Just an update!

Well it's been a while since I last posted to tell everyone how Lucy and the family are doing. The picture you see here was taken this weekend during a snow fall in our back yard here in Colorado. Terri took the picture and it happened quite by accident, or did it? But that's another story and you'll have to wait for just a bit for the rest of that one. To sum it up, Lucy is doing great. She's still funny as ever and very high spirited at times. She loves her new home and has settled into a great routine.

We have Mule Deer here in Colorado Springs that reside in the 800 acre natural park which our property is adjacent. They wander through the yard, cleaning out Terri's bird feeder in the front yard on an almost a daily basis. Lucy loves to watch them roam through the yard. She has a silent bark she uses to let us know that they are around. Checkout the picture of the bird feeder bandits. My sister-in-law suggested we get a deer feeder for the birds! And yes, it was a snowy day when the picture was made!

I don't let Lucy out by herself here. I spotted a mountain lion up on the ridge in the park the other day and also saw him again running through the hillside above our house on another occasion. Mountain lions have been know to attack and kill dogs as prey. I guess mountain lions have to eat too, but I don't want this one enjoying a Lucy steak any time soon, so I monitor her outdoor activity fairly closely. Just one more reason not to have a deer feeder, they attract mountain lions! I don't want the deer hanging around more than they do now.

As for me, I'm doing fine. I managed to lose a little weight. Terri has me on this supplement drink that is helping me out in that department. It's working, I've lost 10 pounds in two weeks. If this continues, I could be back below 200 pounds in a couple weeks, which would make everyone I know and love very happy. If you know someone who's looking to lose weight, drop me a line and I'll let you know what I'm doing. It may help... I'm also very busy these days with work and my hobbies. I would rather talk about my hobbies than work, but that's another story!

Well that's about it for now. Oh yeah, I was going to tell you about the picture of Lucy. The picture was taken with Terri's I-phone! Here's the story... We went and picked up fire wood on Saturday and found a piece of wood with a hole in it. Terri came up with the idea that we should try to take a picture through the whole. We used every digital camera we have to take the picture (photography - one of my hobbies).

If anyone knows anything about photography, there's this little thing called depth of field, that preclude you from having two objects in perfect focus at the same time. You almost have to settled for one object or the other unless you can shoot in a fairly narrow f-stop from the right distance and that is completely experimental. Well, the piece of wood was only about 4 inches wide. I could do it from a distance but when I blew up the photo it would blur. To make a long story short, while Terri and I were conducting
our experiment Lucy just happened to come in view in the background. The picture is the result. Fun stuff! I really like the picture for a couple of reasons technically but yet again that's another story...

Hope you enjoy the pictures and I wish you peace. Thanks for stopping by.

Where do boxers come from?

Lucy, my 6 year old boxer came to my family as a rescue animal. She has been a blessing to us in many ways. First of all she has become my wife's and I, constant companion! There is no car ride to great or to short for her to enjoy. She loves the outdoors and is a great hiker and camper! Her adventures almost over-whelm her sometimes and she has to be throttled back because she's full of energy and she will go until she drops.

I plan on placing links and articles on training and caring for dogs. In Lucy's case she is truly man's best friend...I would like to share thoughts and opinions on the subject of the White Boxer and other dogs as well. I look forward to hearing from you...

Let's now examine where the "white boxer" comes from. Did you know that the original boxers were white. That they are presumed to be a cross between a Bulldog and a large dog such as a massif! Color did not come into the breed until around the 1920's. The breed comes from the western regions of Germany. They are known as a working breed of dog. The boxer's temper is gentle. Although they look mean and rough they're actually very playful, stubborn at times, and loyal to a fault. They make excellent pets to have with children!

The boxer can cause problems if it gets bored. When Lucy was a pup she got bored often. She ate two of our wingback chairs that we've had forever. Obedience training can be a challenge if ground rules are not established and enforced at an early stage of development. Boxers, however, love to learn new things. Lucy loves exploring new environments as long as one of us reassures her everything is going to be ok!

Our Lucy is almost like having another person around at times. She likes to keep a schedule and lets you know about it when it is not being kept. Since my wife and I both work outside the home Lucy gets to go to "doggy day camp" twice a week to keep her healthy and happy.

When the day is done...

I just had to post this picture of Lucy at the end of a long day. It's one of a series of pictures that I took. She really loves to lounge by that chair at the end of a long day. She was actually after me to hurry up with what I was doing in order for her to get bed. This dog loves her comforts and sleep, when it's time to do so. Hope you enjoy the picture as much as I did taking it!

I'll post more pictures in the near future, promise. It is supper late here in Colorado and I'm off to bed. Later!

Lucy has an allergy problem…

Wow, since we moved to Colorado this past spring, Lucy has been experiencing some allergy-related issues.  The symptoms include tearing of the eyes accompanied by occasional episodes of the sensitive stomach because of drainage.  We’ve tried to identify what is causing the episodes but we have not found the culprit yet.  So what do we do to treat the issues that she is experiencing?

What we have found that works to stave off the symptoms, is a common household allergy medication, e.g., Benadryl or a generic product containing diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.  We find that this works very nicely.  After speaking with the Vet, she suggested that we give Lucy two tablets once in the morning and then two more tablets in the evening to ensure that drainage is reduced and her stomach is relieved of mucus which causes stomach issues.  So far this has been an effective treatment. 

In addition to the Benadryl, we monitor Lucy’s diet extremely closely.  We actually have her on a more humanlike schedule with meals, feeding her breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  She gets about one and a third cups of sensitive stomach dog food that she loves at each meal.  As long as we don’t expose her to a treatment involving human food she does well, i.e., no throwing up and no grazing on grass.  I’ve actually seen her eat grass like a cow to either settle her stomach or produce vomit to relieve stomach pressure.

To sum things up, Lucy is enjoying her new home here in Colorado.  She is having a great time hiking and roaming around her new environment.  She’s even made friends with a couple Mule Deer that hang around the property.  They have great starring competitions.  Allergies are a fact of life for her here but she responds to the medication that we provide her and she seems to take the issues in stride.  Not much slows her down.  

While looking up natural remedies for Lucy's issues we did come across one author that seems to be based on natural treatments for ailments such as Lucy's. I'd like to get someone else's opinion on this. We purchased the book and seems to be straight forward. Click here to examine it yourself.

Thanks

Just got back...

Well these are sad times... My mother passed away this week.  I had to go back to North Carolina for the funeral.  As prepared as we think we may be for things like this, you really are never prepared to say goodbye to a parent.

My mother and I we not close over the last couple of years and this saddens me.  Our differences were due to things that happened a long time ago and the haunting memories that lingered up until right before her death.  But you know, even with the differences and the separation of time and distance, I still miss her!  If I could make any one wish come true, it would be to talk with her just one more time.  I did get a chance to go back and visit with her a week or so before her death.  It was the best thing that I could have done and it did ease the pain a bit, but there were so many wasted years.

I don't know what your relationship is with your parents but if I may offer you one piece of advice, call your folks and say hi just a bit more often.  It will pay big dividends in the long run!

When I returned home from the funeral I found what a great support group I have.  My wife and  my dog Lucy have been a big part of my recovery from the sadness that I feel.  I know that I've written about this before but I have to say it again.  Dogs have a special sense of when something isn't right.  Lucy has been at my side ever since I got back.  When I'm really sad she comes over to me as if to say "everything is going to be all right! Pet me and you'll feel better..."  And you know, after petting her I do feel better.

Don’t let your boxer get too much sun!

I just read an interesting article discussing the fact that boxers are particularly prone to the development of mast cell tumors, lymphoma and brain tumors. The white boxer and colored boxers with white markings should be protected from the sun as they are liable to develop skin cancer if allowed to burn. This hit me like a ton of bricks!


