Why should you follow this blog? What makes it unique? Well that is an excellent set of questions. We try to post some fun stuff on the blog and lots of pictures of Lucy (the title character of the blog) and an occasional video or two. We write about things that matter to dog lovers and especially boxer dog lovers. So, here are the details of who Lucy the White Boxer Dog is...

Lucy the white boxer dog has been in our family for a little over six years now. She is not truly white but rather what is referred to as a "check boxer" due to her spots. She is not an albino! She has brown eyes and splashes of black on her in addition to her spots. She is a full blooded boxer. She is also extremely healthy with the exception of having a sensitive stomach.

Want to learn more about Lucy and the things we write about her, follow her blog. Better yet, check out some of the older posts. There is a lot of information on the care of boxers and dogs in general... We look forward to see your comments on some of the posts... Happy blogging to all!


Monday, December 22, 2008

Socializing your Boxer...

Socializing your Boxer is very important. As you may already know, all dog breeds behave different in front of strangers, with some dogs choosing to ignore people altogether. They may choose to glance at someone, then go on to pay no attention to him. On the other hand, some dogs are the total opposite and love to meet everyone they can. These types of dogs love attention, and will take any attention they can get.

Some Boxers are happy with those they have come to know in their own family, or those they have selected to be friends. Others on the other hand, may feel comfortable just around those of the same sex. Most Boxers like children, although there are a few rare cases in which certain types of Boxer like adults but not children. This is extremely rare, and is normally due to the way they were bred or raised.

When your puppy is between the ages of 8 weeks and 8 months, socializing him is extremely important. During this time, you should always do everything you can to ensure that your Boxer meets other people. Although he may be shy at first and not have much interaction, he will eventually come around. You will need to be patient with him during these times, as he will need quite a bit of reassurance from you.

Your dog’s parents also contribute to socialization. If the parents of your Boxer were good with people and other dogs, the gene could very well be passed on to your dog. On the other hand, if the parents were shy or aggressive dogs, those genes could be passed on as well. Pups inherit the traits of their parents ,which is why it is very important to make sure that the dogs being bred are compatible with each other - and share a passive temperament.

If your puppy was separated from his mother before he reached the age of seven weeks, he won’t learn many of the social signals taught to him by his mom and his siblings. Boxer pups that are brought to a new home earlier than seven weeks will normally tend to end up nippy or aggressive around people. Although they may be aggressive towards people, they may be shy or fearful around other dogs, as they lack the social skills needed to be themselves.

Sometimes, if a puppy was injured or frightened during his early years, he can end up with a state of trauma. This type of thing leaves a huge scar in the mind of a puppy, making it very hard for him to get past it. Most Boxer pups that have been injured or frightened by an individual never get past it. They may end up fearing humans in general, or being very aggressive towards them when they feel frightened. When you take your puppy home for the first time, you should always make him feel welcomed, and never let anyone or anything harm him.

To better socialize your Boxer, you should always make sure that he gets plenty of interaction with other people and other dogs in his breed. This way, your Boxer will learn how to socialize at any early age. When he gets older in life, he will carry these skills with him. Boxers that are sheltered or not given the proper amount of interaction will turn out shy towards people and other dogs. With your Boxer being your companion for life - you should always ensure that he gets the socialization he needs.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

I'm thinking about a ski vacation...

I've been thinking of a ski vacation and I wanted to share some of my
thoughts on the issue with you.

When you start thinking about ski vacations, you will find a lot of information about various resorts and packages. Finding terrific vacation spots isn't difficult,
however, finding ski vacations that fit into your budget can be a challenge.

To save money, look for lesser known resorts. This doesn’t mean that these resorts won’t provide you with a fun vacation – it simply means that they aren’t
quite as well known as other resorts, and therefore, the prices may be a great deal cheaper. Also look for ski vacation packages that will include your lodging, lift
tickets, lessons, rentals, and possibly even some meals.

Be willing to make some sacrifices if money is a real issue. For instance, instead of eating in an expensive restaurant each night, eat cheaper fast food, or make
sandwiches in your room. Borrow equipment from friends instead of renting it. Join a group for lessons instead of taking private lessons. Don’t stay at a
lodge, stay at a motel farther away from the slopes if necessary. There are numerous ways that you can cut down on the expense of your ski trip. It is all about
the powder after all!

