Spanky

10 years ago we rescued Spanky (now Dallas) from your rescue. It changed our lives. We have been foster parents for many boxer mill moms ever since. We are so excited to have found you on Facebook after all of these years . We still receive letters from Spankys foster mom. It’s has been an amazing experience and we thank you

Spanky is learning so much at home and "on the road".  We take him to different places---put his coat on, add a safety car harness, doggie seat belt and then into the car and away we go!  He is the perfect traveler, quietly looking around or taking a snooze.  We continue to introduce him to different people and have been setting up "play days" to socialize him with other dogs.  He is getting a little "bossy" with my two "fur babies"---very vocal and a little strong willed.  Even though they continue to put him in his place, I --- at times, intervene to teach him that he is being rude.  I thought it was about time that other pups tell him as well.  Saturday, after Leroy's obedience class, our trainer had her foster puppy in class.  She asked if anyone would like to stay for about 15 minutes so that the "pups" could play.  Spanky, to my surprise, was overwhelmed when any  of the four dogs ran toward him. He would "cower", run to a corner of the room, or towards me.  That is---until Leroy came over and walked next to him, leading him along-- as if he was telling Spanky that it was "ok".  It's so nice to have a "foster big brother" to help you out!  So yesterday, without Leroy, Spanky went to play again.  It was a different story this time---Spanky did great!---confident, but not overly so.  He loved one of the other boxer gals---the motherly type like Tootsie.  They pranced around together and he followed right behind her!  He did get a little "sassy" with one of the smaller dogs---a mixed breed that was a little bigger than he and she told him off twice.  Ahhh---learning doggie language!  It's a good thing! 

 Spanky is still exploring the unkown!  First thing on his list was Snow Play!  He had his first experience running in the snow with his foster siblings and trying to keep up with them---avoiding them as they charged back--and "picking up the rear" as he chased after them again! I just love seeing them have such a great time in the snow!  Watching Snow Play---Priceless! 

Another new area of exploration came the other day---The Dreaded Stairs!  Well, I was wondering when he was going to find them!  He quickly proceeded to climb to the top.  Then, carrying him down to the last four steps, I decided to let "Mister Spanky Pants" try to decend by himself---one step, two steps, Ooops---jumped the last two and landed on all fours!  Yes, it's that inquisitive boxer nature that keeps me on my toes! 

His explorations have also taken him to the Toy Box!  Climbing up and over the side---then hanging inside.  You can actually hear him dig, dig, dig---to find that one toy at the bottom that looks so interesting!  Sometimes one foot dangles as he reaches.  I'm waiting for him to dig a little too far and end up with both feet kicking in the air! 

 Just a note about Spanky's potty training: Excellent, excellent, excellent!  I have hung a bell on my kitchen gate to teach him---"jingle" to "tinkle"!  If I, myself, can only remember that every time we go out to "tinkle"  that I HAVE  to make it "jingle", then maybe he will catch on soon!

Well, what can I say---Spanky is growing into a perfect little gentleman.  I call him the "little man".  He doesn't know how small he is and just wants to be included with whatever our "furbabies" are doing.  He is very confident and very smart!  He has learned his name, "touch"(touches your hand with his nose), and numerous hand signals---"sit", "down", and "wait" (We are now working on the words for the hand signals).  He now understands that he needs to "sit" and "wait" quietly to come out of his crate as well as before he gets his food.  For a short time he was a little "mouthy" (He was "puppy biting" hands and clothes) but has since learned that "OUCH" means---that hurts!  He is great at letting us inspect his ears, mouth and dry his feet ---good for vet checks, brushing teeth, etc. 

     Spanky enjoys his bones and toys and loves to play "tug" with Tootsie. I recently began letting all three play briefly together--supervising so play doesn't get to rough---he always wants to get right in there with both pups. "Tug" has now become three way!  We also have a number of "kibble toys" and the dogs have to figure out how to get the food out.  They have to roll the balls or nudge the "weeble" filled toy.  At first Spanky stood up on either side of the "weeble" toy and tried to bite the top but soon learned how to play the game!  Of course, since the three of them are working on five different toys, there is kibble everywhere! 

     Caution to any possible adoptive parents!  You may need earplugs to sleep!  Spanky's snoring and unusual "sleep sounds" are quite loud for such a little guy!  One night Tootsie got up and checked on him---he sounded as if he was crying  just by the way he was breathing!  Turns out, his snoring isn't the only thing that is loud!  His "play voice" is very loud and his play style is ---rough (for such a young age), but Tootsie and Leroy are keeping him in line and teaching him about being a youngster. 

