Smooshie

:o....my poor obsessive compulsive little mind can't even FATHOM living with that dog....I'd be chasing the poor thing with a comb and detangler 24/7........geez...I brush my BOXERS twice a week because I think they look 'ruffled' :roll:

Great pics everyone! ....now tell me how to convince my husband that I absolutely HAVE to have a Staffy. C'mon K, you're good at this... :wink:

I work from home so it is rare that my dogs are ever alone for more than a few hrs. When I DO go out, Lyra is crated (she LOVES her crate), and Loki who hates being crated, is confined to the kitchen and back hallway. He suffers from separation anxiety and can be destructive if left with the run of the whole house. I would never leave my dogs with access to the yard when I'm gone. For one they hate the heat....and I am too afraid they'd get bored and escape, or someone would steal them....dog theft is rampant around here :-?

Ya know, HF...I have stood in the toy aisle at PetSmart and pondered the same thing :lol: My husband refuses to have one in the house....along with Pizzle. :wink:

[quote name='__crazy_canine__'][Yeah, I definately dont agree to that experiment if youre correct Smooshie. Its interesting, sure, but do we really need to experiment on this adding more and more dogs into the world? :roll:[/quote] Absolutely not...I guess I could have clarified better. From a [i]scientific [/i]point of view (I love genetics) the thought of being able to manipulate a physical trait so easily is interesting to me. From an [i]ethics [/i]standpoint, I see no need to create more mutts (and I use that term affectionately) in the process. Make better sense now? :wink:

Well.....in all actuality they are mutts....unless they are breeding true which they aren't. If you read the study, the bobtail gene does not guarantee that all pups will be born bobbed. As far as I know, although the English Kennel Club has accepted bobtails from 5th generations and above, The AKC nor the American Boxer Club has accepted them as pure....As a whole I believe the only countries pushing for acceptance of this deviation are in fact the countries in which tail docking has been banned. Don't be too quick to judge, Ansy. If you want my honest opinion on this I believe it is as unethical as breeding for black Boxers.... *edited to add* I think I might feel differently if the Dr Cattanach was using his genetic skills and concentrating his efforts to better the [i]health[/i] of the breed rather than the physical [i]appearance[/i]....Boxers are a breed plagued with health problems....hypothyroidism, cardiomyopathy, cancer, skin problems, etc. If you're going to mess with the genetic makeup of a breed, why not focus on breeding OUT some of the bad?? JMO

Ahhhh...That is the article I was talking about in the cropped/docked thread! Thank You for digging it up :D

As far as Bobtail Boxers go, Dr Cattanach I believe introduced Corgi blood into the Boxer bloodline in order to get the bobtail trait in his Boxers...I remember reading about it a long time ago. The Boxer link on the site Amber posted doesn't work though so I'm not exactly sure I have my facts straight on that one....interesting idea though...

Auroura...Chin up hun. I know how hard this must be for you. I know how much you loved Lilly, and everything you went through for her. You know in your heart you did what was best for her. You should not feel guilty for that...you made the ultimate sacrifice for your girl...you let her go before something tragic could happen...that is what being a good responsible owner is all about. I know you miss her...you have so many memories of the 'good dog' she was. Cherish those, and instead of mourning her loss, celebrate her life. I found this article posted on another board and I thought of you: [quote]Dealing with the Guilt. Guilt. It's a word that can invoke in us the deepest, most terrible feelings of loss, horror, anger, and helplessness. Why did I do what I did? Why couldn't I have done more? Did I kill my beloved pet? Did I not do enough? Did I do too much? Did I put him/her down too soon? Did I wait too long? If only I had closed the gate. If only I had noticed sooner. If only I had waited longer. If only I had more money. If only I had rushed to the vet sooner. If only I had known more at the time. If only I had listened to my gut feelings. If only I had gone to a better vet. And we beat ourselves up for all these questions and "if-onlys". Why do we do this? Because we loved our pets. Because we wish we could have done more, or wish we had not done what we did. But we cannot bring them back. We cannot change what we did or did not do. What we can do is stop hurting ourselves over the guilt. Each of us, in our own way, did what we thought was right at the time, using what we knew and felt. Each of us tried to do the best we could, and did it with the intention of love. We are human beings, with frailties and faults. We don't know everything. We make mistakes. But we make them with the best of intentions. To hurt ourselves with the terrible additional pain of guilt is to do disservice to the love we felt for our pets. With very, very few exceptions, we did the best we knew to do at the time. Even if we feel that we didn't do what we should have, or did what we should not have, we have learned, and everyone will benefit from that knowledge now. Our beloved pets are gone, and out of pain. We still torture ourselves with the pain of guilt and doubt. It's human to do that, too, but are we being fair to ourselves? We loved, deeply, and that says that we have a deep capacity for love that many do not. We are basically good people. Should we not recognize that goodness, instead of inflicting pain on ourselves for what we could, or should, or should not have done? We took in a beloved creature, and gave him or her everything we could. We petted, we walked, we fed, we changed litterboxes, we played, we stroked, we sat sleepless on difficult nights. We cared, and did everything we knew to do at the time. And we looked in their eyes, and knew they understood that we loved them, and knew that they loved us. If we didn't know enough, or made an innocent mistake, do we believe that they did not understand, and love and forgive us in spite of it? I believe they did, and that they do. We need to forgive ourselves. If we can, we can increase our knowledge, reach out to help others, and use our pain to make things better for our pets, for others' pets, and for those animals out there who are alone and lost. We can make a difference. But only if we quit hating ourselves, blaming ourselves, for being human. Let the guilt go. Know that your furbabies don't blame you; they understand, because they know your heart. Let yourself forgive yourself, and allow all the love you have to be there for another. There are so many who need it. Learn, and then teach. Keep learning, and don't stop. Every pebble of knowledge and caring you send out will ripple throughout the world, and keep growing. And perhaps in time, every animal will be loved, and well-cared for, and there will be a great golden age for the animals, and for those of us who love them. Ginger-lyn Summer September 10, 1999 [/quote] Hugs and warm thoughts (and big boxer slurps from Loki and Lyra).

