EAO76
Boxer Insane
We took Trucker in as a foster dog a little over 5 years ago. He was picked up as a stray after being hit by a car. He spent 6 broken days in the shelter waiting for his people to claim him but they never did. If anyone cared he would have been easy to find. There is only one shelter that services the area he was found in. Fortunately some good Samaritans saw his accident and alerted the rescue so as soon as his stray hold was up the rescue pulled him.
Ill never forget the 1st time I met him. We picked him up from the animal hospital and when we arrived they brought us to the back. They had him on a table, lying on his side, and they were doing a bandage change. There were a couple drs and a tech working on him. His leg looked like a mangled mess with holes, pins, metal bars sticking out. He looked so confused and lost.
We spent months rehabbing that leg. He went through so much. We had to clean it several times a day. He was always such a good boy and would just lay there. Every week my husband took him back to the vet for xrays. Then he got a terrible bone infection (MRSA) that wouldn't heal. He was on a ton of antibiotics and pain meds. It just seemed to go on & on. Finally one day he must have had enough because my husband found him with half the pins yanked out of his leg. Ill never forget that phone call. My husband called me at work in a panic telling me that Trucker ripped out his pins. And I just kept saying "what do you mean?". It was incomprehensible considering these were THREADED screws drilled into his bone. Of course this meant more vet visits and another surgery.
As Trucker's time with us went on we learned he wouldn't be an easy dog to place. He loved us and basically decided that he had no use for anyone else. He had major trust issues and was very territorial. He choose us and so our journey began...
I have shared this a few times before but here is the video I made about him for the rescue Trucker at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, Facebook slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.
I'm certain that 99.99% of adopters would have returned him anyway. Trucker was a major pain in the ass and I (lovingly) told him this on a regular basis for the next 5 years. We tried our best to change his behavior towards strangers. We did Feisty Fido classes, many private in home lessons, multiple group classes, saw a veterinary behaviorist, he was even on Prozac for more than a year. But even after all the time and money spent on training Trucker was still Trucker. I was always very proud of him though. He was smart and worked hard in his classes. He liked training and picked up all the commands and tricks very well but no matter how well trained and obedient he became he still didn't trust those he did not know.
At home Trucker was the silliest, most loving Boxer ever. He aways wanted to be near us and LOVED to be petted and loved on. He made us laugh every day. He was our comic relief. He was a true lap dog http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/lapdog.jpg
Whenever we would return home he would always greet us with a gift. Sometimes it would be a toy or shoe or a banana, and one summer he favored the can opener http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/canopener.jpg He was so much fun to come home to. My husband & I would always try to guess what he would have.
One thing Trucker lacked was grace. He was a bull in a china shop. Our house has wood floors and Trucker was constantly sliding across them. Especially when he was excited about something his legs would always be flying out from underneath him like a cartoon character. At dinner time Trucker would get so excited running around while we prepared his meal. He would run back & forth between the two entries to the kitchen knocking into furniture, the other dogs, and always with his feet slipping around beneath him. Dinner was his favorite time of the day.
He also LOVED his Milk Bone cookies. My husband works a lot of nights so I'm often home alone with the dogs in the evenings. Around midnight I'd let the dogs out for one last pee and then they would get a cookie. Always at about 11:50 Truck would start getting excited, pacing around, making slobber bubbles & drooling...I'd always get irritated with him because he'd make so much noise running between me & the cookie jar, doing his cookie tap dance on the wood floor. I don't know why he loved those stupid milk bones so much. Even the night before he passed away, when he was refusing just about everything (steak,eggs, cheese) he ate three large Milk Bones.
Trucker loved sitting on his "stoop" http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/TruckerStoop1109.jpg http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/stoop.jpg he would sit here just outside our back door and watch his yard. He'd put his hind legs and butt on the top step and his front legs would be on the second step down and he'd just watch. A few days before he passed away he walked out there and tried and tried to sit down but couldn't position himself because of his tumor. So he just stood there. It was heartbreaking to see his body fail him when his mind and spirit were still wanting to do all these things.
Trucker had a favorite place in our yard where he liked to poop. It was his private area behind the garage and it was the only spot he'd go. After he'd poop he would take off running as fast as he could and run straight into the house. Of course his lack of grace had him sliding into the house and knocking into whatever was in his path. In his final days his tumor had gotten huge. His leg/ ankle/ toes swelled dramatically and he could no longer lift it when he walked so he dragged his leg. It was so heartbreaking. But he was a good boy and still got himself up everyday to go potty outside in his favorite spot. He never once had an accident in the house even when he was very sick.