One more thought in the process is bringing that favorite pet on the vacation with you. This is sometimes impractical unless you are driving and you use pet friendly accommodations. I really like taking Lucy on all my vacations whenever possible. Sometimes this is a limiting factor as to where we stay... Now where to go this year?

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Bedding for your Boxer

Bedding for your Boxer is very important, as this is where he/she will be spending quite a bit of time - especially at night. The ideal bedding for your Boxer should be a natural fiber, such as wool, as wool absorbs most moisture and will keep your companion warm. Where to get your blanket, you can try thrift stores, as they aren’t very expensive. You don’t want to buy an expensive blanket, for the fact that Boxers have been known to chew as a puppy. They can chew or tear the blanket in no time at all, which would make an expensive blanket a waste of money. Boxers are full of energy!

When bringing your Boxer puppy home, he may be a little upset having to leave his mom and the others of his litter. The scents and memories that he's come to know and love are now being replaced with totally new ones. If you provide a towel for your Boxer to sleep with, it may help to ease him a bit. Towels are a great way to remind puppies of their mom and their litter, which will help them to sleep and relax.

If you are planning to have your Boxer sleep with you, you should be ready to get up in the middle of the night and take him outside to use the bathroom. You should keep his food and water near his bedding at all times, so if he gets hungry or thirsty he can get what he needs. Then, you should plan on taking him out around an hour or so after he has eaten.

If you plan to leave your Boxer outdoors, you’ll obviously need to use a different style of bedding. Lucy never stays outdoors! Doghouses are essential for any dogs who stay outdoors, as it helps to keep them warm and free of weather. Inside of the doghouse on the other hand, most people tend to use straw so the dog can make a bed out of it. You can also use a blanket or quilt as well, so that your dog can wrap himself up in it should he get cold.

You can also use wooden shavings, as most dogs tend to like them. Newspapers work good as well, as they give your dog something to lay on besides a wooden floor. Although doghouses work great for outdoor dogs, you should take your dog for walks on a daily basis and let him join you in activities that he finds enjoyable. This way, you can build a unique and lasting friendship with your pet. Boxers can quickly become the best friend you've ever had - as long as you take care of them. Making sure that they have the proper bedding is a great place to start.

For a great selection of beds for you dog click here!

Monday, November 24, 2008

One more picture


I just had to post this picture of our family in Memphis. It's a picture of Terri and I with of course Lucy. Lucy is actually looking at the camera in this one. We had a great time hiking the camera and tripod into the area we took the picture in. The nice thing about this time of the year here in Tennessee is you don't have to worry about snakes. I hate snakes!!! But I really like the area down by this creek! The background was super for a picture!

It's cold in Tennessee


As you may well know, it's late fall here in Memphis and the weather has turn cold and wet for the most part. As a result, Lucy received an early Christmas present in the form of a new coat to wear on her walks in the weather. Take a look, she actually loves the thing. We let her sleep in it the other night just because she wouldn't let us take it off her. What a crazy dog! Boxers are almost human when comes to heat and cold tolerance. This dog really likes her comforts!!! We picked up her new coat over at Pet Smart for around $25.00, we thought we got a good buy. All we really know is Lucy loves the coat!!! I'll try to post some video of her prancing around in it when I get a chance.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Surgery and Recovery

Wow, I did not think that it would take me this long to recover from what I thought would be a quick surgical procedure and an even quicker recovery. I won't go into the details of the surgery but rest assured that it has not been a pleasant experience. The supposedly low pain procedure has turned into quite an ordeal. I take two steps forward and one back in recovering. Doctors like to push the pain meds as well. Most of the time I don't even like taking aspirin. Some of the pain meds that I've taken over the last couple of weeks would put most people on cloud nine. I've been trying to work during this recovery period but I have found it to be most difficult! Maybe tomorrow I feel better...Until tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Hey everyone

Sorry about not updating the blog lately. I'm coming off my second operation in two months and my re-coupe hasn't been as quick as I'd like. The doctor wants me to do lots of walking and less setting at my computer for the next few weeks and I must comply. Just thought I'd take a moment to explain the lack of postings. Give me a couple weeks and we'll get all my sites back up to full strength. I hope and pray that everyone that reads my blogs is in good health and spirit. I know what it is like to be down. My constant side kick Lucy is doing well. She just has this gentleness about her every time I return home from the hospital. It's like she knows when I'm not feeling particularly well and adjusts to the role of spirit keeper. She sure brightens my days lately with her gentle, kind and entertaining ways. People can learn a lot from their pets.