[quote name='Horsefeathers!'] I would like to see the American breed standards change to accept natural dogs so that at least people can see them in the big shows and get accustomed to that "new" look.[/quote] I just heard yesterday that The new boxer standard and Code of Ethics has passed by vote of the American Boxer Club membership. The website will post the new revision as soon as the formalities are seen to, but the gist of the main changes are: 1) white boxers may be sold as pets on limited registration (with a contract) and 2) [b]a description of the natural ear will be included[/b] :B-fly: Hopefully this is a step in the right direction and we'll soon be seeing more uncropped Boxers being recognized in the show ring here in the U.S.! Then maybe other typically cropped breeds will follow suit...

that is wonderful!!! :D

:o how does he chew with 12 teeth missing?? Poor thing! I agree...the new diet should start making a difference in his 'smell'.....maybe try some minty treats. I give my guys Old Mother Hubbard 'gimme a kiss' treats. You can find them at PetSmart.

what a total DOLL!! :D

Oh Amber I can so totally relate. I'm going through a similar situation with my neighbors.....they got a puppy about 2 months ago (looks like it might be a Pit mix...cutest little thing) Anyhoo, for the first month or so it was kept inside. The only time I ever saw it was when the kids brought it outside to play....Well you know the rest of the story. Its gotten much bigger now, and in the past few weeks I've noticed the poor thing is tied out next to the garage longer and longer every day...and of course the kids really don't seem to pay much attention to it anymore either :-? . Soooo it howls and barks and cries and barks and howls and cries some more....they don't have a fenced in yard and as far as I can tell they haven't taken that pup out for a walk in weeks...they just tie it in the driveway... :evil: Not a damn thing I can do though....it has a water bucket and access to the garage for shelter. It Pi$$es me off that people think its ok to give a dog the bare minimum in care and only pay attention to it when it SUITS them.....

My deepest sympathies to your friend...its so hard to let one go but to lose two in such a short period must be heartwrenching :(

:o...is [i]moving[/i] an option?? I have no clue what to tell you HF.....It seems you've already explored every possibility I can think of (short of calling in a HAZMAT team :-? ). I do hope whatever this is blows over soon though...I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for you and hubby :( Good luck and keep us posted...

I don't know if anyone else noticed this banner at the bottom of the page ,but I thought it was the neatest idea.....you know, I read in Cosmo once that the best place to find a potential mate is at the DogPark... :lol: [url]http://www.singledogowners.com/[/url]

Aaaargh....did you break a really large mirror or something?? :-? I am so so sorry all this stuff keeps happening to your babies! My thoughts are with you and the crew :(

hugs and scritches to queen Candy :D I'm sure she'll be 100% in no time at all!

[quote name='desertlady'] The same principle as us eating beans, whole grain, nutritious veggies, high quality protein ... I need to do for myself what I'm doing for him![/quote] I hear ya sister :wink: I'm a health freak when it comes to what my dogs ingest (cripes, they even get bottled water) but I don't even read labels when it comes to what I eat :lol:

I am so so sorry to hear about the loss of Rocco...my heart goes out to you HF :cry:

I'm 5'2.....does that make me a 'teacup" or a 'tiny toy' ? :lol: soooo glad to see I am not the only vertically stunted person here :wink:

Congrats on the poo!! :lol:

congrats on the brand new babies!! :D :bday:

Great News!!! Buddy is a very lucky pup to have found you :D