Trucker was not a fan of getting wet. On rainy days he would refuse to go outside. I would have to shove him out but even then he wouldn't go potty. Here is a picture of him hiding from the rain. http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckhidesfromrain.jpg I kept telling him to go potty but he wouldn't budge. Finally I just let him back in.
Trucker also hated the bath. After we had my son we'd run the bath nightly for Weston. For two years Trucker would run and hide as soon as the bath turned on. We would laugh and tell him that it wasn't for him. I don't know what changed but after two years he realized that the bath at night really wasn't for him so he stopped hiding.
He would also hide when it was time for medicine. There was several months where we had to give Truck a liquid medicine in a syringe. Truck hated it and whenever I'd get it out he'd take off and "hide" but his hiding was basically just sticking his head in a corner. Lol. We'd tell him "Trucker we can still see you" he always seemed mystified as to why that didn't work.
When it came to other dogs Trucker wasn't a huge fan. He enjoyed the company of his people much more than other dogs... except our female boxer, "Nano". Trucker LOVED Nano. Whenever they were separated and we brought them back together Trucker would get so excited. He'd wiggle and go get her a toy. It was the cutest thing. He acted like a school boy with a crush. I'm so glad that he had her. Here are Truck & Nano all dolled up for Xmas http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/nanotruck1.jpg
Trucker had an infinite amount of patience. He'd do anything for food...here is his balancing trick
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/Tricks.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/trucktricks3.jpg
Playing dress up... Ironic now that he IS an angel http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/168.jpg
And he was wonderful with our young son...
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckwes.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/Truck_Wes1Edit.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/westrucksnuggle.jpg
My all time FAVORITE picture... http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckwesglassesedit.jpg
In Truckers last days he could no longer play, run, get on the bed, sit down, lay on his right side, etc so I knew it was time. He passed peacefully. We brought his bed and he got a really good sedative so I know he was sleepy and real comfortable. He had such a hard time getting comfortable during those final days so it was nice to see him so relaxed. And when the whole thing was over he just looked like he always did sleeping on his bed. It was hard to believe he was gone. We miss him a lot. He had so many funny quirks and idiosyncrasies. He always made me simile. In the last year and a half he started to grey. First his eyebrows, then little specks in his ears, and finally a little salt & pepper down his back. I was so looking forward to him turning all silver. I am heartbroken that we never got to see it. Were not sure how old he was but we think he was only 8 or 9ish. Seems so young...
Trucker, I hope you rest well buddy. We will meet you on the other side. xoxo http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/sleepyboy.jpg
Ill never forget the 1st time I met him. We picked him up from the animal hospital and when we arrived they brought us to the back. They had him on a table, lying on his side, and they were doing a bandage change. There were a couple drs and a tech working on him. His leg looked like a mangled mess with holes, pins, metal bars sticking out. He looked so confused and lost.
We spent months rehabbing that leg. He went through so much. We had to clean it several times a day. He was always such a good boy and would just lay there. Every week my husband took him back to the vet for xrays. Then he got a terrible bone infection (MRSA) that wouldn't heal. He was on a ton of antibiotics and pain meds. It just seemed to go on & on. Finally one day he must have had enough because my husband found him with half the pins yanked out of his leg. Ill never forget that phone call. My husband called me at work in a panic telling me that Trucker ripped out his pins. And I just kept saying "what do you mean?". It was incomprehensible considering these were THREADED screws drilled into his bone. Of course this meant more vet visits and another surgery.
As Trucker's time with us went on we learned he wouldn't be an easy dog to place. He loved us and basically decided that he had no use for anyone else. He had major trust issues and was very territorial. He choose us and so our journey began...
I have shared this a few times before but here is the video I made about him for the rescue Trucker at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, Facebook slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.
I'm certain that 99.99% of adopters would have returned him anyway. Trucker was a major pain in the ass and I (lovingly) told him this on a regular basis for the next 5 years. We tried our best to change his behavior towards strangers. We did Feisty Fido classes, many private in home lessons, multiple group classes, saw a veterinary behaviorist, he was even on Prozac for more than a year. But even after all the time and money spent on training Trucker was still Trucker. I was always very proud of him though. He was smart and worked hard in his classes. He liked training and picked up all the commands and tricks very well but no matter how well trained and obedient he became he still didn't trust those he did not know.
At home Trucker was the silliest, most loving Boxer ever. He aways wanted to be near us and LOVED to be petted and loved on. He made us laugh every day. He was our comic relief. He was a true lap dog http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/lapdog.jpg
Whenever we would return home he would always greet us with a gift. Sometimes it would be a toy or shoe or a banana, and one summer he favored the can opener http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/canopener.jpg He was so much fun to come home to. My husband & I would always try to guess what he would have.