Lucy is an incredibly active boxer. We’ve known about the sun burn issue for some time but never knew that she was predisposed to skin cancer until recently. We try to monitor the amount of outdoors activity that she receives but it is difficult at times. We actively try to protect and guard against sunburn. One safeguard we’ve used in the past and still use when available is spray on sunblock, especially when we’re going to have her outdoors on trips or hikes. This seems to be working thus far.

Our daughter’s boxer Matty, has had some issues with mast cell tumors. She possesses a splash of white but not to the extent of being what is known as a bright boxer (boxers possessing a white splash covering more than 20% of their body mass). Matty is screened regularly and is currently undergoing treatment for the decease and is responding quite well as of this posting.

The bottom line of this post, I guess, is to make folks aware of the predisposition of boxer to the decease of cancer. Boxers should be screened for all types of cancer on a regular basis. There are tests that can be performed on boxers for all types of congenital predispositions. Breeders should perform these tests on all dogs that they are considering breeding. Regardless, get your boxer screened for cancer on regular intervals.

Lucy - a stranger in a newland...

High everyone, just wanted to give you an update on Lucy.  Lucy is now six years old and is doing well.  We recently relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado due my changing jobs.  Lucy is adapting well to her new environment here in Colorado.  She no longer has the big yard in Memphis to run around in but she's getting plenty of exercise due to hikes and long walks that we take to keep her fit.

Lucy is fully mature now and doesn't seem to be slowing down much.  We keep a keen eye out for any signs of illness or decease that boxer's are prone to have.  She still has the occational ear infection but we try to keep her ears clean.  We do a thorough cleaning about two to three times a month, which seems to keep the ear problems at bay.  I'll keep you updated on any future issues with Lucy's ears. 

Well that's about it for now.  We should be closing on a new dog house for Lucy sometime in the near future.  I'll post some pictures once we get settled in.  If you have any questions about Lucy or boxer dog issues, feel free to make a post.  I'd really like to hear from you and perhaps have a discussion or two on the blog.   

It is now one hour and 30 till 2011!!!!

I can't believe how time flies.  It's only an hour and a half from 2011!  My, how time flies when you are busy getting on with life.  Lucy is resting on the couch sleeping right now.  I can't believe she is five already!  It seems like yesterday that I walked into my old house down in Texas and was presented with one of the homeliest dogs that I had ever seen by my life.  My daughter Lauren is the responsible party... but you've probably read that already in another post.

Lucy has been my constant companion of late.  Terri is down in Texas helping my daughter with the newest edition to our family, our first grandson Robert Casen Hasenak.  Lucy made the trip to Texas with us to welcome Casen to our family but she and I had to return home due to work.  Terri, being the ever caring parent, just had to stay and help out.  

I don't really know what life would be without Lucy sometimes.  She is the most gentle dog that I've ever met. The way she cares for Terri and myself is beyond comprehension. It's like she has a sixth sense as to what's going on in the family and adjust to the needs of the one that needs her most.  I guess we really are members of her pack.  

I just wish everyone had a pet or special friend such as Lucy for a companion... 

Just a note on Lucy...

Well it is now October 2010 and Lucy is doing fine. It’s time for her annual checkup again and I haven’t had a chance to schedule the visit. I must get to that fairly soon! Boxers, especially White Boxers, have a tendency to develop some nasty problems when they get to be middle-aged. I just can’t believe that Lucy is now six! It feels like just yesterday that our daughter Lauren gave Lucy to us. Or, is it that Lauren gave us to Lucy to take care of?


Some of the experiences I’ve share with this dog will last me a life time. Going to the dog park, backpacking, going for rides in the car (just because she loves it), or just sitting at home enjoying each other’s company are all things I will take with me. What a great friend she has been! I now understand the statement of “Dog, Man’s best friend”. I think I’ll go ahead schedule that checkup while I’m thinking about. I want to keep her around, healthy and happy as long as possible.

I’ll post some new pictures of Lucy sometime in the near future. She has really filled out and is one beautiful creature… Until next time – ciao!

Trip to the Vet

Well, where to start?  Terri and I headed out to do some shopping today. Pick up some bottles for the beer that we have brewing, buy a couple of chairs for the front porch and various other activities.  We were only out for about an hour. When came home, Lucy met us at the door.  Her greeting was a bit odd this time!  She was extremely sheepish and acted as if she wanted me to do something for her.  It was as if she were saying, hey- "I don't feel so great."  She was acting in the manner that she acts when she has been into something that she's not suppose to get into.

My "what have you been up too?" alarm went off in my head!"  Sure enough, when I rounded  the corner I found that she had indeed been into something.  There was bits of plastic all over the living room carpet and she was cowering in the corner as if to say "I didn't mean to do it!", please forgive me!  Well, when Terri saw what it was, she made one statement, and that was, "we have to get to Vet now!"  I immediately asked why?  Terri's answer scared me, "Lucy just ate ant bait!"  We couldn't understand how she got a-hold of it, but it was true... Our family member ingested a poison!

We were off like a flash!  I think I broke every speed limit in the conservative community of Germantown, Tennessee getting my dog to the Vet.  Luckily for us, it had just happened fairly shortly before we came home!  We were at the Vet's in about ten minutes of discovery.

At the Vets, they examined her and said she wasn't showing any symptoms of poisoning but we did the right thing by bringing her in straight away!  They set about their work, inducing vomiting and cleaning out her stomach.  They even examined the contents of the upchucked material.  They found the label on the ant bait and discovered that it was a slow acting ingredient.  They also hooked her up to an I.V. to get fluids into her.  Then they said that they needed to observe her for a couple hours.  These were a couple of long hours!

It turns out that Lucy is okay!  We were able to head off any sort of poisoning problems with our quick reaction to the discovery of the poisoning.  I guess the moral to the story is two-fold. One, be sure to keep any type of poison under lock and key.  And two, if something does happen, get to the Vet as quickly as possible.  Quick reaction time is critical in poisoning cases.

In my last post I wrote about pet insurance.  In this post I have to tell you that we had good cause to use it.  Our Vet bill was minimum due to the fact that we have good pet insurance for our dog.  And Lucy received outstanding care as a result of it!  As I write this post, Lucy is laying at my feet and seemingly in good health and humor.  I trust your pet and best friend is doing the same...

Health Insurance for Your Dog

The word insurance is one of those words that just makes you cringe. Next to putting gas in your car it seems like insurance is the biggest expense you have.  There is so much that you need! You need to keep insurance on your car (it would have been really nice if somebody would have told how big a financial drain that was going to be), if you own a home you pay homeowners insurance, if you rent an apartment you have renters insurance, you struggle with the ever soaring cost of health care insurance, and if you are a really responsible family member you have life insurance. And now you find you are hearing that you should consider purchasing a health insurance plan for your pet.
  
You love your dog, he/she's more then a pet, she's a valued member of your family and probably your best friend. But health insurance? You can barely afford to put food on your table how are you supposed to be able to afford to insure your pet. Besides he's just a mutt, dog health care insurance is for fancy purebred show dogs, not your rescue pet.
  
The shoestring you’re probably living on is the very reason you might want to consider putting pet health insurance on your pet. The average dog owner takes their pet dog to the veterinarian approximately 2.3 times a year and it will cost you approximately three hundred dollars per year.  My guess is that each time you pay the vet bill your budget is screaming for mercy.
  
What happens if your dog contracts a disease, or gets hurt? It doesn't take much to rack up some pretty serious vet bills. What if you have to leave town and can't take your dog with you? Can you really afford to leave your dog at a boarding kennel? You already know how much you have to pay for your prescriptions, do you really think that a dog prescription is going to be any cheaper. Lucy's last visit was several hundred dollars for a urinary track infection. I'm glad we had pet health-care coverage.