     Spanky's potty training is amazing.  His crate is always dry in the morning and a couple of times we have left him for 3 1/2 hours during the day and his crate was dry when we returned.  He rarely has accidents outside of the crate, although he hasn't learned to tell us yet---he is still too young to do so.  We either use the clock or notice his body language when it is time!  The other day, I had taken Spanky out to "tinkle" and when we came back into the house, my two were standing in the adjacent doorway staring at him.  I removed Spanky's collar and leash.  First he backed up a little and then like a "shot", took off between the two of them, running thru the dining room and into the kitchen.  For a split second both Tootsie and Leroy looked at each other as if to say "What just happened here?" and took off after him.  They are such clowns---they always keep me laughing!  I can't wait to see what other antics happen next week!  Stay tuned!

Well, what can I say---Spanky is growing into a perfect little gentleman.  I call him the "little man".  He doesn't know how small he is and just wants to be included with whatever our "furbabies" are doing.  He is very confident and very smart!  He has learned his name, "touch"(touches your hand with his nose), and numerous hand signals---"sit", "down", and "wait" (We are now working on the words for the hand signals).  He now understands that he needs to "sit" and "wait" quietly to come out of his crate as well as before he gets his food.  For a short time he was a little "mouthy" (He was "puppy biting" hands and clothes) but has since learned that "OUCH" means---that hurts!  He is great at letting us inspect his ears, mouth and dry his feet ---good for vet checks, brushing teeth, etc. 

     Spanky enjoys his bones and toys and loves to play "tug" with Tootsie. I recently began letting all three play briefly together--supervising so play doesn't get to rough---he always wants to get right in there with both pups. "Tug" has now become three way!  We also have a number of "kibble toys" and the dogs have to figure out how to get the food out.  They have to roll the balls or nudge the "weeble" filled toy.  At first Spanky stood up on either side of the "weeble" toy and tried to bite the top but soon learned how to play the game!  Of course, since the three of them are working on five different toys, there is kibble everywhere! 

     Caution to any possible adoptive parents!  You may need earplugs to sleep!  Spanky's snoring and unusual "sleep sounds" are quite loud for such a little guy!  One night Tootsie got up and checked on him---he sounded as if he was crying  just by the way he was breathing!  Turns out, his snoring isn't the only thing that is loud!  His "play voice" is very loud and his play style is ---rough (for such a young age), but Tootsie and Leroy are keeping him in line and teaching him about being a youngster. 

     Spanky's potty training is amazing.  His crate is always dry in the morning and a couple of times we have left him for 3 1/2 hours during the day and his crate was dry when we returned.  He rarely has accidents outside of the crate, although he hasn't learned to tell us yet---he is still too young to do so.  We either use the clock or notice his body language when it is time!  The other day, I had taken Spanky out to "tinkle" and when we came back into the house, my two were standing in the adjacent doorway staring at him.  I removed Spanky's collar and leash.  First he backed up a little and then like a "shot", took off between the two of them, running thru the dining room and into the kitchen.  For a split second both Tootsie and Leroy looked at each other as if to say "What just happened here?" and took off after him.  They are such clowns---they always keep me laughing!  I can't wait to see what other antics happen next week!  Stay tuned!

Well, what can I say---Spanky is growing into a perfect little gentleman.  I call him the "little man".  He doesn't know how small he is and just wants to be included with whatever our "furbabies" are doing.  He is very confident and very smart!  He has learned his name, "touch"(touches your hand with his nose), and numerous hand signals---"sit", "down", and "wait" (We are now working on the words for the hand signals).  He now understands that he needs to "sit" and "wait" quietly to come out of his crate as well as before he gets his food.  For a short time he was a little "mouthy" (He was "puppy biting" hands and clothes) but has since learned that "OUCH" means---that hurts!  He is great at letting us inspect his ears, mouth and dry his feet ---good for vet checks, brushing teeth, etc. 

     Spanky enjoys his bones and toys and loves to play "tug" with Tootsie. I recently began letting all three play briefly together--supervising so play doesn't get to rough---he always wants to get right in there with both pups. "Tug" has now become three way!  We also have a number of "kibble toys" and the dogs have to figure out how to get the food out.  They have to roll the balls or nudge the "weeble" filled toy.  At first Spanky stood up on either side of the "weeble" toy and tried to bite the top but soon learned how to play the game!  Of course, since the three of them are working on five different toys, there is kibble everywhere! 