One thing Trucker lacked was grace. He was a bull in a china shop. Our house has wood floors and Trucker was constantly sliding across them. Especially when he was excited about something his legs would always be flying out from underneath him like a cartoon character. At dinner time Trucker would get so excited running around while we prepared his meal. He would run back & forth between the two entries to the kitchen knocking into furniture, the other dogs, and always with his feet slipping around beneath him. Dinner was his favorite time of the day.
He also LOVED his Milk Bone cookies. My husband works a lot of nights so I'm often home alone with the dogs in the evenings. Around midnight I'd let the dogs out for one last pee and then they would get a cookie. Always at about 11:50 Truck would start getting excited, pacing around, making slobber bubbles & drooling...I'd always get irritated with him because he'd make so much noise running between me & the cookie jar, doing his cookie tap dance on the wood floor. I don't know why he loved those stupid milk bones so much. Even the night before he passed away, when he was refusing just about everything (steak,eggs, cheese) he ate three large Milk Bones.
Trucker loved sitting on his "stoop" http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/TruckerStoop1109.jpg http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/stoop.jpg he would sit here just outside our back door and watch his yard. He'd put his hind legs and butt on the top step and his front legs would be on the second step down and he'd just watch. A few days before he passed away he walked out there and tried and tried to sit down but couldn't position himself because of his tumor. So he just stood there. It was heartbreaking to see his body fail him when his mind and spirit were still wanting to do all these things.
Trucker had a favorite place in our yard where he liked to poop. It was his private area behind the garage and it was the only spot he'd go. After he'd poop he would take off running as fast as he could and run straight into the house. Of course his lack of grace had him sliding into the house and knocking into whatever was in his path. In his final days his tumor had gotten huge. His leg/ ankle/ toes swelled dramatically and he could no longer lift it when he walked so he dragged his leg. It was so heartbreaking. But he was a good boy and still got himself up everyday to go potty outside in his favorite spot. He never once had an accident in the house even when he was very sick.
Trucker was not a fan of getting wet. On rainy days he would refuse to go outside. I would have to shove him out but even then he wouldn't go potty. Here is a picture of him hiding from the rain. http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckhidesfromrain.jpg I kept telling him to go potty but he wouldn't budge. Finally I just let him back in.
Trucker also hated the bath. After we had my son we'd run the bath nightly for Weston. For two years Trucker would run and hide as soon as the bath turned on. We would laugh and tell him that it wasn't for him. I don't know what changed but after two years he realized that the bath at night really wasn't for him so he stopped hiding.
He would also hide when it was time for medicine. There was several months where we had to give Truck a liquid medicine in a syringe. Truck hated it and whenever I'd get it out he'd take off and "hide" but his hiding was basically just sticking his head in a corner. Lol. We'd tell him "Trucker we can still see you" he always seemed mystified as to why that didn't work.
When it came to other dogs Trucker wasn't a huge fan. He enjoyed the company of his people much more than other dogs... except our female boxer, "Nano". Trucker LOVED Nano. Whenever they were separated and we brought them back together Trucker would get so excited. He'd wiggle and go get her a toy. It was the cutest thing. He acted like a school boy with a crush. I'm so glad that he had her. Here are Truck & Nano all dolled up for Xmas http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/nanotruck1.jpg
Trucker had an infinite amount of patience. He'd do anything for food...here is his balancing trick
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/Tricks.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/trucktricks3.jpg
Playing dress up... Ironic now that he IS an angel http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/168.jpg
And he was wonderful with our young son...
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckwes.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/Truck_Wes1Edit.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/westrucksnuggle.jpg
My all time FAVORITE picture... http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/truckwesglassesedit.jpg
In Truckers last days he could no longer play, run, get on the bed, sit down, lay on his right side, etc so I knew it was time. He passed peacefully. We brought his bed and he got a really good sedative so I know he was sleepy and real comfortable. He had such a hard time getting comfortable during those final days so it was nice to see him so relaxed. And when the whole thing was over he just looked like he always did sleeping on his bed. It was hard to believe he was gone. We miss him a lot. He had so many funny quirks and idiosyncrasies. He always made me simile. In the last year and a half he started to grey. First his eyebrows, then little specks in his ears, and finally a little salt & pepper down his back. I was so looking forward to him turning all silver. I am heartbroken that we never got to see it. Were not sure how old he was but we think he was only 8 or 9ish. Seems so young...
Trucker, I hope you rest well buddy. We will meet you on the other side. xoxo http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/eao76/sleepyboy.jpg
