is almost too UNCANNY to believe -- but we KNOW it is nothing short of a miracle. The first ten photos you will see in the slideshow are of our precious Brooke. The remaining photos are of our MIRACLE, Betsy Belle. Free JavaScripts provided by The JavaScript Source My husband I decided if we ever got another dog -- it would be a Weimaraner. Yes, they are ACTIVE dogs, and it takes a great deal of energy to keep up with one, but once you have owned one, and experienced the love and loyalty they give-- you would gladly sacrifice your time and energy to possess one of these beautiful dogs. I'm not saying everyone should go buy a Weimie--but if you are energetic and have time to devote to a "pal for life", they are perfect pets. After realizing NO dog could ever replace Broolyn, we searched her papers and found the name of her breeder. Going on the chance that she might have another litter of pups, or perhaps one of Brooklyn's sisters, I called her. After talking for awhile, Kristina told me that they were considering giving Betsy , Brooke's mother, to a loving family. It was like a dream come true for us. We exchanged information, and I waited patiently to hear from Kristina. Two weeks after our initial conversation, we got the GREAT news--We could pick up Betsy! We met the Snodgrass family at their farm in Mt. Carmel, Tennessee -- and out of their truck bounded Besty. She was the spitting image of her daughter, Brooklyn. We weren't entirely sure that Betsy's temperment and personality would be the same as Brooke's; however, we were ready to accept her as a totally different dog, and love HER for being a new family member. On the ride home, it took her about two minutes to settle down -- and then she laid down in my lap and slept the entire hour of our trip. To our amazement -- it made me cry-- when she got out of the car, the first place she ran was to the grave of her daughter. It was then, I knew this entire story was more than just a chance encounter -- Betsy was meant to be in our home. Betsy is settling in, and expectedly has taken over the couch her daughter use to lounge on. She snores...just as Brooke did, and she has abounding energy. She pulls me around like a feather when I have her on her leash. Already, we can see that Betsy Belle is going to be a VERY important part of our family. We welcome her with open arms -- and thank Kristina and Marc for making our dreams come true. Our prayers have been answered -- and YES, MIRACLES do still happen. As time goes on, I have promised Kristina photographs and updates of our journey with Betsy Belle. This website has been created just for that purpose. April 3, 2008 Last night, Kristina and I talked and I put the phone to Betsy's ear. Bets was so attentive, and her tail was wagging--she KNEW Kristina's voice. I saw that "doggie smile" and knew Bets KNEW the voice on the other end. I always want Bets to remember Kristina-- for she and Marc are our HEROES!!! They gave us something that cannot be expressed in words...ONLY dog lovers can understand that precious bond that connects us. We appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts. Bets, Butch and I took a trip to Banner Elk, North Carolina this weekend. Butch is SO attached to "our angel" (and so am I) that we wouldn't leave her. We put a pad down for her in the back seat of the Chrysler and she had "Oscar" and "Brookie" with her...so she was in seventh heaven. She did extremely well in the hotel room. NOTE: Oscar is a puppet we bought Bets when we got her. Oscar talks when you pull his string. Bets learned to put Oscar between her legs and pull his string with her teeth. I don't know what it is- BUT when she pulls the string & Oscar talks--Bets will shove him UNDER the couch--THEN she pouts about 15 minutes. She THEN drags him out. That's her idea of TIME OUT. Oscar goes with Bets everywhere. NO one touches him except her. HE is HERS, & if you attempt to touch him (HE'S GETTING CRUDDY NOW)-she grabs him & RUNS! I'm trying to find a way to get him away to wash him up. Bets doesn't let him out of her sight. Brookie is a Beenie Baby Weimie that Bets has adopted as her own. My sis bought Brookie for her. Brookie & Oscar share Bets' bed. She is so protective of them. She licks them, & Brookie sleeps under Bet's chin at night. Oscar sleeps UNDER her pillow. Back to the NC Trip... NEVERMIND, our neighbors have a "doggie hotel"...we weren't going to leave our daughter behind. Butch and I called around and finally found a hotel that< accomodated pets. Our Bets was the talk of the town once we entered Banner Elk. People were staring/pointing as we drove the road to the hotel. Bets had her head out the window, loving EVERY second of attention. We passed a lake with ducks...Bets started barking...she wanted Daddy to stop. So, being the adoring Dad Butch is, he stopped to let her run and get aquainted with her feathered friends--she was so sad when they flew away!! I have to tell this...EVEN though my husband will KILL me for sharing-- he has bought Bets a DAYBED. She now has her own room...COMPLETE with TV. Butch won't let her eat regular dogfood and she is now on IAMS...since Butch did research and found that dogs that are fed with IAMS live six to nine years longer. She loves the stuff...and Butch is such a PROUD DAD! Bets goes EVERYWHERE with him. I've lost my husband to another woman...HA! We leave for Florida on June 1- and needless to say, Betsy is making the trip with us. I am trying to prepare her for the trip, and making sure we take all her favorite things along. She does so well traveling... as long as she has her own "stuff" with her, she does great! We have 2 acres in Homosassa Springs, enclosed by a chain-link fence so Bets will have lots of space to run! We can't wait to take her on the trip, for we've found she bonds with us so much more when we travel. Our girl went in heat yesterday. It's a blessing. We were thinking she would go in heat in May, but she suprised us early. Butch covered our family room with plastic-- the rest of the house has hardwood floors. We're going to "wait it out". So, at least, she won't be in heat when we go to Florida. Next heat cycle..we plan to have pups. We have a beautiful silver Weimie male about three miles away (with a prestigious bloodline), and we hope to breed her then. Butch says, "If she doesn't like him, we're OUTTA there!" He's such a protective DAD! Next time around ..when and if breeding occurs..we'll let you know...and AS proud parents, we'll share the photos of precious Bets' brood!