Your dog is your best friend and a treasured member of your family could you really live with yourself if you had to put him to sleep just because you couldn't afford his vet bill.
  
It is possible to get health care insurance for your dog for approximately twenty dollars a month. While it might not cover all of your dogs vet care needs, it could help!  If you shop around and read each plan carefully you should even be able to find a pet health-care plan that will help pay for your routine vet visits. Some pet insurance plans will even cover some boarding expenses.

Some questions you should ask the pet health insurance company you are considering buying a pet health care policy from is whether or not your vet accepts that particular type of insurance, if there is a cap on treatments, how much is your deductible, and how will they handle any pre-existing conditions your dog might have.







If you have taken on the joy of having a pet, why not pony up and be responsible enough to provide the care your pet truly deserves?  Get pet insurance...

“All animals except man know that the ultimate of life is to enjoy it.” –Samuel Butler

Mr. Butler must have been a great observer of nature. Or, he must have understood the nature of dogs. One thing I can honestly say is our dog Lucy does understand the concept of enjoying life.
Currently Terri and I are spending more time outdoors enjoying the pool. Lucy, who is not a great swimmer, makes a game of chasing us while we swim. She’ll run or pace back and forth on the deck as we swim or float from one end to the other. She seems to really enjoy the activity. At other times she’ll just sit and watch from the comfort of some shady spot near the pool in the backyard.

I now must relay a story to you… In my attempt to get Lucy more involved in our activities I have been trying to teach her to swim. Lucy will not enter the pool unless I carry her in and then to remain there, I must assist her by supplying support while she is in the water. She will not attempt to swim on her own! This holds true even when we are out on hiking trips and there is a lake nearby, she simply will not attempt to swim.

Well, the other day Lucy was really interested in getting in the water so I retrieved her and brought her in the pool. I’m trying to make her understand that the steps are safe for her as the water is not above her chest level. The first introduction to the water went fine. I carried her in and then sat her on the steps of the pool. Great, she sat there for a moment and then got out of the pool on her own. A few moments later she was back at the side of the pool as if asking to get back in. So, I got out of pool lifted her up to carry her into the pool. We entered into the pool just fine but once I reach the floor of the pool I lost my footing and slipped. I didn’t drop Lucy put she thought I was going too! Lucy demonstrated to me that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself in the water. It’s as if she could walk on water with the way she got out of the pool.

So what’s the moral of the story? I guess it’s this, if a dog wants to swim it can… Even though Boxers aren’t necessarily naturally attracted to the water, they can swim when they have to! Don’t force the issue, they’ll swim if they have to and swim with a passion. The best thing you can do for them is be encouraging and perhaps supply them with a floatation device such as a dog specific life preserver… A dog, especially a Boxer knows how to make their own fun, don’t press the issue!

What To Know Before You Give a Dog a Treat!

What dog does not love getting a treat or two now and then? Lucy love treats and looks forward to them! Dog owners also love giving their dog’s treats! I know I do! If you have a dog, then you probably have a good idea of what your dog likes to nibble on, right?

There are so many treats available these days and they all come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and consistencies. For every great treat, there are those on the market that are not good at all. Some treats can harm your pet by being lodged in your dog’s throat or intestines which can cause choking or intestinal ruptures. If you love treating your best friend, then you want to be aware of those treats that can be potentially harmful. Even with treats that are not usually dangerous, you need to supervise your dog when they eat. Here's a short list of things to treat or not to treat your dog with...

Dental Chews: Most dogs really enjoy these treats. They are advertised as a treats that help clean your dog’s teeth. However, you need to be aware that dental chews can cause choking. Some dogs eat these very quickly which causes large chunks that my lodge in the throat. Young puppies should not eat dental chews and as well as dogs that are prone to “scarfing” their food. If your dog eats these treats, be aware of potential vomiting, bloody stools, and difficulty breathing. If you notice any of these symptoms after your dog has eaten a dental chewy treat, seek medical attention immediately.

Chocolate: I've written about Chocolate in the past, it is a terrible thing to allow your dog to eat. Of course, sometimes dogs get into candy and cake without your knowing. Chocolate is toxic to both dogs and cats, so you need to be aware of your dog sneaking chocolate nibbles. Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine. This acts in the canine about the same way caffeine acts in the human. A little will make the doge hyperactive, but a huge dose may be fatal. If your dog has gotten into chocolate, you need to look for vomiting, shallow breathing, and irregular heartbeat. A visit to the emergency vet is a really good idea if your dog gets into a large quantity of chocolate.

Bones: It seems that it is the right of every dog to be able to crunch on a real bone from time to time. Dogs love bones of all types. If you own a boxer or some other short face dog, it probably a good idea to keep all bones away from them. Bones can be dangerous for dogs like boxer for a couple different reasons, they are not set up dentally to chew the bones properly. In addition, both chicken and turkey bones are especially dangerous because they are brittle. When your dog chews on them, they can easily splinter and cause choking. Some pork and beef bones can also cause the same problem. Veterinarians agree that the one of the safest bones you can give your dog is a shinbone. If you must give your dog a bone, make sure you supervise your pooch and if he or she shows signs of bleeding, then you should call your vet immediately for some advice.

Rawhide: What dog does not love snacking on these chewy treats? Lucy will chew on one for hours, wearing herself out. Rawhide chews are good because they help clean your dog’s teeth and keeps your dog occupied. Rawhide can be dangerous as well! Some rawhide that originate outside of the United States may actually be preserved with arsenic-based chemicals that will be ingested by your dog when he or she chews. For this reason, make certain that any rawhide treat you purchase is processed in the United States where this type of preservative is forbidden. If you cannot tell where a treat originated do not buy it! It is best to purchase this type of chewy from a reputable franchise dealer such as Pet co or Pet smart. In addition make sure you buy rawhide that are the right size for your dog.

I'm not saying that you cannot give your dog an occasional treat. That is one of the fun parts of owning a dog. You do however, need to watch your dog and make sure that your dog is safe when snacking. Always pay attention to what kind of treat you give your dog in case of there is a problem! If you are looking for a proper treat for your dog, you may want to discuss the issue with your vet or knowledgeable people at a pet store such as PetSmart or PetCo. Lucy's treats come these, she really likes an all natural ingredient apple treat that we buy for her. Yes, I said apple treat, she loves them and they're low calorie as well... she must keep her girlish figure!

A hero has fallen...

This post has nothing to do with Lucy but this is a story that I must share with you! A friend of mine sent this to me, please read it...

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded and dying in the jungle
in the Ia Drang Valley. November 11, 1965. LZ X-ray , Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8-1 and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in.

You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns and you know you're not getting out. Your family is half way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and out, you know this is the day. Then - over the machine gun noise - you faintly hear that sound of a helicopter. You look up to see an unarmed Huey. But ... it doesn't seem real because no Medi-Vac markings are on it.

Ed Freeman is coming for you.

He's not Medi-Vac so it's not his job, but he's flying his Huey down into the machine gun fire anyway. Even after the Medi-Vacs were ordered not to come. He's coming anyway.

And he drops it in and sits there in the machine gun fire, as they load 2 or 3 of you on board. Then he flies you up and out through the gunfire to the doctors and nurses.

And, he kept coming back!! 13 more times!! He took about 30 of you and your buddies out who would never have gotten out. Medal of Honor Recipient, Ed Freeman, died last Wednesday at the age of 80, in Boise , Idaho . May God Rest His Soul. I bet you didn't hear about this hero's passing, but we've sure seen a whole bunch about Michael Jackson. . . Medal of Honor Winner Ed Freeman. Shame on the American media!

Lucy's new friends ...

