Finally!!

[Riggz]

So, I've been lurking around here for a while looking for a good dog...err child. I've been in love with Boxers since I was a child and have always wanted one of my own, but until recently haven't had the stability or, heaven forbid, the responsibility to own one.

Well, after begging my wife for almost 3 years now, my wish has come true. This weekend my wife and I were out shopping and happened across a breeder in the Pet Smart parking lot of all places, .

Now, before I continue I need to preface this with a little backstory. When I first started looking for my "perfect" dog, I told my wife that it had to be all Fawn or a white one. I dunno what it is about a white boxer, but they are beautiful to me. I have searched high and low for that perfect dog every since. I have found a few that "almost" fit, but weren't quite what I was looking for.

So, back to my story. We were in the Pet Smart parking lot looking at these dogs. The guy was a Boxer breeder/lover/enthusiast and it showed. He had the mother and two sisters from a previous litter with him along with 4 pups from the litter. He got both of the sisters out of the truck and did a multitude of tricks with them. After showing us what his dogs are capable of, I was in love and awe by this point, we started to share information with him. He had both a Fawn and a White boxer, both girls. My wife fell in love with the little white one and I of course was in love with the all Fawn since that is what I've wanted for so long.

We still had more shopping to do so I told him that we would come back when our shopping was done. I had made up my mind that if/when we went back, if the little fawn was still there then it was destin for me to have her. When we arrived back at his truck, he still had both of the little pups and we began to chat some more. He was really happy to see us back and began to tell us more about his dogs and breeding and such. He informed us that he had something to tell us about the white dog. My wife's heart dropped as she thought that she'd been sold while we were gone. "After talking with you guys earlier, I can tell that you are very loving pet owner's and I've made up my mind that I had to tell you this. The white dog is deaf." That's when my wife's heart went out to the little white pup, there was no turning back for her.

He was really trying to push the white pup on us, even dropped the price to half what he was originally asking, because he wanted the dog to go to a loving family. We stood and talked a little more and my wife convinced him to sell us both dogs for the price of the Fawn. Finally!!!!! I got my perfect Boxer, not only that though.. I got two!!!! woohooooo.

Alice, the Fawn, which is mine and Bella, the White which is my wife's.

I shall post some pics later.

 

[Moon]

I am glad these dogs have found a loving home!

 

[VivDarkbloom]

Well, I wish you guys all the best...and I sure hope things work out great for all of you! Now, I don't want to rain on your parade or anything but there are a few things you might want to be careful about. From your description of him, the breeder, while he might be a perfectly nice guy, sounds like what is often called a Back Yard Breeder (BYB). There are some health problems to which boxers are genetically prone. You ideally want a breeder who knows about these health problems and is willing to test the dogs he breeds for these problems before he breeds them. Some of the tests can be rather pricey. A dog can look to be the picture of health, but can have congenital problems that reveal themselves later on. I truly hope your breeder is as decent a fellow as you seemed to find him to be, but a breeder who would sell dogs on a "buy one, get one free" deal, or who would sell dogs from a pet store parking lot, would raise a lot of red flags with many members of this board. Many people believe that it's a bad idea to buy a puppy from a BYB, because it only encourages the BYB to breed more dogs.

Also, I notice both the dogs are females. It is often said of boxers that they are a breed of dog that can sometimes be aggressive to other dogs of the same sex. Females in particular can have serious problems getting along with other females. Boxer people generally recommend male/female pairings; male/male pairings can also have problems, but female/female pairings are regarded as being most likely to have trouble. It is a problem that crops up when the dogs mature. You can have two female puppies that get along marvellously, and then after a year or so, as they fully develop, the dogs suddenly decide they hate each other to the point of violence - even deadly violence. That being said - I don't want you to despair. There are members on this board who have households with more than one female and it works. I know of woman in my neighborhood who has a couple of female boxers and they all seem perfectly happy together (I'm far from being expert, but I wonder if, for some dogs, being spayed can make a difference). But I think this is something of which you should be aware.

Raising two puppies together from the same litter, while may seem like a logical way to give your dogs extra companionship, can also result in problems with training. Boxer World has a useful search function and you can find threads where people discuss this situation and how to avoid possible problems.

