What Happens When...
What Happens When...
We are a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Donations of any amount are welcome. Your generosity is what keeps us able to rescue abandoned Boxers and provide them with a second chance at life.
Surrender Advisory
Surrender Advisory
Boxer Rescue of Albuquerque is a nonprofit organization that assist displaced Boxer dogs in finding new homes in New Mexico and surrounding states. We want to educate the public about the Boxer breed. Our goal is to keep as many Boxers as we can in our temporary place and find them a new family.
Most people who contact us think they would be doing their Boxer a huge favor by finding him a new family that has more time for them or can give them the home they deserves. However, Boxers are better off staying in the home they know and love, even if it means they will get less attention from you. Of course this applies to dogs that are being properly cared for and whose basic needs are consistently met.
Can You Answer "YES" to Any of the Questions Below?
Can You Answer "YES" to Any of the Questions Below?
Please Read Before Contacting Us
Please Read Before Contacting Us
Many people have already made up their minds to give up their Boxer when they contact us. If this applies to you, you can contact us at the email address below and a volunteer will respond to you via email or by telephone as soon as possible. We do not guarantee that we will admit your Boxer dog into our rescue program.
The purpose of the contact and/or the surrender form that we use is to gather information in order to assess the dog's needs and what type of foster home he or she would require. Hopefully you have not waited until the last minute to contact Boxer Rescue since all our dogs are fostered in homes and not kenneled - meaning we would have to make sure there is a home available. If you are willing to be patient, the better we may be able to help you.
We ask that you please exhaust all other avenues to re-home your Boxer and only request a surrender form as a last resort. Please request a surrender form using the email address and fill it out in its entirety. If something does not apply, type or select "Not Applicable" instead of leaving the question blank.
It is absolutely crucial that you are 100% truthful with the information you provide on this form as you will sign it stating that you have not left out any potential issues or problems in which you are already aware. The safety of our foster parents and their families, their personal pets, and our rescue group is at stake.
Also, if you decide that you want your Boxer back or we have a dog in our possession that was found, you will need to go through the normal process of being an approved home and pay all applicable adoption fees. We will always make an effort to find the right home for the surrendered dog and that the home meets the same standards as we expect of our adopters.
Did you acquire him as a puppy from a breeder?
Did you acquire him as a puppy from a breeder?
If so, have you contacted that person? If he or she is at all reputable, you would have signed a contract at the time you purchased your Boxer puppy, stipulating that the dog should be returned if you decide to no longer keep him. If you do not want to keep your Boxer dog, contact your breeder first.
Did you acquire your Boxer from a rescue organization?
Did you acquire your Boxer from a rescue organization?
If so, have you contacted that rescue organization? If they are reputable, you would have signed a contract at the time you adopted your Boxer, stipulating that the dog must be returned to them if you decide to no longer keep him or her for any reason.
New baby in the family?
New baby in the family?
How lucky for you that Boxers are fantastic family dogs! Congratulations for being knowledgeable enough about this breed to initially select a dog notorious for their affinity for children. If you can take care of your new little human baby, you can take care of a dog.
Moving?
Moving?
There are plenty of apartments, townhouses, condos and hotels that accept medium and large breeds of dog. Many places will even allow you to spread payment of your pet deposit over multiple months as part of your rent.
Do you think you don't have enough time for your dog?
Do you think you don't have enough time for your dog?
Experts in the animal field agree that dogs require a mere 15 minutes of one-on-one time with their human companions per day, to be happy, healthy, and well-adjusted! That could be simply spent lying in bed at night watching TV together, playing ball in the backyard for 15 minutes while dinner is cooking, or going for a walk or jog!
Surely you can spare 15 minutes per day. Pets reduce personal stress and can add years to your life - make the time for you AND your dog.
Are there possible behavioral issues?
Are there possible behavioral issues?