Our friends from San Diego came out to visit a week or so back. These are really great friends that we have been separated from by time and distance due to military service and the hassles of life. It was one of the highlights of our stay here in Memphis to have them reunite with us. Its kind of funny how life changes your situations.

When we were together before at an Air Force base in the frozen tundra of North Dakota, Terri and I were in mist of raising our three kids. As a matter of fact, our kids were younger then, than the our friend's kids are now... Back then our friends were freshly married with no kids yet. What a role reversal with Terri and I being "empty nesters" and our friend now in the middle of raising a family. My how time changes things! Now with that said, I've got to tell you about how Lucy reacted to the visit.

I think dogs have a sixth sense about people. It seems from the time that our friends entered the door Lucy was attached to them. I honestly think Lucy could sense the excitement that Terri and I had about our friends coming to visit! She instantly took to both of the our friends kids, and why not, they're great kids! Anytime the girls were in the house Lucy wanted to be right there with them. She accepted them right into the pack.

Now that our friends have left I think Lucy misses them... I know we do! The house feels just a bit bigger and bit emptier. When they first left, Lucy spent a good deal of time in the room where the kids were sleeping, as if waiting for them to return in order to spend time with them. It warms me to think that our old friends are now Lucy's new friends! I trust they return for another visit soon, I know Lucy's thinking the same... Pals!

A Great Cause...

I received this letter recently and I just feel obligated to share it with everyone that my come across this blog. The embedded links in the message lead to a site for books that profit the care of orphaned and abandoned dogs and discourages puppy mills. Please read the letter and follow the links. I think you'll be glad you did... The last link in the letter is a really touching story about a white boxer that is a must read...

Dear Bob,

I enjoy your Lucy the White Boxer Dog blog and thought you might be interested in a project I'm working on that features some white Boxers.

I’m raising awareness about puppy mills and supporting dog rescue groups by publishing breed-specific books full of stories about adopted dogs. The books give proud owners of adopted dogs a chance to showcase them, raise awareness about dog adoption and breed characteristics, and generate funding for dog rescue through the donation of a portion of each sale. We’ve now completed “Lost Souls: Found!” books on Boston Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Labradors, Pit Bulls, and Boxers. We have also published a very special memoir of a Hollywood Studio Wrangler who has worked on set with adopted dogs entitled “Hollywood Barks!”


There's a story from our upcoming Boxer book about a white Boxer posted at http://happytailsbooks.com/story1.htm . Thought you might enjoy it. We would greatly appreciate it if you could post about the book and let friends and family know about it. Profits go back to dog rescue efforts.
Thank you,

Kyla

The story about Rocky the White Boxer really touched me. I trust you find something on this site that touched you as well... Please do visit the site! It for a great cause! Thanks!!!

Another Snow Day...

It's snowing again here in Memphis. The forecast is for snow through the morning turning to rain and sleet during mid-day and back to snow again this evening. It seems that all the weather guys are blaming "EL Nino'" once again. What else could it be but "global warming" causing an increase in moisture coming across Mexico and Texas and then into heartland of the United States. I wonder if Lucy sees things this way?

Lucy and I awoke this morning to prepare for our weekly ritual of getting ready to go to work and her to go to work guarding the home-front while Terri and I are away. To our surprise there was 5 inches of snow on the ground. A quick phone call into work confirmed my thoughts that today would be a good day to stay home. Work was canceled due to the road conditions here in Memphis. Terri's work day will be at home as well.

Since we all have the day off we'll try to enjoy the day! I can use another day off to help in my recovering from last weeks trip to the hospital.

Lucy was excited to get out this morning and checkout the yard and perform her morning chores. She was quite surprised by the fresh snow and took off like a shot to go play in it. Wow, was she ever animated this morning. I think that she was having the time of her life out in the snow but there may be another reason why she plays so hard in the snow!

I have no proof of this, but it is my theory that she stays so active in the snow to keep warm. With her thin coat and low body fat I think she instinctively keeps moving to keep warm. It's kind of what the military teaches in survival school to fight off hypothermia when you get wet and can't build a fire in the cold. Keep moving to keep your body core temp up. Funny how animals do these things instinctively...

I have a small ceramic space heater that I keep in the office area where I'm writing at the moment. I have our computer desk setup over by a big sliding glass window and the curtains are open at the moment. Lucy is laying at my feet staring out the window absorbing the heat from the space heater. Every once in awhile she glances up at me as to say, "when are we going back outside to play?" You know, I think right about now would be a good time... see you in a bit!

It's cold in Memphis...

Today is one of those days when you may as well not even get out of your PJ's. You see, Memphis is covered in ice! I don't believe I could even get my car out of the drive at the moment because of the ice. Lucy's setting here next to me gazing out the sliding glass door next to my computer in the office area. Every once in awhile she looks at me and just whimpers... I know what she's saying, "I wish I could go out and play but it's just to cold out there!"

Boxers really don't care for the cold very much. Being a short haired dog with very little body fat for warmth, I can't say that I blame them. Sure Lucy will go out and play in the snow for short periods of time, but when it comes to cold like we are experiencing here in Memphis today, I can honestly say that all she really wants to do is curl up on a chair or sofa and get under a blanket! I feel pretty much the same today..

Tolerance to cold is something you might want to consider when picking our a dog if you live in a region that stays cold for long periods of time. Boxers are kind of like people, they prefer more moderate temperatures, not to hot and surely not to cold. Today I think Lucy and I both would prefer to be in Cancun or at least somewhere where the sun is shining and temp is around 72 degrees! Maybe tomorrow will be a bit warmer, one can always hope...

Update...

Wow, has it really been this long since I’ve written on this blog? I didn’t mean for it to take so long in getting something posted on this site. Life has a way of keeping us from the things that we really enjoy. This blog is really one of those items that I truly do enjoy. Writing about the adventures of Lucy the White Boxer Dog her pack of friends is something that I am very fond of!
Since I have limited time today this post will be a short note to let everyone know that Lucy is doing well and in good health. We continue to have issues with Lucy’s ears from time to time but the meds that I mentioned in one of the posts on this site seem to keep the problem in check. Boxers do tend to have issues of this sort their entire life.

We’ve managed to move into a new home over the course of the last couple months. The new place has a huge yard for Lucy to enjoy, although the weather hasn’t really cooperated for her to spend much time outdoors. But then again, I don’t think the weather anywhere in the Central U.S. has been all that great anywhere lately.

Thank you for following this blog and we’ll have more posts in the near future.

Why do Boxers eat grass?

Ever since Lucy was a pup, she has grazed like a cow at times on grass. Not just any grass, but rather, the long leafy variety. For a while I was puzzled by this behavior. Is she hungry? Am I not feeding her enough? Is there a vitamin or mineral that she is not getting in her diet? What is causing this behavior? These are all the things that went through my mind each time she performed the act of eating grass.

One day when we had Lucy in to visit the Vet for a check-up and recurring shots, I queried the Vet on Lucy’s lawn mower like behavior. Here’s the answer that I received…

Boxers will eat grass for a couple of different reasons. First reason they eat grass is an upset stomach. If a boxer is experiencing intestine irritation they will eat grass to neutralize the acids in their stomach. The grass also adds a bit of roughage to their diet. Second reason for the Boxer to eat grass is to induce vomiting. If they have something in there stomach that is not agreeing with them they’ll try to hack the item up to get out of their system. Lastly the Vet informed me that it is just a canine behavior and that I shouldn’t worry about the activity because is natural for a boxer or any dog to eat green leafy plants. Just be mindful of the plant materials she was attempting to eat because some can be harmful to dogs. “If she’s crazing on grass don’t worry about it.”

I guess the moral to the story is I’m an over-protect type when it comes to my white boxer dog Lucy. Now when she eats grass I just smile and think that dogs are amazing creatures to be able to find things in nature that help them through life and make them feel better. What a remarkable creature man’s best friend is!

