Today We Rescued Your Dog
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
by Pat Closher
Today we rescued your dog. We don’t know where you got him from - maybe you saw him in a pet store window or maybe one of your neighbors bred a few litters a year just to make some vacation money or because they loved their dogs so much that of course they wanted to have puppies. We don’t know much about how you cared for him either, although our vet thought that for such a young dog, his teeth were in pretty bad shape.
Did you know they were going to keep him outside? At least it was a pretty mild winter. There were no heavy snows, not much heavy winter rain and only a few days of bitter cold. But for all of those weeks he had no companionship, no care, and no love.
For some reason, your grandparents took him to the shelter. Maybe a neighbor complained about him or maybe their own health gave out or maybe they just got tired of him. You know the local shelter is a kill shelter, don’t you? You know that their own statistics indicate that about half of the dogs that enter are killed, don’t you? Maybe your grandparents thought he would be adopted quickly. He is a purebred, after all. No one was interested in him, though, maybe since he’s an adult dog and not a cute little puppy. No one contacted the purebred rescue group either. They probably would have placed him quickly, since he really is a great boy. The shelter is a clean place and they take good care of the dogs. They get good food and they’re bathed and brushed. It’s still a shelter though, and is noisy and chaotic and frightening. He spent two months there in that confusion, away from everyone and everything he had known.
One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
The way we heard the story, you moved out of state and didn’t want to take him with you. You left him at your grandparents. Maybe you thought a lively, handsome dog was just the thing for them, and under better circumstances it might have been. Maybe they have been cleaning up your messes for your entire life and an unwanted dog was just another mess to clean up.One day, we saw him on the shelter web site. We called and asked about him. The shelter workers were so happy to hear from us and were delighted to agree to bring him to a local pet store where they do adoptions. Do you want to know why they were so accommodating? He was scheduled to be killed that afternoon. He didn’t know that, but the shelter workers certainly did. It hurt them and he felt that, so he knew something was wrong. All of a sudden, though, the shelter workers were happy and excited and so was he. They bathed him and brushed his coat. We think they probably told him this was it - his big chance, or maybe he just knew it somehow. When we met him, we all fell in love.
He had to go to the vet to be neutered, of course, but then he came home. He has his very own 13 year-old boy. You know, it’s almost like watching one of those old Lassie movies, seeing how well they’ve bonded. He’s got good food and his own toys. He’s taken on walks three times a day, is regularly groomed and is taken to the vet for needed care. We’ll be with him always, even if we have to make that last, difficult decision, because, you see, he is our dog and we are his family.
He has a good heart you know, but then he is a dog, so that’s to be expected. He’s probably forgiven you and, with a dog’s grace, doesn’t even remember you dumped him. He’d probably even be willing to greet you at the Rainbow Bridge. But you know what? He’ll greet us and go with us at the Bridge, and then he’ll be with us forever, because he’s our dog and we’re his family.
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It is with great saddness we announce that our beloved DOG passed away this past Thanksgiving holiday. It was love at first sight and DOG (pronounced DeeOhhGee) very quickly became a constant companion and cherished part of our lives. He will be forever loved and missed.
Daisy was my foster for almost a year. She was a sweet senior boxer girl who was just happy to be loved. She loved car rides to get a treat at Starbucks. She was quick to share her home with other fosters and always got along with her pal, Benjen. She loved anyone that stopped by to visit. She loved to snuggle up on the couch and snore away. She was a very good dog. Daisy, you will be missed. Foster Mom, Kay
I picked up Daphne from the LaPorte pound. She looked so terrible I thought she had been tortured. The vet's tests showed she suffered from an auto-immune condition. She could not be cured or even made comfortable.Through all of this suffering, she maintained a gentle, sweet, loving disposition. I held her while she crossed over to Rainbow Bridge. She is past her suffering. I hope she finds some great playmates at the Bridge.
LSBR Archive 2003
We were the proud parents of three wonderful boxers. True, we felt overwhelmed at times when all three decided to chase squirrels at the same time, but in our hearts we knew we were the luckiest boxer parents in the world. Then our lives were turned up side down. We lost two of our babies in a two-month period. Going from a 3-boxer household to a 1-boxer household in such a short time period turned our hearts inside out. Darby was sick with a brain tumor, blind, confused, etc. I'm sure you've heard similar stories. Her passing was expected but still heart-breaking. Then just two months later, completely out of the blue, our happy, seemingly healthy, "big man" as we liked to call him, died of a massive heart attack. To say we're devastated is an understatement. They are all special, but in our hearts Riptide was truly a special dog. He was sweet, playful, loyal, proud, and sometimes down right silly. By the way, our remaining boxer is "Flash" and he is a terrific little fellow. Funny, we still refer to him as little even though he's 80-lbs. Compared to Riptide, all other boxers were little so we got in the habit. Flash is a sweet and rare reverse brindle with lots of flash, hence the name. --- Daisy and Thad Hickman
Our sweet, silly, amazing, full of love, big-hearted boy passed away on 9/19/20. We adopted Dasher in January 2009 from LSBR. He was around 2 yrs old at the time, about 20lbs underweight and recovering from the mange, but even then you could see he was such a special boy. Dasher became a central part of our family. He was greatly loved and he loved us back tenfold! We moved to Colorado and found out just how much Dasher loved the snow! He would romp, play, do his boxer burns and eat fresh snow. But what we treasured the most was the love and companionship he brought into our lives. There is a big "Dasher" size hole left from sharing our lives with such a wonderful dog. We send a big thank you to LSBR! Our hearts may be broken but oh so grateful and blessed to have shared the last nearly 12 years with our loyal companion and true best friend. -Stephanie, Jaydon, and Todd
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