Is your dog having trouble getting along with other animals in the household or are there other behavioral issues that have led to the decision to give up your dog? If so, let us help you. Send us an email - we can most likely recommend a trainer in your area. If you didn't socialize your Boxer as a puppy, it's never too late to enroll her or him in obedience school. It's fun and can count as your 15 minutes of bonding time!
Articles
Articles
Why Should I Neuter My Pet?
Why Should I Neuter My Pet?
Author: Kathy Pierce
Every year, millions of dogs and cats die lonely, painful deaths on the streets of our cities. Millions more are impounded in shelters under horrific conditions, only to be put to death by municipal employees, many of whom have no training in humane euthanasia techniques. Their bodies are dumped into landfills, preyed upon by birds and other homeless animals, while the lethal substances used to execute them seep into the water table. A billion tax dollars a year are wasted perpetuating this endless cycle of death and disease.
All across the country, well-meaning but ignorant people hoard homeless animals under inadequate conditions, and then are prosecuted by government authorities, rightly or wrongly, for their misguided efforts to alleviate the suffering. It has been estimated that there are over 60 million homeless animals in the 48 contiguous United States alone: a staggering rate of more than a million per state. In order to give each of these animals a home, every household in America would have to hoard 8 dogs and 20 cats!
All these tragedies have one common cause: pet overpopulation. And all have a common solution: spay and neuter our pets.
Sterilizing our companion animals is not just the answer to pet overpopulation, it is the solution to myriad other problems, from social to political, humanitarian to medical.
Sterilization is a routine surgical procedure. Spaying (removal of uterus and ovaries) stops the production of estrogen, the hormone that surges through the female body during heat cycles. Neutering (removal of the testicles) halts the production of testosterone, the male hormone responsible for the territoriality and aggression. Halting hormone production eliminates heat cycles and mating drives, as well as the frantic howling, nervous pacing, embarrassing mounting, territorial spraying, bloody discharge, and dangerous wandering habits associated with them.
All these tragedies have one common cause: pet overpopulation. And all have a common solution: spay and neuter our pets. Aside from all the social benefits, sterilization improves the long term health and life expectancy of our pets. Intact cats and dogs are subject to the same health issues as humans: mammary cancer, uterine diseases like pyometra, ovarian cancer and cysts, miscarriages, complications during delivery, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer; sterilizing your pet eliminates these life-threatening problems.
Beware the spay/neuter myths and excuses!
● “They’ll get fat and lazy if I fix them.” Nonsense. Being overweight is a consequence of being overfed and under-exercised, not of being neutered. Sterilized pets have lower caloric requirements than males out hunting for a mate and females eating not only for themselves, but for the litters they carry.
● “My dog won’t protect me if he’s neutered.” Wrong. Protectiveness is the product of loyalty, not hormones. And with the distractions of hormonal drives eliminated, sterilized animals focus more intently on their humans.
● “It’s too expensive.” Not true. Many organizations offer low cost, even free spay/neuter services, especially for feral and un-owned cats. Licensing fees are universally less for sterilized animals than intact ones. Not to mention the expense of raising and feeding litter after litter of puppies and kittens.
● “Sexual fulfillment is important to me; why should I deprive my dog?” Let’s not confuse the instinctive hormonal responses of dogs and cats with human sexual relationships. Although they do have social structure, their sexuality is hormonal, not emotional. Animals get along just as well with each other – better in fact – when they are sterilized.
● “Preventing animals from reproducing is interfering with nature.” Yes, it is. So is killing them by the millions because the population is out of control. So is ignoring a problem that condemns them to suffer injury, starvation, disease, and cruelty. So is breeding animals for fighting, money, sport, or bait. There is nothing natural about the problem; the solution may have to be unnatural, too.
● “I want my children to witness the miracle of birth.” At whose expense? A more valuable lesson would be to witness the tragedy of death that awaits the millions of unwanted animals born and then discarded under this misguided notion
Did You Know That:
Did You Know That:
● For every human born in our country, seven puppies or kittens are born?
