Animal And Company: Re: [boxer lovers] trouble- any suggestions welcome

Heather:

God bless you and what you have done for the so lucky Maggie! She is so lucky to have you and you be so dedicated to giving her the best senior years you possibly can! You are right, everyone wants puppies and once they are 1 year plus, if people don't train/exercise, etc., the can be destructive (as you know) and often get dumped at a pound/shelter. There are always older dogs that need homes and deserve them as much as the next guy. White boxers are often deaf and they used to be immediately killed when breeders discovered that. Two things have happened: the breeders have been able to reduce the number born deaf with some selective breeding and two, more people are willing to take "disabled" dogs and have learned how to train even deaf dogs with many communication techniques (forms of American Sign language is one of them). I intend to adopt a third once my second is fully trained and TDI certified and then will look for a younger deaf
who needs a home. This will simply give me a new challenge and as I work with special needs' kids, the kids will likely connect with a dog with a disability, too. Those dogs also often get overlooked in shelters. Nothing medical, purely physical and another thing to consider in the future.

Gabby will become the wonderful dog you want her to - I promise! Just let her grow up a little and when Maggie crosses the bridge, Gabby will benefit from a younger playmate to burn off energy! ;o)

Keep in touch and if I/we can be of any further help, you know where to find us!

Val, Heidi & Gunther

also Tiny, special needs' rescue beagle and Ping-ping - rescue rat terrier

" Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Franklin P. Jones

________________________________
From: Heather Jones <heather.jones.mccaffrey@gmail.com>
To: boxerlovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2013 11:51 PM
Subject: RE: [boxer lovers] trouble- any suggestions welcome

The discussion has been very helpful. I do have any easy walk harness for
Gabby. I could not walk her without it. My trainer said there was another
one that was only available online, but I'm determined to teach Gabbers to
walk nicely on a leash with what we have. I did actually fantasize a few
times about rehoming her when she was 5 and 6 months old. I just thought all
boxers were perfect based on my limited experience with wonderful adults. My
husband loved her to death and was not open to giving her up, but I'm the
one who has to teach her everything. I just wish I knew a lot of this stuff
BEFORE getting a boxer puppy. If I had, I probably would not have adopted a
puppy at the point where we are. My senior requires a tremendous amount of
care giving and I think Gabby has been short changed a bit in getting all of
the time she needs to develop into being a really good dog. That being said,
she is 1,000 times better at 15 months than she was at 6 months. I can tell
she wants to be a good dog and for the most part she is now. I just wish my
husband would train her too instead of just spoiling her rotten and then
complaining when she's not behaving.

She does have several kongs. I just have not done any frozen stuffing yet.
On my to do list. She's broken and destroyed the other hide a treat ball
things I've gotten her.I'm done with stuffed toys as she always has this one
day where she decides that toy is going to die and she just eviscerates it.
Haven't had to take her to take to the vet only to find she ate stuffing in
about six months now. She destroys the rope toys too.

Even with the underwear now, at least she is just destroying it. Before she
would actually swallow an entire pair. One morning she regurgitated
undigested food and I said "oh crap, foreign object, knew this was coming
one day with her" and just as I was calling the vet to make an appointment
she vomited up an entire pair of underwear. In terms of the no puppies
again, I'm sticking with that. People always want the puppies and there will
come a day when that puppy becomes and adult and needs a home and fewer
people want them. I'd actually like another senior when my Maggie decides
it's time to cross the bridge, but I think Gabby would like a play mate so
I think we'll meet in the middle and adopt a 5 or 6 year old next. Not to
mention, it's going to take me several years to pay off Maggie's vet bills
so can't take another senior that is not insurable before I pay off Maggie's
bills L

Boxer hugs and kisses,

Heather, mom to
Maggie/boxer/65 lbs/11 +yrs/ CKD, chronic pancreatitis, hypothyroidism,
arthritis, arrhythmia controlled by sotalol, adult onset epilepsy, likely
IBD and now a heart condition suspected to be ARVC or DCM
&
Gabby/boxer/70 lbs/15 mos/Major dietary indiscretions crazy puppy syndrome
:)
Orange County, CA
K9K Moderator

Val, I hope this discussion has been very helpful
to a lot of folks on the list as well. You hit
on one thing in your last statement here that
people MUST take into consideration, picking up
anything she shouldn't get into, what I had
referred to as toddler proofing, same as we do
with human toddlers. If they can reach it, they
will mess with it, chew up, eat, destroy, flat and simple.

We get tons of people surrendering their Boxers,
especially the younger ones, because they didn't
know these things we have been discussing here and become so frustrated.

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