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Simpatico Weimaraners: How We Grew Our Pack

The Story of Simpatico Weimaraners

Our journey in Weimaraners started unassumingly in 1989 with the acquisition of TWO female littermates at the ripe old age of 6 weeks- eek! Needless to say, neither we nor the breeder had much on the ball relative to today’s standards of breeding, buying or raising purebred dogs. But what we didn’t have in knowledge or experience, we made up for with love and commitment (plus more than a few vet bills) and our girls lived long, happy, contented lives as our careers moved us about the country.

In 1992, we decided we wanted to add a third Weimaraner to our small pack, but this time it would be a little different. First, learning from experience, we wanted a reputable breeder who could teach and help us learn about the breed and second, we wanted to try showing dogs. Our first and only call was to Tom Wilson and Smokey City Weimaraners. For our part, selecting Tom and Smokey City was simple. Researching show Weimaraners, going to shows, seeing Smokey City dogs and talking to their owners made our decision simple. Tom on the other hand took a real leap of faith with us. After several interviews to develop an understanding of our circumstances, experience and objectives, Tom agreed to sell us a puppy. And to his credit, this was not just any puppy. The dam was Ch Smokey City Heat Wave, JH BROM BIS & National Specialty winner and the sire was Ch Smokey City Moonstone JH NRD BROM. As he has with many others, Tom believed in us and was willing to make a bet on the future. He backed up that belief with a puppy “Avery” out of a pedigree as strong as any he ever put together at that time.

Even as novice handlers, we finished Avery easily. Beautiful, both stacked and moving, she was easy for judges to find in spite of our novice status as handlers. As outstanding as Avery was physically, she had little interest in being a top flight show dog, so shortly after finishing her championship she retired. At the age of 9 Avery took another spin around the ring winning the Veterans class at the Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty! While Avery’s show career was brief, we had formed a permanent bond with Tom.
Since that simple beginning, we’ve had dozens of Smokey City dogs come into our lives. They’ve come for training camp, for growing up, for evaluation, to show or finish showing, to retire, or just to hang out for a while. We were honored by Tom's offer to co-own and campaign Am./Can.Ch. Smokycity Hail Mary, #1 Weimaraner in 2003 and 2004, #6 Sporting dog and winner of the Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty in 2004. Along with her handler, Bob Double, "Mary" won 6 all-breed Best in Shows, the Canadian Weimaraner Club National Specialty and holds the record for the most specialty wins in a single year.
Most recently, we’ve had the privilege to campaign Ch. Smokycity Devil May Care “Dharma” to the #2 position in Weimaraners and #14 Sporting Dog in the country for 2006. With 4 All Breed Best in Shows, 2 Sporting Dog Best in Shows, 44 Group One placements and multiple Specialty wins, Dharma has taken her place among the top performers in Smokey City’s long, successful history in the show ring. An accomplishment made even more impressive by Dharma being exclusively owner handled by Jennifer throughout her career.
Our purpose at Simpatico is to continue enhancing the Weimaraner breed to the best of our ability and through selective breeding, we hope to provide others with an opportunity to have the same wonderful experience we've had with these unique dogs.

How To Evaluate A Breeder

AKC BREED STANDARD

A medium-sized gray dog, with fine aristocratic features. He should present a picture of grace, speed, stamina, alertness and balance. Above all, the dog’s conformation must indicate the ability to work with great speed and endurance in the field.

Height
Height at the withers: dogs, 25 to 27 inches; bitches, 23 to 25 inches. One inch over or under the specified height of each sex is allowable but should be penalized. Dogs measuring less than 24 inches or more than 28 inches and bitches measuring less than 22 inches or more than 26 inches shall be disqualified.

Head
Moderately long and aristocratic, with moderate stop and slight median line extending back over the forehead. Rather prominent occipital bone and trumpets well set back, beginning at the back of the eye sockets. Measurement from tip of nose to stop equals that from stop to occipital bone. The flews should be straight, delicate at the nostrils. Skin drawn tightly. Neck clean-cut and moderately long. Expression kind, keen and intelligent. Ears–Long and lobular, slightly folded and set high. The ear when drawn snugly alongside the jaw should end approximately 2 inches from the point of the nose. Eyes–In shades of light amber, gray or blue-gray, set well enough apart to indicate good disposition and intelligence. When dilated under excitement the eyes may appear almost black. Teeth–Well set, strong and even; well-developed and proportionate to jaw with correct scissors bite, the upper teeth protruding slightly over the lower teeth but not more than 1/16 of an inch. Complete dentition is greatly to be desired. Nose–Gray. Lips and Gums–Pinkish flesh shades.

Body
The back should be moderate in length, set in a straight line, strong, and should slope slightly from the withers. The chest should be well developed and deep with shoulders well laid back. Ribs well sprung and long. Abdomen firmly held; moderately tucked-up flank. The brisket should extend to the elbow. Coat and Color Short, smooth and sleek, solid color, in shades of mouse-gray to silver-gray, usually blending to lighter shades on the head and ears. A small white marking on the chest is permitted, but should be penalized on any other portion of the body. White spots resulting from injury should not be penalized. A distinctly long coat is a disqualification. A distinctly blue or black coat is a disqualification.

Forelegs
Straight and strong, with the measurement from the elbow to the ground approximately equaling the distance from the elbow to the top of the withers.

Hindquarters
Well-angulated stifles and straight hocks. Musculation well developed.

Feet
Firm and compact, webbed, toes well arched, pads closed and thick, nails short and gray or amber in color. Dewclaws–Should be removed.

Tail
Docked. At maturity it should measure approximately 6 inches with a tendency to be light rather than heavy and should be carried in a manner expressing confidence and sound temperament. A non-docked tail shall be penalized.

Gait
The gait should be effortless and should indicate smooth coordination. When seen from the rear, the hind feet should be parallel to the front feet. When viewed from the side, the topline should remain strong and level.

Temperament
The temperament should be friendly, fearless, alert and obedient.

Faults
Minor Faults–Tail too short or too long. Pink nose.

Major Faults–Doggy bitches. Bitchy dogs. Improper muscular condition. Badly affected teeth. More than four teeth missing. Back too long or too short. Faulty coat. Neck too short, thick or throaty. Low-set tail. Elbows in or out. Feet east and west. Poor gait. Poor feet. Cowhocks. Faulty backs, either roached or sway. Badly overshot, or undershot bite. Snipy muzzle. Short ears.

Very Serious Faults–White, other than a spot on the chest. Eyes other than gray, blue-gray or light amber. Black mottled mouth. Non-docked tail. Dogs exhibiting strong fear, shyness or extreme nervousness.

Disqualifications 
Deviation in height of more than one inch from standard either way. A distinctly long coat. A distinctly blue or black coat. Approved December 14, 1971

Remembered

kiwi

Remembered Boys

Logan

Remembered Girls