● One unspayed female cat can produce three litters every year?
● Cats have been known to become sexually mature at four months?
● One female cat and her offspring can produce nearly 12,000 cats in 5 years?
● A cat named Dusty in Texas was permitted to bear 420 kittens before she died?
● Killing is never the answer; responsible pet ownership is.
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Spay and neuter your pets.
Boxers and Bumps
Boxers and Bumps
By Sy Caudill
Mia came into our “pack” quite by accident. We had adopted Paco about two years earlier from Boxer Rescue and he had immeasurably added to our lives. Often we would take him down on Saturdays to Boxer Rescue events and let him visit with Doug and Shawna—his real heroes. Paco did not really like other dogs all that much and preferred humans. He was king of the house and we were just there to meet his needs so another dog was out of the question.
One Saturday in November 2006 Sue was out of town and Paco and I went to the PetVet to the adoption event. As usual Paco visited with everyone–except the other dogs– and we were about ready to leave when Doug shows up at the event with Mia.
Now Mia is a wiggle butt and had just been rescued from the Corrales Shelter—she does like to visit. Well Paco, in quite an unusual move took an interest in Mia—so Doug in his normal quiet way “talks” me into taking Mia on a test drive. Well after I called Sue and let her know another woman was in the house—so as not to surprise her when she got home—Mia settled in and was best pals with Paco until he passed in Jan of 2007.
Mia loves to have her tummy rubbed and one day this past spring we noticed that she had ticks in numerous places on her belly—most likely from a visit we had done to Missouri. Most came off easily as we have her on Revolution. However, we found on her rear inside thigh what looked like an embedded tick—I tried to remove it to no avail. She was scheduled for a vet visit so we just let it go for a week or so and would let the vet deal with it.
The vet looked but could not figure out what it was—except he was clear it was not a tick, clearly shows my lack of diagnostic ability. He decided to shave it off with a scalpel and send it to be analyzed. We were not concerned, after all it was about the size of a pencil eraser.
The results were shocking—malignant melanoma! The vet said he needed to do surgery and remove the underlying tissue and do another biopsy. This was accomplished and the tumor was removed with no malignant cells remaining behind.
Prognosis was poor due to the aggressive nature of the melanoma, its depth into the tissue and muscle. After discussions with the vet and some research we found that skin melanoma was unusual as it normally occurs in the mouth or on the pads of the feet. Also, chemo and radiation therapy offered little in terms of long term results.
However, there was an experimental immunization therapy (oral canine melanoma vaccine) that has just moved from trials stage to limited use with a wider, but very limited, range of veterinarian oncologists. A bit more research revealed that Mia may qualify for the expanded test phase if we could find an oncologist in the area that was certified to perform the treatment. Luckily there was one in Santa Fe and she agreed to evaluate Mia.
The evaluation consists of a full blood workup, x-rays, ultrasound and other tests. This goes along with a review of the pathology report from the tumor removal and the normal assessment of lymph glands etc. Mia was deemed a suitable candidate and she started the treatment in August 2008. The treatment consists of a series of four vaccinations given two weeks apart, followed up by regular visits and then an additional vaccination every six months–forever. Mia is now out of the first stage and into the second—doing well and no recurrence or spread of the cancer found thus far—we hope never!
Is this treatment expensive—relatively speaking yes—you can find the estimated costs on line (Google canine melanoma vaccine) but keep in mind that it will vary with each vet. It appears to be the only effective treatment against canine malignant melanoma but long term results are still pending as the therapy has only recently moved from the experimental stage to the wider trial stages. We are very hopeful that it has been successful with Mia and she is with us for a long time to come.
So, if you find bumps or growths on your Boxer be sure to take the time to consider that it could just be a benign skin tab or like Mia a deadly malignant melanoma that looked for all the world like an embedded tick Have it checked out—early discover is the key to improving the chances of your Boxers survival if that bump happens to be malignant.