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!