It's wonderful that your wife was eager to adopt the deaf boxer but your white boxer may need special consideration when it comes to training - after all, she can't hear what you say and it will require extra care to communicate with her. It would be a very good idea to find out as soon as you can if there are any boxer clubs in your area, or veterinarians and trainers who are familiar with the breed and possibly boxer rescue organizations who might know about working with deaf dogs.

But I do wish you guys the best of luck, and I hope life will be wonderful for your new puppies and that you'll be able to give them everything they need.

 

[KatCH]

Congrats on your new pups! I wish you all the best of luck. It will be challenging raising two, especially one deaf, but well worth it. I have two and would not change a thing.

And while there may have been some red flags from the breeder in the parking lot, the puppies have obviously gone to a loving home which is what they deserve.

 

[DeLong]

Congratulations. I agree with whats been said about avoiding BYBs but let me tell you about my Boxers. When I was in college I ran into a guy at a bar with a puppy. I didnt know what it was but I talked to him for a while over a few beers. It was a boxer. I couldnt buy this pup because I was in college and didnt have a good job 0r house of my own. 3 years go by and I now have a house of my own w a good job and a wife. We happen to walk into a pet store and there is a ad with boxers for sale on the peg board. I called the # and it was the guy I talked to in the bar years earlier. We went out that night and bought my 1st boxer ,Rockne, for $250. I knew nothing of the problems with the breed.12 quick years later he dies at home in our arms a gray old man. He was a great friend.

Now Im older and know about all these health problems. I talk to about 50 breeders,all do the testing,most are nice some are rude. I found a guy we liked close to us who has a great reputation with a male and a female with great bloodlines and a history of healthy dogs that just had a litter. I bought a little girl, Tula,$1000 and 2 years later we went back and bought a male, Truman $900. Both of them are great dogs with super personalities. One day Tula faints. Turns out its a syncopathic episode and she needs to go to Purdue university for a left side heart failure. She aquires hymoanyalic anemia while being treated. She fought for 2 weeks on 9 different meds but was retaining water. We decide to let her go. She wouldnt stop fighting. She was 3 yrs old.

After losing Tula 3 months later we adopted a Female boxer,Frankie, from a shelter that was picked up from a byb. Her and Truman are inseperable.We love her very much.

Please excuse the length of this post but I want you to know no matter how much testing is done,how hard you look for a healthy top notch Boxer things happen. The breeder was honorable and offered to give us another pup free. He did nothing wrong.

Enjoy your dogs. No matter where they came from they are Boxers inside.

 

[jgasparas]

I have stories from both ends of the spectrum. My parents boxer although sweet most of the time was purchased from a BYB. The dog was fine for months after getting her and then suddenly her hair began to fall out. Comes to find out that she has demodectic mange (I think is what the vet called it). Not much you can do other than medication or let it run its course, and that they've been told of course she should not be breed for several reasons. She's now going on 3 yrs old, and they wouldn't trade her for anything even with the health problems. She's part of the family and even with a few medical issues at the time, they love her to death and would do her as much as they did for us their skin kids.

My boxer also a BYB puppy. I have a neighbor about 3-4 houses down and they have a set of puppies once every year to year and a half. I looked at them when they were just weeks old and wanted one so bad. The pups got old enough to leave and one by one they were gone. It came down to this last little fawn female. It took sme serious sweet talkin to the old man to let me have this dog. I'm sure all the tests that could have been run were likely not. But she has grown like any other puppy and is such a joy. No issues at all with her so far that is. Who knows what the future holds? I dont but I love that little furry bundle of love. The way she greets me at the door when I come home from work, to watch her kidney bean and wiggle so fast and hard that she looks like she's outta control. I'd do whatever I could financially and emotionally to make sure she's ok.

Although you may face some challenges you never know how things are going to turn out. Which ones will be healthy and disease free, and those that may have issues even with all the tests. People are the same way to an extent. If she were to pass tomorrow I would have no regrets and would cherish every moment, picture, and memory we've shared. I wish you the best of luck with your new puppies and hope they have a long healthy life together and with your family.