Boxer Dog Monotony and Variety

Monotony and variety are always inter-connected in case of dog misbehavior. Yes, this is true! Many a times, monotony can be managed with an assortment of materials that will distract the animals to a greater degree. Hence, the dog may not do the deviant or unwanted activity arising out of the monotony it experiences.

Boredom experienced dogs may have different types of behavioral patterns. For example, some dogs will be seen barking incessantly and some may engaged themselves with digging activities.

There are many ways to get your dog out of its boredom activities. Many toys are available which simulated ducks, dogs, rodents and many others. These toys may be kept inside the crate. Puppies absolutely love these items! A Buster Cube with multiple treats may be placed in the dog’s sanctuary and the animal soon understands on how to roll the buster cube to get the treats it prefers. A Buster Cube is an ingenious toy use for simulating and activating your dog during play and feed time. Instead of placing the food boringly in one place, change the place of feeding unexpectedly and your dog will relish searching out the new placement of its food.

Such actions will be helpful for removing the monotony like activity in your dog. Activities pertaining to monotony need to be redefined well by the dog owners. This will help them to a greater extent to drive away the unwanted behavior patterns in their pet dogs.

For example, some dogs may often have destructive biting behaviors and will be seen biting chairs, clothes, mats, and everything that can get into their mouths. After ruling out the teething problem if it is a puppy, provide it with some large sized balls, mineral mixture based bone materials, etc. Such diversity of materials help to reduce the boredom related activities.

By following these few simple suggestions you can turn your dogs dull and bored lifestyle into an assortment of fun filled activities that may save you a headache and perhaps money replacing the items a bored boxer can destroy... I trust this will help someone with their favorite critter!

A new picture...

Lucy and I on a walk through Shelby Farms Park two weeks ago. The picture was taken by Terri my wife... We had a great day!

Sunday...

Sunday was a beautiful day! Days like yesterday are why you put up with 3 months of hot humid summer in Memphis. Sunday's temp never got above 68 degrees with a very light breeze. The sun was shining and the shadows seemed longer than than they were a few short days ago.

Lucy followed the sun all over the house yesterday. We opened up the upper patio door with the screen remaining shut. I think she must have spent about 4 hours just moving from spot to spot at that door, following the warm rays of the sun and the sweet smells of fall. What a wonderful experience watching her move about communing with life.

We didn't do much in the way of special events yesterday, or did we? We did enjoy the day!!! I wish for more days like Sunday!!! I wish them for everyone!

Look at this dog's face...

'Dear Lord: Thank you for bringing me to Timmy's house and not to Michael Vick's!

AMEN!'

Of all the junk we get over the Internet, occasionally we get something like this. Too good not to pass on.

Updated comments on one of my posts...

I just updated or answered a comment on my post that discussed whether or not you should breed a white boxer. There seems to be some conflicting views. For more on the subject please go to that posting and read the comments section. If you have a thought on the subject please add them to the comment section of the post. Click here to go to that post.

Shelby Farms Park

I just can’t say enough about how lucky I am to live the great city Memphis, TN. What makes Memphis so great are all the incredible venues for entertainment and relaxation. Memphis has one of the nicest city parks of any city in the United States. For a moderate size city to have a city park like Shelby Farms Park is incredible.

Shelby Farms is located in the eastern part of the city surrounded by urban living. The park itself is huge and offers a great deal of outdoor activity that you don’t normally find in an urban environment. You can do just about any outdoor activity short of camping and hunting. Terri and I take full advantage of Shelby Farms in our mountain bike activities.

The one area of the park that is especially of interest to this blog is the outstanding dog park. This is a place that we take Lucy on a regular basis. The dog park area consists of about twenty acres of well kempt land dedicated to outdoor fun with your dog. The dog park has two, several acre ponds for Lucy to play in as well as a couple of miles of single track trail for her to run and explore. Being able to take her off leash is priceless to us.

What really impressed me on trip yesterday was the socialization with other dogs that Lucy gets. What made it really great was there were other boxers at the park. Lucy struck up a friendship with a good looking brindle boxer fellow yesterday. By the time we were leaving the park you would have thought that the two dogs had been life-long companions. Lucy really had great fun in the sun with Storm the brindle boxer running in and out of the pond and through the tall fall grass. What a great sight to see!

What a great city Memphis is to live in…

One pictue, very few words...

I just had to load this picture onto the blog. It so much captures the spirit of a great dog. It looks as if she's posing for the picture! The picture was taken last fall on one of our many hikes together.

Lucy's day out... she went to work!

I took Lucy to work with me yesterday. Yip, my work place allows us to bring our dogs into work on occation. The only caviet to the having them at work is the dog must not interfere with anyone's work or be aggressive in any manner.

Lucy did great! What a great way to get some socialization for your critter. There are a lot of folks at work that bring in their dogs. Its a fun outing for both the dog and the master. Most of the folks at work even keep treats in their desks for the occation.

I'd like to hear about other folks that take their dogs to work. Programs? Drop us a line and tell your story.

Too Kill an American

A friend sent this to me. Since we just passed the eighth year anniversary of 911 and the hatrid never seems to stop, I thought this was appropriate to post on my blog. I offer this up for thought and comment...

Written by an Australian Dentist

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is. So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or on e of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion.... For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return........When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11,2001 Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan ...The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo , and Stalin , and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place, they are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

In the spirit of being an American I think this says it all, for all of us!

You can't breed a white boxer...

Occasionally I get messages from fans of Lucy and also asked questions about breeding our white boxer from friends. I'm sorry to say that although the white boxer is not a rare occurrence, breeding of the white boxer is not sanctioned by any kennel group.

In the past, most kennels and breeders would put down a white boxer because they do not comply with the standards of the boxer breed. Other reasons for not wanting to breed a white boxer are the associated physical problems that a white boxer may encounter. It is reported that the gene that produces the white flash in the boxer breed is associated with deafness. A white boxer is actually a fawn or brindle with a heavy flash. Nearly 18% of all white boxers have hearing loss in one or both ears which makes them a special needs dog. Luckily for us, Lucy does not display any hearing problems at this time.

More health issues include increased chance of sunburn and skin cancer. When we take Lucy out on sunny days we have to mindful of this fact. They do make sunscreen for dogs and if you have a white short-haired dog of any kind I'd recommend that you put sunscreen or sunblock on your dog. This will cut down on the chances of skin cancer tremendously.

Terri and I love the boxer breed. I don't think we will ever own any other type of dog. We are especially attracted to the white boxer, but to own one comes with some tough rules. Don't breed a white boxer is the number one rule! If you are lucky enough to acquire a white boxer from a litter of pups from a reputable breeder you will almost certainly have to sign a spay and neuter contract. I think the best way to acquire any dog is through adoption, however...

Please do not let anything I've written here deter you from owning a white boxer. They make great family pets and therapy dogs.

Cycling Obession

I’ve been an avid cyclist for a long while. Terri and I like to ride on a regular basis. In the past, we mostly rode our performance bikes on the roads. We have two very nice road bikes that we have had for a while now. Recently we made an investment into two new mountain bikes. I must say that we have had a blast riding mountain bike lately!

Terri was never willing to ride much mountain bike with me for fear of my taking her down a mogul trail, much like I use to do when we snow skied together. Well times have changed and I’m not quite as crazy as I once was in my youth. Our time together on the bikes is some the best high quality time we can possibly spend together. We look forward to biking almost every day now. This has left us with one problem. How do we get our Lucy involved in the fun? We’ve been playing with the idea of letting her run with us on the back trails at state parks and such but are fearful of doing so because of leash laws and park rangers.