See you in a bit! Good blogging to all...

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Human Food for Your Boxer

A lot of people wonder what type of human food they should feed their Boxer. Even though many prefer to stick with dog food and only dog food, there are certain types of human food that Boxers love - and is actually good for them. Boxer’s crave attention as we all know - and when they watch you eat it never hurts to give them a bite - as long as you know what they should and shouldn’t consume with their diets.

For your Boxer’s health, feeding him foods such as chicken, raw vegetables, turkey, brown rice, fruits, and oatmeal are always great. Even though we think of these type foods as “human food”, they are actually good for many animals as well. All dogs have taste buds and noses, meaning that they get very excited when they see you with food.

If your Boxer runs to the refrigerator when you open it up, he’s trying to tell you that he smells something good. Even though he may run to the refrigerator, he isn’t begging for food as many think, he is simply wanting to have some real food. Once your Boxer starts to do this, you should give him some of what he wants. Although most real food is great for Boxer’s, there are some that aren’t quite so good.

Egg whites
If you feed your Boxer a large amount of egg white in his diet, he will get a deficiency in biotin, which is a B vitamin, due to the amount of avidin, which is a very destructive substance. If you are feeding your Boxer egg yolks, you shouldn’t worry as the effects of avidin will be offset by the high biotin levels that are found in egg yolks. You can also feed your Boxer egg shells as well, as they contain a large amount of protein. If you want the best for your Boxer - try feeding him raw eggs - with the shell intact.

Any form of Chocolate
We all know never to feed chocolate to any type of animal. Chocolate contains bromine, which is very toxic to both dogs and cats. Unsweet chocolate is by far the worst to feed to your Boxer, as it contains a large amount of bromine. Bromine is a very harmful chemical, one that normally leads to death of your animal should he be fed any type of chocolate.

There are other foods out there that can be good or harmful to your Boxer. If you have any questions, you should always ask your veterinarian. Your Vet will be able to recommended real food that is beneficial to your Boxer, as well as foods you should avoid. You can experiment with real food if you like - although you should never allow your Boxer to consume any type of chocolate.

If you would like a very good guide to feeding your dog Click Here!

Friday, September 12, 2008

An Update on Lucy...

Wow, this is the funnest area of all the things that I do online and yet I dedicate the least amount of time to the project. I haven't really sat down and written about Lucy the White Boxer Dog in first person in some time now! I must change this!

For everyone that is interested, Lucy is doing well. Right now I have her on the fat-girl program! Since I took ill a couple of months ago, I haven't been up to taking her out on her almost daily hikes and she's put on a little weight. The last time I weighed her over at the Vet's, she was up to 75 pounds. That's a bit heavier than I would like her to be. Boxers tend to develop real problems when they're to heavy, especially joint and hip problems. So, Lucy's on a diet!

She doesn't like the fact that she doesn't get as many treats as she used to get. She's limited to just a couple a day now. We've also cut back on her food portioning. We feed her Royal Canaan Boxer Blend dog food. It's a special food blended just for her needs and her sensitive stomach that we buy over at PetSmart. The only problem with the food is she tends to put on weight if we fail to measure out her food. She's down to 2 and 1/2 cups of the food per day now. We may step it up a little once we get into the winter months. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Lucy also loves waffles! I made the mistake of giving her a portion once and now every time I get the waffle machine out she comes a beggin'.

I'll post some new pictures of Lucy this weekend for all to see. She really is a great dog!!! Do I dare say it - "I love Lucy". What a great name for a really great dog!

Until next time :)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Is obedience Training right for your boxer?

