great story

[boxer mommy]

Dogged determination wins over stray boxer

By JEAN McAULAY
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/19/06
The 16-mile trip from Vinings to the Marietta Square at the wrong hour can leave a driver tired and grumpy. Imagine, then, the condition of a frightened, hungry dog who made that trip over six cold days and nights.

Recently, a young boxer made his way over, under or otherwise across I-75 and I-285 and the Chattahoochee River — not to mention the assorted traffic — just to get back to a kind woman he had met only a few times before.


Andy Sharp/Staff
(ENLARGE)
Boxer Boy is comfortable now at Kym Wambold-Osterndorf's Marietta home thanks Wambold-Osterndorf's patience in helping get the undernourished stray healthy.

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It was fall when Kym Wambold-Osterndorf and her neighbors noticed a boxer running loose in their neighborhood off the Marietta Square.

"Every time I saw him, I would stop the car or walk out to him, but he was petrified of me," she said.

He started showing up regularly in her backyard and eventually ventured in to play with her two dogs, a chocolate Labrador and a Rhodesian mix.

For 10 weeks, Wambold-Osterndorf sat outside and talked to Boxer Boy, trying to coax him with food.

"Finally, he would grab the treat and quickly run away," she said. "He even started coming up on the deck, but I couldn't catch him."

The dog was getting scrawnier and dirtier, and the weather was turning cold.

"He dug holes in my backyard and would lie there with icicles forming on his eyelashes," she said.

Worried about the dog and concerned for her own safety in dealing with a stray, she contacted the president of the Mostly Mutts animal rescue organization, Paige O'Neill. Together, they managed to corner the dog on the deck, and they got him on a leash.

"We took him straight to the vet and soon realized this dog didn't have a mean bone in his body," Wambold-Osterndorf said. "As the vet poked and prodded, Boxer Boy did nothing."

She took him home and let him in her house. But the second she opened the door, he was gone.

It was a month until she could catch him again. Taking no chances, she leashed him to go outside, but he was a slippery character.

"He squirmed, wriggled and pulled out of the collar and was gone again," she said. "I just sat down and cried."

When she caught him again weeks later, she and O'Neill coordinated with a Vinings rescue group that agreed to take the dog, work to socialize him and prepare him for adoption.

"I was happy he was beginning a journey to a new life, but I cried the whole way home," Wambold-Osterndorf said.

In the morning she called to make sure he was all right. She was shocked to learn that the dog had jumped a fence and was gone from the rescue facility at Paces Ferry and Mount Paran roads.

"I grabbed my two dogs and raced to Vinings to see if we could flush him out," she said. "It's a very wooded and hilly area, and there were just too many places he could hide."

She made 75 fliers and placed them throughout the community.

"He trusted me and I let him down," she said. She had all but given up.

Six days after Boxer Boy jumped the fence, Wambold-Osterndorf was in her basement on the stair machine.

"For some reason I decided to open the door, and to my surprise, there he was – muddy and soaking wet with the leash hanging off him. I dropped to the ground laughing and crying. It is a miracle how he found his way safely back here."

Boxer Boy has settled in with two dogs, two cats and a loving owner.

He hops straight up in the air when he gets excited. He pulls all the dog toys out of the box at one time, and he loves to play.

He's made his peace with being a pet and doesn't try to escape anymore.

His description now would make a fine dating-service entry: loves cats, snuggling, outdoor sports and long walks off the leash.

Unlike some males, though, he can add "great sense of direction."

[shazza36]

What a great story, Im so glad Boxer Boy decided to settle down in his foever home. You are a great person for sticking it out.I know he he is truly thankful x

[Ciscobxr]

That is incredible!
I wonder what that poor boy went through that made him so scared of people, that is just not like a boxer!
Great ending!

[crowpete]

Wow That is a great story with a wonderful ending I am very happy that he came back to the person that tried so hard to get his trust!

[Murp.mm]

Wow, what a story. Thanks so much for sharing. This lady is a really angel in disquise. He is in his forever home now. Isn't it great to hear good stories.

[KITA'SMOM]

That is a great story. I am so glad he found his way back to her, It's unimaginable what he had to go through to get back to that woman's house. Like everyone else, I wonder what he's gone through to get that kind of terror of people. That's unimaginable too.

[atlasmom911]

That was a wonderful story. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing.

[Kaybie's Mom]

I would love to read the story but I can't seem to locate it....can someone post the link please.

[bucca]

finally a happy ending we need more of those