There are some dog parks in the local area that will allow us to do this but they are congested. I’d hate to run over someone or their dog on my bike! I wonder how many people actually take their dogs with them when they go mountain biking on back country treks?

One major concern is Lucy’s conditioning. I’m sure that she would run herself into the ground to keep up with us. We would have to do short trips at first just to build up her endurance I’m almost certain. We are going to give this idea a shot just as soon as we can find the right location. I’ll make future posts on how the outings go and how Lucy adjusted to them…

Looking for answers...

This past weekend we were visiting family down in Texas and had a great time of it. We've always tried to include Lucy in on our trips whenever possible and she is a great traveller. The weekend was absolutely perfect until we arrived at our daughter Lauren's house on Monday before our scheduled return time. Lucy was in great spirits and doing fine, getting along with everything that came her way until we met up with her former family member Maddy the Boxer dog...

Maddy and Lucy grew up together in the same home for the most part. Actually, Lucy was about 6 months old when we first got her and Maddy helped Lucy join the family. They got along great until Lucy became taller than Maddy. One day they got into a dispute over by their feeding area. Neither of the two dogs backed down, and you guessed it, they got into a fight. Now this behavior has become a common occurrence when they get together.

My problem is, I don't understand why one dog is trying to dominate the other? They both have the same privileges, care and attention. Could their behavior be due to them both trying to establish the Alpha role? Other than keeping the dogs separated is there a technique that can be used to help them get through this behavior when they see each other? Or would it be best just to keep them permanently separated from one another? Help...

Some thoughts...

O’ to be a dog like Lucy with not a care in the world…

A friend of mine sent me the following statistics. To some this is a reflection of the state of things in United States of America. Just thought I’d post these thoughts and see what comes of it…

It looks like "Change" equals more badly run government programs!

The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775 - they've had 234 years to get it right; it is broke, and even though heavily subsidized, it is not able to compete with private sector FedEx and UPS services.

Social Security was established in 1935 - they've had 74 years to get it right; it is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938 - they've had 71 years to get it right; it is broke. Freddie Mac was established in 1970 - they've had 39 years to get it right; it is broke. Together Fannie and Freddie have now led the entire world into the worst economic collapse in 80 years.

The War on Poverty was started in 1964 - they've had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our hard earned money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor"; it hasn't worked.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965 - they've had 44 years to get it right; they are both broke; and now our government dares to mention them as models for all US health care.

AMTRAK was established in 1970 - they've had 39 years to get it right; last year they bailed it out again, as it continues to run at a loss.

This year, a trillion dollars was committed in the massive political payoff called the Stimulus Bill of 2009; it shows NO sign of working; it's been used to increase the size of governments across America, and raise government salaries while the rest of us suffer from economic hardships. It has yet to create a single new private sector job. Our national debt projections (approaching $10 trillion) have increased 400% in the last six months.

"Cash for Clunkers" was established in 2009 and went broke in 2009 - - after 80% of the cars purchased turned out to be produced by foreign companies, and dealers nationwide are buried under bureaucratic paperwork demanded by a government that is not yet paying them what was promised.

So with a perfect 100% failure rate and a record that proves that each and every "service" shoved down our throats by an over-reaching government turns into disaster, how could any informed American trust our government to run or even set policies for America's health care system - - 17% of our economy?

“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labours of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”
-- Thomas Jefferson

Walking the dog...

I must relay something that happened to me the other day while walking Lucy with my wife Terri. Here’s what happens…

Terri and I were walking Lucy out in front of our housing area. There is a main street that has a lot of traffic passing by. Well, all of a sudden a Germantown Police Vehicle passes us and then proceeds up to the turn-around on the four lane avenue, then goes past us in the opposite direction and turns around and puts its lights on and stops about fifty feet in front of us on the street. The female police officer jumps out of her car and starts to approach us. Now, your thoughts are probably the same as mine at the time. What did I do to draw the attention of the police while out walking my dog?

It turns out that the police officer had just been talking to a friend of hers, about maybe finding a white boxer dog. Her friend has a fawn colored boxer and I guess the officer is in love with the dog. She said that she had never seen a white boxer before and would we mind if she took a picture with Lucy to send to her friend. We said yes to the picture and then talked with her for about twenty minutes about boxers and how the white boxer really isn’t that rare. Almost twenty percent of all boxers are considered to be white or check.

The officer was very interested in acquiring a white boxer and asked if we knew of anyone who may breed them. We told her our story of how we adopted Lucy and how you really aren’t suppose to breed for a white boxer. We also told her to check with a boxer adoption agency if she was truly interested in getting a white boxer. White boxers are the most put up for adoption of the breed. This is probably because a lot of the white boxers have some type of special need.

If you are considering a new dog, please consider a dog that needs a good home. Adoption is the purest method of acquiring a dog in my mind. Almost every dog that we have ever adopted has turned out to be a very special part of our family. Thanks!

Went to the dog park today...

Lucy and I went over to the dog park at Shelby Farms Park today. It was warmer today than it has been and the humidity was up just a bit. Shelby Farms Park has a specific dog park area where you are allowed to unleash your dog. There is a pond for the dogs to swim in and just stay cool. This is so much fun for Lucy!

I can't believe how socialized Lucy has become. Even with all that was going on by the lake she never lost her focus on what the trip was about. Sure she was there to play, but she was also there to get good solid exercise.

Once we set off away from the other dogs she was on voice command and the time I've put in with her has paid off. Even with the distraction of other dogs she payed attention to what I commanded. I think she knows that I am commanding her for her own safety and she responds.

One example of good solid behavior occurred while we were on the hiking trail when we ran into some other folks with three dogs. Lucy introduced herself and then we started off again and one of the other folk's dog decided she wanted to follow Lucy.

Well Lucy had headed up the trail from me about fifty or so yards and the other dog went running after her. The other dog's owner was calling and calling for his dog to come back with no response. To remedy the situation I went into my call position and called for Lucy to come to me. She returned instantly and held in place until the other dog owner was able to retrieve his dog, standing next to Lucy! To say the least I very proud of my Lucy! The other owner looked at Lucy and I and said thank you. I released Lucy and we proceeded down the trail.

What a great outing...

A pleasant evening...

What a pleasant evening in Memphis last night. We have been experiencing some really great weather here in Memphis over the last week or so. We’ve been experiencing mild weather with temp in the daytime around 85 degrees and cool evenings in the 70s. What’s really nice is the fact that the humidity has been relatively low for this part of the country.

What made last evening especially nice was the way that Lucy and I spent our evening. Lucy and I spent most of the evening setting outside on the balcony. There were very few lights on in the neighborhood and the music of the crickets was playing very genteelly in the background. We were caught in a moment together just sitting there! It was one of those moments that only an animal lover can appreciate. We must have been out there for a couple of hours but I can’t say for sure. I lost all track of time! A perfect evening with a great friend… the only thing that was missing was conversation, or was it?

I’ve come to love my adopted city and the many great things that Memphis and the surrounding area has to offer. Last night was just one more gift that this great place where I live, with my wife and Lucy, has to offer.

Lucy the White Boxer Dog: No more about my travels...

Lucy the White Boxer Dog: No more about my travels...

Comes a time...

To our family! Thank you for the memories and good times!

How to travel with your favorite critter…

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. How many times have you seen people driving down the road with a dog in the back of a pickup truck or perhaps hanging out the window of a car? I get really irate when I see this!
The proper way to travel with a dog is with it securely inside the vehicle. If you have ever witnessed a dog falling out of the back of a pickup truck, and I have, it is not a pretty site. The damage is incredible!