Obedience training teaches your Boxer how to perform various activities. This type of training focuses on general behavior as well, teaching the dog to be well behaved. Most dogs who go through a class in obedience training turn out to be well behaved and will listen to your commands and shouldn’t do things such as chewing and barking for no reason. If you want your Boxer to be well behaved and obedient, you should enroll him in a obedience training class as soon as you can.

Keep in mind that there are certain lines and distinctions with each type of training. If you choose obedience training for example, then your Boxer won’t get any help with his behavior. When you select a class for your Boxer, you always want to select a class that fits his needs at that time. If you are having trouble controlling your dog, you may want to start him off with behavior training, which is what most Boxer owners tend to do.

When you look for a training class, you should also know what area your dog needs help with. Sometimes, a behavior pattern can be the result of boredom, which can easily be fixed by spending more time with your dog. Once you have spent more time with him, you’ll sometimes notice his pattern to stop. Other times however, he may need a bit more help with certain behavior patterns, which is where training comes into play. Although Boxers are smart dogs, they won’t know if they are doing something wrong unless you show them.

Before you can train your Boxer puppy, you need to know what to teach him. Boxer puppies adore routines, and feel more at ease than ever if they are on a schedule that they can predict. When you take your dog to training, you should always be patient with him and reassure him that he is doing good. As your Boxer gets older and begins to learn new things, he will never forget his training. In the unlikely event that he starts to slip on some of his training, you can always let him go through a course again to brush up on the techniques. This way, no matter how old your Boxer gets, he will always be the ideal companion that you have grown to love over the years.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Hi to our kids in Texas



We put this video together for our kids last summer. If you are a parent and you are separated from your kids by some measure of distance, you understand the message that we wish to send with this video. Look for Lucy in the video as well. She's a big part of our family. Notice that she appears a lot of shots when we are playing our guitars. Hope you enjoy the posts and once again we would like to high to our kids Aaron, Whitney, Lauren, Robert (son in law), Sophie(grand-baby and chunky monkey , and Justin (future son in law)...we miss you all!




Here are three great shots of our Lucy and me. The first two pictures depict her active lifestyle. The picture of her on one of our couches is what she does in her spare time. She's put on a bit of weight this summer due the high temperatures here in the Mid-South this year. Boxer's don't tolerate heat very well, much the same as most people don't, so we've just not been as active. Even when we went to Shelby Farms and their "dog park" this past weekend, all Lucy did was splash around a bit in the pond and then look for a shade tree. The sun really got to her! As a matter of fact, we have to guard against sunburn on her. Enough rambling, trust you enjoy the pix. Novo

Monday, July 14, 2008


I just had to post this picture of Lucy! This is such a good pose, it's almost as if she knew she was getting her picture taken. Sometimes I think animals are smarter than most people give them credit!!!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

4th of July weekend!

Hey everybody! The 4th of July had Terri, Lucy and myself traveling to Texas to be with family. The cool little gal in the shades is the latest addition to our family. We'd like for everyone to meet Sophie E'lynn our new grand baby. We have a great shot of Lucy giving Sophie a ride on her back. Boxers are definitely great kid dogs! I'll try to post more pictures of the big visit in a later posting. It's amazing we live in Memphis and all our kids are in Texas. We miss them allot... It's nice to visit as often as possible.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Memphis in Mud




Saturday May 3rd, Terri(the wife) and I went to Memphis in May. If you've been following the national weather seen you'll know that we have had a lot of rain this spring. We stood out in the mud on Saturday evening for 4 hours to be able to get up close to the stage to see Carlos Santana, one of my favorite guitar players of all time. We also saw Buddy Guy and Lou Reed. Buddy Guy was fantastic, Lou Reed was barely tollerable and played none of his classics, kinda boring if you ask me. What a great concert Carlos Santana put on! He and his band came on stage at 10:30 and did not finish until 12:40am Sunday morning... Can you say worth it!!! If you ever get a chance go see Carlos Santana, go!!! You won't be disappointed. Lucy stayed at home that evening, no dogs are allowed on the grounds at Memphis in May. She greeted us at the door at about 2:00am in morning in classic clown boxer style...What a super evening we had! If you need a vacation in early May and you want to include music to your trip, check out Memphis in May. You can get discounted tickets in March and April for all 3 days of the music festival. Please bring a poncho and rubberized boots. It always rains, but good times can be had!!!