Princess was a present from my husband when we
relocated to Tennessee in 1990. I was so very
homesick for California, I asked for a dog. Well,
the kids and I visited a back-yard-breeder in
Lookout Mountain, TN and came home with Princess.
She was a wonderful Boxer and we were devastated to
lose her at 9 years old to cancer.
Lady
was our little "Zipper Dog" as she was a very small
Boxer (only 45 lbs) and had such a huge under bite,
she couldn't keep her teeth in her mouth (but, hey,
we bought her from a lady in Ft. Payne, AL from the
back of a pickup truck)! She was also nick-named
"Houdini Dog" as she would consistently get out of
the run and I'd find her waiting patiently on the
front porch of our house in TN. She was a real
trooper, having been hit by a pick-up truck on one
of her adventures and almost didn't make it through
that surgery (diaphramic hernia). We sadly lost her at
a very young 6 years old to
lymphoma. We loved each and every day with
her and Princess -- they were inseparable.
Bridgit was whelped by my neighbor for the late Pete
Delano. When I saw this beautiful litter of fawn
puppies, I knew I had to have one. Lady was sick
with
lymphoma and old Princess was going to be
sooo very lonely. So, home came Bridgit. She was
never registered as I had only had pets and planned
and did spay her at 6 months. From Bridgit, I
learned first-hand about ARVC. Bridgit was a mere 4
years old. Having experienced this tragedy, I began
to educate myself about the diseases affecting our
Boxers.
Sleep
well, my Bridgit -- you were my
Dancing Queen
DOB 3/5/99 DOD 3/22/08 (9 years young)
Annie is pictured on the opening page of my
website -- she and I together. Annie was our
funniest Boxer ever. Once we entered into the
"show boxer mentality" we used Annie as
"everything wrong with a Boxer"! This was all
in jest, as we couldn't have loved her more!
Yes, she was roachy-backed, snipy muzzle, flying
nunn ears, virtually no tail, toed-in......but
Annie was a peach of a Boxer. She is proudly
displayed on the ABCF Memorial Wall. I held her
in my arms as she passed away. Each of us are
given by God a certain number of heartbeats, and
Annie had used hers up. Oh, how she didn't want
to leave us, she fought it, but her old heart
finally gave out. She and Bridgit were best
friends....the best ever. Annie tried, but was
never able to bond again with another of our
Boxers like she did with Bridgit. It's hard to
even say "Annie" without saying "Bridgit and
Annie". We miss you, Annie, and will never ever
forget you...
Rescued 2003 -- DOD 10/24/07 (old age)
Bella, what can I
say? I saw Bella at the
Boxer Rescue booth at the Orange County
Pet Expo. It was an immediate connection -- she
looked at me with those dark, dark brown eyes
and I was immediately in love. Bella was a
senior foster and no one wanted her. Oh, but I
wanted her. Bella was probably abused and bred
over and over; probably every season and when
she couldn't produce any longer, left on the
streets to fare for herself. That day, then and
there in April 2003, I promised her she would
spend the rest of her life in Boxer luxury.
Bella walked into
our house like an old grizzly Army sargeant and
you could just hear the words out of her mouth
to the other dogs, "Okay, gang, I'm here
and these are the rules -- listen up!". I had
to laugh -- she ran up the stairs and then came
tumbling down, walked outside and immediately
fell into the pool (I had to get her out) and
then walked back into the house and promptly
peed on the floor! I thought, "OMG what have I
done?" The next day, she went to my vet for a
complete workup and an afternoon at the doggie
day spa. I know she thought, "I've died and
gone to Heaven"!
Bella loved children
and taught more than one grandchild to walk with
a young toddler holding onto her back for
balance. She was a fierce protector of our
family and taught me the joys of a bitch in
season (yes, she had a C-section scar the rescue
mistook for a spay scar). She was spayed after
her season, but never lost her motherly
instincts for puppies. When Elsie had her first
and only litter, Bella took over raising the
puppies when Elsie decided she was absolutely
DONE with nursing puppies at three weeks. Bella
loved those puppies; rolling on her sore old
back with puppies crawling all over her. They
were HER puppies and she taught them puppy
manners.
Bella began to fail
in late summer 2007. Then, the fires of San
Diego County started. We were evacuated from
our home and had to stay at a doggie friendly
extended stay hotel about 60 miles north
of us. Bella just could not adjust to this
change. She became incontinent and stumbling.
My husband and I cried as we made the decision
that was best for Bella.
Bella will never be
forgotten and more pictures of her are on our "Candids"
page. She is proudly on the American Boxer Club
Charitable Foundation Memorial Wall. She may
not have had a date of birth or a number, but
she was BOXER through and through.
Rest in peace, Bella mi Bella, we all
miss you.
