lansupt said:
....I hate to tell everyone but I cant do the boxer rescue thing...I cant stand seeing abused dogs and them advertising that they are going to put them to sleep. I want to take all of them home and I cant.
I actually work on the rescue end, we see where the dogs come from, adopting is the easy part- they've already been rescued, now you just have to give love!
But as it was said, most of the boxers that come into rescue were unfortunate to be bought by bad owners who didn't uphold the lifelong committment they made or had no idea what a boxer is when they purchased one. They were viewed as soemthing one owns instead of little family members as they are. Most are basically trained, healthy, average, young boxers.
As a boxer lover, what really turns my stomach and makes me feel weak is stepping into a pet store or seeing boxer ads in the newpaper. That's the crux of the problem - those people are churning out dogs and sending them off to who knows where and the more they sell the more who are doomed. Now that's a sad sight.
Besides, rescues never advertise we are going to put a dog to sleep. We've already saved them from that. By reading our bios, we usually just mention the dogs' personalities.
You can get a feel for some of the boxers available in Florida on the boxerworld listings, or go to our site:
www.flbr.org
All the boxers on the site on the adoption page are in loving homes waiting for their forever home. All the other boxers on the other pages are adopted boxers who were rescued - that will give you a good idea of how wonderful it is to give a boxer a chance. We have a service dog and a competing AKC agility dog in our list of adopted boxers.
I've adopted four. Two were on doggy death row when Florida Boxer Rescue rescued them. The third was in a humane society, dumped by her breeders, and the fourth left for dead in a box at four days of age. You wouldn't have read that on the internet site. I was the lucky one who was able to adopt them! I must say that of all the boxers I have fostered, only one broke my heart into tiny pieces and I kept her. The others were all young, cute boxers who just got the short end of the stick owner-wise. Each was a true gem!
We are very particular about who adopts our boxers because we feel every boxer deserves a perfect home. Likewise, you have to be very honest and open about your needs so you can make the best match. The bonus about adopting is that you know what the dog is like - personality, size, etc as a grown dog. The few adopters who have called me with real issues, call to ask about their non-rescue boxer, the one they bought as a puppy prior to rescue! The rescue's habits/character is an open book. I have heard quite a few families remark that the new rescue is better behaved than their current dog raised from a puppy! Remember, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Anyone that disagrees just can't train a dog. In fact, a big draw back for boxers as service dogs is that you can't really start any serious training until they are much older than labs or goldens because they are such late developers "mentally". By the time they are ready, they are much older than other breeds already trained and ready to go.
Whether you rescue or opt to wait up to a year to get on a reputable breeder's list, it's a decision to weigh heavily- adding a family member.
QUITE a few members on this list have adopted a rescued boxer, others rescue like myself also. You will meet some proud parents of Florida Boxer Rescue alumni on here too.
Good luck in your search,
Ashlie
Florida Boxer Rescue volunteer
Owned by the rescued boxertrio - Jillian, Tulley, Desi
and watched over from the bridge by my angels: Jagger and Gabby
(All my rescued boxer babies are in my gallery and on pages at
www.flbr.org)
I know, I know, I'm stepping over my boundry now, but just b/c you turn your back to something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Me personally I would feel better knowing I did what I could to make even the smallest difference. Hence my lil Sandy is a rescue, and she is wonderful. I could not have asked for a better dog. So think about what has been said and reevaluate your options. If you still feel that rescue is not for you I promise to leave you alone :rolleyes: