Our two rescued babies

Madame.X · #1 11-10-2001, 10:51 AM

Hi, all...

I've been reading the forums here for a while now, waiting for my number to come up at the local rescue. Well, it finally did. I got the call five weeks ago that they had brought in a pair of boxers that had been found running stray. They had done everything they could do to find their owner but the owner never responded to the ads or checked at the Humane Society so they were eligible to be adopted.

The lady who runs the rescue said they would like to place them in a home together but that it was almost impossible to find someone willing to take more than one. When we saw them together, we just couldn't split them up! As we were leaving, she went to put the male into his crate and the female followed him right in.

Unfortunately, the poor babies had tick fever pretty bad. When they were found, they were covered in ticks, dozens of them. The female in particular was very mellow and sad. Her face was all swollen and you could tell she didn't feel well. The male was very thin and had been throwing up.

Well, we've had them for four weeks now and the antibiotics have done wonders! They have tons of energy now, especially the female (who is definitely the feisty one). The male has put on weight and looks great now. Their coats are so much healthier than when we got them and they seem very happy. They run from one end of their yard to the other and just love their new home.

My husband was initially very reluctant to adopt from a rescue. He was concerned we would be taking on someone else's problem dog (otherwise, why would they be at the rescue?). The first female we looked at supported his position. She was dropped off by someone because she chewed up the couch and the lady couldn't take it anymore. She was beautiful and everything we wanted (natural ears, flashy fawn) but she had so much pent up energy from being kept in an apartment without enough exercise, and had shown some aggression when the rescue people tried to crate her, we decided we simply didn't have enough time to spend with this one. Reluctantly, we passed her up.

These two, though, have restored my husband's faith in the rescue. The male is the PERFECT DOG, not a single problem! He's very obedient and has a great personality. The female is a little stubborn and mischievious, but all in all a great dog as well. They're both housebroken and (although she took a little more coaxing than he did) quite content to be in their crate when we're not home. Neither one chews on anything unless you give it to them to chew on. We're going to start leaving them out of the crate during the day a little at a time to see how they do. I know the male will be fine but the female might not be quite ready yet.

If anyone is concerned about adopting a rescue dog, don't be! We couldn't have asked for two better dogs than these. Don't be afraid to pass one up if its not the right dog for you (the rescue may even make this decision for you). We couldn't love these two any more if we had raised them from puppies. They are an absolute joy and I'm stunned at how someone could lose two great dogs like these and make no effort to find them.

Their loss. They're ours now.

VTbxrFan · #2 11-10-2001, 11:57 AM

Congratulations on your new additions! They sound wonderful. My rescue boy has also turned out to be a great dog and fits my life perfectly. I hope more people will start to recognize the benefits of rescuing older dogs. They are wonderful pets and it isn't their fault that they need new homes! I'm starting to feel very tempted to look into rescuing a second one!

cards · #3 11-11-2001, 03:05 AM

Great job with the rescue and what a nice story. We would love to see some pic's of the new family memebers

GillianF · #4 11-11-2001, 07:52 AM

Welcome to the wonderful world of 'Two Boxers' !!! We have littermates with totally opposite personalities... Ttakas, the male, is bigger and very laid back and mellow. Bronte, the female, is a veritable 'ball of fire' - full of energy and always the instigator of games of chase! We spend alot of time just watching them play and laughing alot at their antics!! Fun times are in store for you!!