When travelling, Lucy has her own spot in the car. If she isn’t in a create, she is securely placed in her own space in the rear of my vehicle. I don’t allow here to hang out the window or roam about the car, period, end of discussion. Allowing a dog to hang out the vehicle is asking for trouble. The potential for injury from flying debris or falling out is enormous. It’s okay to open the window a bit to allow the dog to take in all the great smells in this world but it is not okay to allow them outside the safety of the vehicle.

I would even make a case for car restraints for your dog. There are some really great systems on the market for restraining you pet. To find one, all a person has to do is look! Try this out, type in “dog vehicle restraint “ in your Google search window, I’m sure you’ll find one that will work in your car with your animal. End of rant!

No more about my travels...

After thinking about it for a bit, I'm not going to write about my trip to Europe any more. It doesn't fit this blog's theme and I've been critiqued by my wife that I should stay on topic in this blog. So, here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to put together a few articles on travel and post them to my website under the topic of "Travel". If you would like to read about The Netherlands you'll be able to access that information over on my website in a couple of weeks. I'll be back on topic with this blog in a couple of days. Thanks for putting up with my rants about my trip.

My trip to Holland and Germay

The beginning…

The trip began with a nine hour flight on North-Worst Airlines. Toons and I met up at the airport with the appropriate amount of time to check in for the flight, exchange some money at the airport and stop in at one of the many pubs to be found at Memphis International Airport.

Our flight to Amsterdam was uneventful, although I barely fit in the seat that I was assigned back in coach. The hardest part of the trip was the flight. Nine hours on an airplane in an uncomfortable seat with only three hours of darkness total is hard to take. Flying out of Memphis to Amsterdam you lose seven hours travelling east in the summer. Jet lagged at landing to say the least.

Okay, so we arrive in The Netherlands with plenty of time to spare to catch the train to Maastricht where we are to join up with the rest of our business group and then travel to Brunssum where we are to stay for the week. Confused by the train schedule, I almost started an international incident when I asked an attendant if this was the train to Utricht, the place we were to change trains. The attendant informed me that this was not the train I wanted and then asked me what time my train was suppose to leave the station? I told her 12:00 noon and she looked at me angrily and informed that it was not 12:00PM yet and turned around and walked off. This clued me in real fast that you don’t ask questions as to the time a train is to run. The trains run on time in Holland and Germany!

So, the train showed up on time and we began our trip. We met our connection in Utricht and began our journey to Maastricht. The train made an intermediate stop during our trip to Maastricht. The conductor came on the interphone and made an announcement in Dutch and started to countdown. Then the train continued its journey with Toons and I on it. We were suppose to arrive in Maastricht at 14:32 and I had learned to follow my watch and look for the station signs. Guess what, we didn’t arrive in Maastrict, we ended up in Heerlein, which is about 30 kilometers from where we wanted to be. You see, when the conductor made his announcement and started counting, he was identifying that the train was splitting in half with one half going to Maastricht and the other going to Heerlein. Luckily for us there was another train that arrived five minutes after we got off in Heerlein that was bound for Maastricht. This added about an hour total to our time traveling on the train to Maastricht.

To make a long story short, study the train schedule when traveling in Europe and don’t trust that you understand anything that is going on around you…

Just got back...

Well I just got back from Europe. My business trip was successful and our customer is happy with the new course-ware that we delivered. The next couple of posts will be about some of the things that I did while over in Europe and not working. I trust that no one will mind if I write about something other than Lucy. Although I must tell you, since I've been back she has not left my side for a moment when I'm at home. I guess she missed me? I keep telling Terri that Lucy is her dog and I'm Lucy's dog. The hierarchy of the pack is well established!

Business Trip

I'm on a business trip to The Nederlands and I managed to find some time to go see some of the sites in Germany. Wouldn't you know it; anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

I awoke around 5:30am Saturday excited about the events of the day. I had planned for this event very carefully. I showed up about an hour early for breakfast at the hotel that I'm staying at. I am in The Nederlands with some folks that I work with. And two of us have to drop two other at the train station to go to the airport in Amsterdam. We meet them in the dining room and proceeded to the car to go to the Euro Rail. Yes, you guessed it; one of them left a bag in the breakfast area with their passport inside and their entire ID. Luckily this is a fairly safe and honest place; it was exactly where they left it.

A trip anywhere is an adventure here, especially if you don't speak Dutch. But following the GPS' instruction in the car gets you where you want to go eventually. You do follow the great circle route however!

After dropping our coworkers off Bob Hartoon and I set out for Koln, Germany. Following the route on the GPS once again we made it to our route A4, which is part of the autobahn, arriving about 10AM. Well as soon as we arrived I was excited about shooting some photos of the Cathedral of Koln. This is a church that dates back to the 4th century. Anyway, I got out my D-40 and wouldn't you know it, the battery is dead. It was fully charged the night before but I had left it on over night after downloading some pictures to my laptop computer. Ok I think, I'll just use my cell phone camera and there is no need to get upset. You guessed it again; my cell phone is dead as a brick. Apparently I had left it on as well. So, with no charger to charge my camera or my phone I was stuck using the old portable Kodak disposable with 5 shots left. We took a total of 3 pictures.

After travelling all that way to get only 3 pictures of a structure that I think I could spend a week shooting and not get everything I wanted was a total tragedy! Needless to say I went shopping in Koln and found two different types of chargers. One for my phone in the car with and then one that I can use universally to charge just about any lithium battery made! Moral of the story, don't leave home without you battery charger, it'll set you back about 40 Euros to fix the problem...

Inside every Boxer beats the heart of a clown...

Lucy went to the park today. She ran like she's never run before. Hopping and skipping through the grass with the greatest of ease. Although we were there for less than a half an hour I can honestly say she had a great time.

Boxers in general require a great deal of physical activity to be healthy and happy. They are great athletes and require a good deal physical training. You can train a boxer to do just about anything if you can break through the inner clown that is in every Boxer. This requires patients.

Boxers have the ability to be a guard dog, herder,hunter, the best of family pets and even a retriever if necessary. They are incredibly intelligent dogs. All a person has to do is introduce the activity to the dog in a positive manner and praise them when they get it right. Once they understand that it pleases you to see them do the activity, they'll gladly perform for you over and over again. This is part of their Psyche, they want to make you happy! This is probably true for most dogs, but especially true for the Boxer!

The one thing you must do to get your Boxer to perform for you is have patients and provide them with the training they need to be successful. Training will require time on your part however! If you have a dog that just doesn't seem to be catching on, you will have to do one of two things, either spend more time on training or find someone well versed in the type of activity you are looking for and have them train the dog.

One thing I will caution you on is the trainer. Make sure you examine the training methods used by the trainer. You want to find someone who trains through positive reinforcement versus someone who uses more stern methods. People to ask about training will include your Vet or maybe the folks at a quality boarding house such as Pet Smart or Pet Co. They usually have the inside track on quality trainers...

Yes Lucy is a big clown but I like to consider her a big well trained clown that loves people and wants to please all.

Cruelty to Animals

My daughter Whitney, who lives down in Abilene, TX sent me an article to read about a person who was being charged with cruelty to animals. It seems that the person in question abandoned her two dogs and the house she was living in. The two dogs in question were locked in the home for almost two months with limited food and water.

The two dogs were finally rescued when the home was to be inspected by the company trying to sell the abandoned home. Both dogs were on the verge of starvation. It seems that they had been living off of whatever they could find in the home and their own fecees. Now this is cruelty at its hight!

In these days of homes for unwanted animals and shelters, why would anyone just lock an animal in a house and walk away? What kind of reasoning goes on in the mind of an individual that would do something like this? It would almost be kinder just to take the critter out and shoot it? Of course I'm not advocating shootting a dog that you don't want but I think you get my meaning. There are a lot of options for caring for an animal that you don't want or can't afford to take care of!!!

In my way of thinking, I trust that the individual responsible for this has the book thrown at her! There is just no excuse for this type thing happening.

