Weimaraner Gauge Beats Valley Fever, Returns to AKC Dock Diving Competition

Gauge, an 8-year-old Weimaraner from Southern California, stood at the edge of the dock in Temecula and did what she does best: flew. She remains the number one Weimaraner in Air Retrieve and competed at the AKC 2026 Diving Dogs Premier Cup in Temecula, California. That alone would be a fine headline. The fuller story is something dock diving fans won't soon forget.

Owners Anna and Chris Browns came to Gauge through loss. Their previous Weimaraner had died of cancer at just six years old, and the grief was still raw. "We were looking into fostering, because we weren't really ready to get another dog," Anna said. A breeder in Arizona changed their plans, offering a seven-month-old puppy who seemed to arrive at exactly the right moment. "It just seemed like the perfect fit for us," Anna said. Of the three Weimaraners they've had, Gauge stands out for her athleticism. "She's the most athletic, high drive dog we've ever had," Anna said. "She loves to fly through the air," Chris added.

The early results backed that up. In 2020, Gauge won the Dueling Dogs in her division and the Fred Hall Ultimate Air Dogs "Chase It." That same year, she earned her Air Retrieve Master title. Gauge gives it her all when she's dock diving. "If she doesn't go far enough on the first trial, the next time she'll hit it hard and just about fly over the top of it," Chris said. "It's fun to watch, and she's just a nut."

Then, at age three, something went wrong. At a dock diving event, Gauge refused to jump. "I could tell she wasn't feeling good," Anna said. "She got extremely sick and basically had no energy." Along with running high fevers, Gauge developed a sore on the back of her leg, which continued to get bigger. The Browns brought her to a veterinarian in Southern California. She wasn't eating and had lost more than ten pounds. Three antibiotics failed to stop the decline, and the leg wound eventually required surgery. Complicating matters, her initial test for Valley fever came back negative — a frustrating result that is not as rare as it sounds. Valley fever tests can be falsely negative in approximately 30% of dogs, with false negatives resulting from very early infection or lack of immune response to the organism. Valley fever itself is a soil-borne fungus found in the desert Southwest that requires high heat, low annual rainfall, and low altitudes to survive.

Gauge's dock diving career came to a halt during her illness. "We have a pool, and we would throw her toys, and she had no interest in diving for about two years," Anna recalled. The dog who loved to fly through the air had no interest in the water at all. Anna credits the sport itself with helping to pull Gauge through. "Dock diving was what helped save her life," she said. "She could have died several times with this Valley fever. With the right medication and doctors, she's thriving now."

Today, Gauge still carries the marks of what she survived. She is part of a Valley fever project and gets bloodwork done every three months. She still struggles with ear infections and vestibular disease, including a noticeable head tilt. "When she's doing air retrieve, she'll look at the bumper and tilt her head," Anna said. Anna also noted that Gauge is "playing catch-up now on those years she lost." The catch-up has been remarkable: in 2025, Gauge received her Dock Master title with 22 feet and was the number one Weimaraner in Air Retrieve for the year.

Chris is candid about the breed. "Weimaraners are great dogs, but they're not for everybody," he said. "Any breeder will tell you that they need a job, and that's really true." He added that they're a high-energy dog and need some type of daily physical activity, or they can get a bit stir crazy. For Gauge, the dock is the job. At 8 years old, she doesn't seem keen on slowing down.