Kaida
Boxer Pal
It's almost been a year since we lost our dog Joker to hemangiosarcoma. Since I was lurking this forum for months before I even got Joker, and used it over the years with her, I figured it would be appropriate to write about her here. This forum has been so useful during the awesome years I had with this dog and I've learned a great deal about the boxer breed and health issues.
I picked Joker out of a large litter (11 puppies) at 4 weeks and we continued to visit the breeder until we brought her home. She was stubborn in her early years, but this was the dog who sparked my interest in animal husbandry/behavior. I feel I am honestly a better trainer because of her. I can really only describe Joker as one of those "once in a lifetime" dogs.
I'll miss her ecstatic kidney beaning whenever I returned home. I will also miss how she would quietly sit and look out the garage or bathroom door, guarding the room while I had my back turned for laundry or while I was in the shower. We never taught her or reinforced that, but she developed the habit later in life and I always felt safe around her.
I've had dogs in my life since I was 3 and while I mourned every loss, Joker's has been the hardest. A year later and I still cry whenever I see a boxer or old videos and pictures of her. My boyfriend was terrified of dogs before he met Joker, but because of her stubborn want for everyone to love on her, they developed a wonderful relationship and now he's just as dog crazy as I am. He too misses her dearly.
I suppose that's enough of a ramble. Joker is still missed by a lot of my family and friends. She really touched a lot of lives and I will continue to mourn her death for some time. We joke that she is now in Doggy Valhalla because she was just so metal
.
I picked Joker out of a large litter (11 puppies) at 4 weeks and we continued to visit the breeder until we brought her home. She was stubborn in her early years, but this was the dog who sparked my interest in animal husbandry/behavior. I feel I am honestly a better trainer because of her. I can really only describe Joker as one of those "once in a lifetime" dogs.
I'll miss her ecstatic kidney beaning whenever I returned home. I will also miss how she would quietly sit and look out the garage or bathroom door, guarding the room while I had my back turned for laundry or while I was in the shower. We never taught her or reinforced that, but she developed the habit later in life and I always felt safe around her.
I've had dogs in my life since I was 3 and while I mourned every loss, Joker's has been the hardest. A year later and I still cry whenever I see a boxer or old videos and pictures of her. My boyfriend was terrified of dogs before he met Joker, but because of her stubborn want for everyone to love on her, they developed a wonderful relationship and now he's just as dog crazy as I am. He too misses her dearly.
I suppose that's enough of a ramble. Joker is still missed by a lot of my family and friends. She really touched a lot of lives and I will continue to mourn her death for some time. We joke that she is now in Doggy Valhalla because she was just so metal
.