Ear Infections

Wow, has it been a whole week sense I've written in this blog. Well I've been busy to say the least! The spousal unit had surgery,work is piling up, and Lucy has an ear infection. How's that for a start?

Today's topic is ear infections and Boxers. Lucy is on her second ear infection in the last 3 months. I found out recently that Boxers are very prone to yeast infections in their ears, especially "White Boxers" with their light colored skin (pink to be exact).

The spousal unit, my wife Terri, was discussing this topic with my daughter who happens to be an ex-Vet Tech about the recurrence of the ear infections. What we found out was White Boxers, who usually have some type of difficulty with either their earring or their eye site, are very susceptible to yeast infections in their ears. Most Vets recommend that you wash their ears out every other week or so to prevent infections. This was a total surprise to me! After years of dog ownership, mostly Golden Retrievers, I felt totally stupid!!! I had no idea, and the Vet never told me that I needed to clean my dogs ears that frequently.

There is a solution that that you can buy from your dog's Vet that will totally prevent the occurrence of ear yeast infection. If I had only known that I needed to perform this action on a frequently recurring basis, I would have fulfilled my obligation! Now I'm having to treat her problem, which occurs mostly in the right ear with "Remicin Ointment". "Remicin" can only be obtained from a Vet. It contains gentamicin sulfate which is a sulfa drug. It's amazing how it keeps Lucy from scratching at her ears and it works really fast. The next step is to take her back into the Vet for a proper ear cleaning.

So what's the story here, I'm not sure? All I know now is my favorite critter in the whole world needs to have her ears cleaned every other week! A lesson learned and one that I would like to pass on to other fans of the Boxer Dog, especially the White Boxer. Best of luck to you with your favorite critter...

What a crazy couple of weeks…

What do you do with a dog that is highly active and someone gets ill in the family? Well here’s our story on the topic.

About 10 days ago Terri, my wife, gives me a call and asks me to meet her up at the emergency room at the hospital. She was having some pain in her right side and thought it might be an appendicitis problem? Well it turns out that the problem is something else but it will require surgery to correct.

It took a few days to get the surgery scheduled, so Terri sat me down and worked out a schedule where I could be supportive to her and also take care of our critter Lucy. Terri and I are kind of on an island, dependent upon one another due to the fact that our family is spread out all over the United States and no one but “us” in Memphis. The schedule was arranged to allow me to support her needs as well as Lucy’s schedule of events.

We began our morning of the surgery by getting up early in order to take care of Lucy. She and I even made our morning walk together while Terri put the last minute items together to go to the hospital. Our show time at the hospital was scheduled for 10:30AM with the actual surgery to take place at 12:00PM. The operation actually took about 45 minutes with the recovery room time of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Once Terri came into the room that she would be spending the night, I ensured that she was ok and comfortable then she directed me to go home and take care of Lucy. Lucy met me at the back door with gratitude. She was bit behind in her daily schedule and needed some outdoor time and a treat. Which I accommodated! Then we spent a little time together and I was back off to the hospital to take care of Terri again.

Upon my arrival back at the hospital I found Terri to be ok but heavily sedated with pain medication. I was going to spend the night at the hospital with her but she insisted that go home and take care of things there and let her get some rest. Besides she said, “What are you going to do here, watch me sleep”? So I spent about 3hours with her and then I went back home and did the rest of the items she had scheduled for me to do and spent some time with Lucy.

Ok, so what’s the moral of the story Bob? I guess it goes something like this! Responsibility can be met with the proper schedule. Lucy is part of our family and our responsibility, if I had not been able to perform the tasks required to meet all the needs of our family (Lucy included), I would have to have come up with a different plan, one that would have required us to board Lucy in order for her to get the care and attention that she needs. Bottom line, take care of your responsibilities…

Why would someone get a dog that they don't really want?

I was reading an interesting article the other day in a Charles Schwab newsletter and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The article was stating that "35% of all investors said that emotions influenced their investment decisions. But recent brain scanning reveals that emotions are actively triggered in decisions involving risk and reward, indicating a lack of self-awareness that may prevent investors from reaching their investment goals." My ah-ha moment came to me when I was up on the local adopt a pet site and saw so many homeless animals. People are buying dogs and cats based on emotion without thinking the process through!

Here's how it works- The human brain can be broken down into two parts when it comes to acquiring new things or taking a risk such as a new puppy or kitten. The two parts of the psyche are referred to as the "Reflexive" and "Reflective" brains. Our inner brain (Reflexive) reacts instinctively and emotionally while our outer brain (Reflective) manages our reasoning and our ability to comprehend what we are truly doing. Have you ever gotten scared and reacted to some stimulus? If you did, what happened was emotional and reactive I'm sure. This is your survival mode (Reflexive brain) which is also the part of the brain that addictive behaviors are stored. We achieve great gratification by satisfying the Reflexive brain.

I believe this is why people get animals that they really don't want or need. They get caught up in the emotion of the moment and don't take the time to reflect on what dog or cat ownership is really about or requires. I'd like to take a survey on how many folks have acquired an animal that they ended up cutting loose or turning over to a shelter because they didn't think through the process.

I guess the bottom line of this post is, if you are thinking about getting a new animal, you should really think through the process. Is this animal going to be an inside or outside critter? Who is going to be the primary care giver to the animal? What are the costs associated with owning this animal? Is this animal going to be an integral part of your family or is someone else going to manage it for you? If you don't think through the process before you get your new pet, I'll bet that there will be another homeless animal awaiting adoption in your area.

Please, think before you buy!

Some Reflection Time...

It's another rainy day in Memphis! Most of Tennessee is under about a foot of water today. It always rains here in Memphis during the "Memphis in May Festival." That's why a lot of the locals refer to it as the "Memphis in Mud Festival." For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is a week long music fest that is put on once a year here in Memphis. A lot of great stuff goes on in the downtown area including many concerts from great acts from all over the globe and some of the best barbecue in world is cooked. But this is not what I wanted to write about today.

Last weekend was beautiful weather! The temp got into the 80's and Terri and I decided to take the Mini to the "British Car" gathering up on the north side of town in Millington area. We didn't take Lucy on the trip because we had just cleaned the Mini up for the show. But I wish we had.

At the show we viewed many great old British sports cars. A couple were models that Terri and I had once owned. My favorite two cars in the entire world were there- the 72' Triumph TR-6 and a 68' MGB. I've owned models of both of these cars in my youth. What a great day it was to see these cars again! Anyway, this is not what I wanted to write about either.

What I want to write about is something that I observed at the car show. I saw people there enjoying their day out in the sunshine. They brought their kids and some brought their dogs. One dog in particular made an impression on me. He was a "Bernese Mountain Dog" (I hope I spelled that right?), a cancer survivor and an adopted pet. His mate was also there, also of the same breed and also adopted.

What impressed me about the male,we'll call him "Sam", was that Sam had a leg amputated due to cancer! Now this is one big dog, and to be running around like he was, was most impressive! The missing leg did not slow him down one bit! He was happy and very approachable. Both he and his mate were two of the best behaved dogs I have seen in a long time. Great pets, that had been adopted and are happy and well.

Two cute boxer puppies were also at the show. Sam and his mate greeted them like they were long lost family members. Sam was so gentle with the young dogs. I couldn't help but be please with the nurturing behavior that I observed.

To wrap this up, I would just like to put in a plug for adoption of pets. Even though some animals may appear to have a handicap, with love and patience on your part they can live happy and healthy and provide you with the companionship that only a survivor like Sam can offer. It was truly a great experience for both Terri and I to meet this brave dog and his wonderful owner...

If you are thinking about a new pet, check out the adoption centers in your area. There many more great examples of wonderful dogs to be found.