     Caution to any possible adoptive parents!  You may need earplugs to sleep!  Spanky's snoring and unusual "sleep sounds" are quite loud for such a little guy!  One night Tootsie got up and checked on him---he sounded as if he was crying  just by the way he was breathing!  Turns out, his snoring isn't the only thing that is loud!  His "play voice" is very loud and his play style is ---rough (for such a young age), but Tootsie and Leroy are keeping him in line and teaching him about being a youngster. 

     Spanky's potty training is amazing.  His crate is always dry in the morning and a couple of times we have left him for 3 1/2 hours during the day and his crate was dry when we returned.  He rarely has accidents outside of the crate, although he hasn't learned to tell us yet---he is still too young to do so.  We either use the clock or notice his body language when it is time!  The other day, I had taken Spanky out to "tinkle" and when we came back into the house, my two were standing in the adjacent doorway staring at him.  I removed Spanky's collar and leash.  First he backed up a little and then like a "shot", took off between the two of them, running thru the dining room and into the kitchen.  For a split second both Tootsie and Leroy looked at each other as if to say "What just happened here?" and took off after him.  They are such clowns---they always keep me laughing!  I can't wait to see what other antics happen next week!  Stay tuned!

We arrived at Aunt Dees on friday Dec 17th to pick up a 12 week old puppy.  To our surprise, he was alot smaller than expected.  We all thought he was much younger, especially after weighing in at 7 lbs!  He had a little cough so between antibiotics and keeping him in our kitchen (in and out of the crate),since we have radiant heat in the floors, his cough has completely cleared.  Of course he slept in the crate in our room at night.  First night he cried quite a bit and Tootsie,our female, who had "taken him under her wing", was very concerned---kept running back and forth from the crate to me.  He only cried the first night and then has been a angel ever since.  Tootsie is teaching him "boxer play"---she is gently playing tug, showing how to "ear and leg bite" (that is part of how she plays) and just "how to be a boxer."  She has been so good with him. He even tried to nurse when he first came and she just let him "inspect"---she has truely been "miss mother." The puppy, on the other hand, is not quite sure of Leroy and Leroy not quite sure of him.  (Lee has a different play style than Tootsie-we also only let one dog play at one time so it isn't so overwhelming)  They have both been a little "leary" of one another---until today---They seem more comfortable playing with each other and were interacting better.  We think Leroy's "nose was a little out of joint" since Tootsie was giving the pup ALOT of attention. 

     It has been so cold--when we take him out to tinkle we put on a fleece coat (that my former Shih Tzu wore) to keep him warm.  When we first put it on him, he looked like a chihuahua in an oversized coat!---was just too cute! Since then he has grown into the coat somewhat. At that time, the first few days we had him, we had some concernas about his legs.  They were somewhat bowed at the top, feet turned in, and rolled over. It didn't seem to bother him though----ran around and played with no problem.  After about 5 days of some nutritious food, enzymes and some much needed exercise, his legs started to change for the better and within the week, actually "self-healed" and looked normal! Yeah! Think he is going to be a big boy---those feet are a pretty good size! 

     We decided to call him "Spanky".  Don't know why, the name just came to mind when the vet asked for a name.  He is doing fabulous on his potty training--or maybe he has us trained!  We take him out after he eats, after he sleeps, f it approaches two hours (use to be an hour), etc, and he hardly has any accidents.  As soon as you take him out he does his "business" and then right back in the house.  His crate has been dry in the morning---we carry him out and have him on a tiny leash to get him use to walking in the yard, teaching him not to pull.  He is doing great with simple manners.  (We always start training early---feel that consistency is key)---sitting before he eats and waiting to come out of the crate.  He is such a good boy.  Even my dad at Christmas said "Spanky is a great dog and is going to make someone very happy"---and my dad is not really a dog person! 

     I took Spanky to where I work to socialize him a little and he did quite well---people asked about him/NLBR , especially one person who lost their boxer last year, and stated that "maybe it was time"!  He definately is a little "people magnet"---draws those people right to him, as puppies usually do! 

     That's about it for now, we are having a great time with Spanky and luckily our work schedules are such that we are able to spend a lot of time how with him.  We have always had puppies so are use to spending the time to teach them the ropes!  Attached, and in a seperate e-mails (don't know how many will send with this e-mail), I will send some pictures. Will keep you updated!  Hugs to all---Thanks Aunt Dee!  Diane, Gary, Tootsie, Leroy and Spanky!