The Dog Journal

SCHOOLCHILDREN HELP STRAY DOG FIND A HOME - “These students are a great example of how we all have a role to play in making a difference for animals in this community…”

A group of children from the Rio Vista Elementary School found a Boxer mix named Prince wandering the streets in Arizona. They informed a teacher and Prince was taken to the Pima Animal Care Center to be put up for adoption. After keeping track of Prince and seeing that he remained at the shelter without being adopted, one of the teachers at the school found someone who could offer him a permanent home. Here’s more from tucsoncitizen.com:

A handful of Rio Vista Elementary School students were enjoying time at nearby Limberlost Park while on spring break when they found the lost Boxer mix.

Concerned, they called Pima Animal Care Center and waited with the dog, hugging him and petting him, until an officer came to take him to the shelter. The first day back at school, they shared the story and their cell phone videos with their reading tutor, Cindy Hayden.

“The kids were very protective of him and did the right thing by making sure he was taken care of,” Hayden said. The class tracked his progress on the shelter website, waiting to see if his owner would redeem him. When no one did, Hayden started trying to find a home for him.

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It turns out kindergarten teacher Kellie Walsh was ready for another pet, after her Boxer passed away last year.

Prince has a new home thanks to the concern and compassion of the students. Hopefully Prince enjoys his life with his new family. Click here for the full story and here to learn more about the Pima Animal Care Center.

TWO DOGS KEEP LOST BOY WARM IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES - “Ryle Smith was discovered  about a mile from the family house with Baxter, a large Boxer, and Bella, a Labrador mix lying on top of the boy keeping him warm.”

A six-year-old boy in Missouri wandered off and got lost in freezing temperatures.  He was able to survive because a Boxer named Baxter and a Labrador mix named Bella kept him warm. The boy and dogs were discovered lying under a bush. Here’s more from ABC News:

A frantic search for a missing six-year-old boy in Seneca, Mo. ended in relief when deputies discovered the boy huddled under a bush with his two dogs for warmth.

As temperatures plunged into the low 20s, Ryle Smith was discovered  about a mile from the family house with Baxter, a large Boxer, and Bella, a Labrador mix lying on top of the boy keeping him warm.

“He was wearing no socks or shoes,” Ryle’s mother Holly told ABC News. “His feet were so cold that it was the early stages of frostbite, he hadn’t eaten dinner, he was exhausted and hungry.”

Ms. Smith said that according to paramedics, the dogs were lying on top of the boy; they could tell  because his upper extremities were warm.

Baxter and Bella deserve a lot of praise for keeping their boy warm. Click here for the full story.

ADOPTED DOG SAVES OWNERS FROM FIRE - “A Union County couple rescued a dog by adopting him from a shelter. In return, the dog rescued them when there was a fire in their home.”

A Boxer-Mastiff mix named Tank helped save his owners when he woke them up in the early morning hours.  It turns out Tank alerted his owners because a fire had broken out elsewhere in the house.  Tank was adopted just days before he was scheduled for euthanization. Read more from wsoctv.com:

“It was Sunday morning, early, and he was going crazy,” Ewing said.

It woke Ewing up and forced him out of bed. He thought Tank wanted to go outside. But instead of running to the back door…

“He came down and stopped right here and looked at the door,” Ewing said.

Smoke and water were pouring from the laundry room, which has the furnace, water heater and washer and dryer. Ewing said heat from the flames burst the pipes.

When fire crews arrived, Ewing said they told him a few more minutes and the smoke would have spread.

“The firefighters said, ‘Five minutes and we would have been waking you up, pulling you out of the house,’” he said.

While Tank is being called the hero now, it was just a few months ago that he was rescued himself. Ewing and his wife adopted him from a shelter.

“Five months ago I rescued a puppy and today, he rescued us,” Ewing said.

Tank is a hero who deserves a lot of Thanksgiving treats. Click here for the full story.

BOXER RECOVERS FROM ABUSE AND DONATES BLOOD TO SAVE OTHER DOGS - “But as sure as his scars healed, his personality turned out to be all love…”

A Boxer in Oklahoma named Winston was rescued from a life of abuse.  When he was rescued by Tulsa Boxer Rescue, he was starving and had multiple injuries.  Fortunately, Winston has recovered and now lives in a loving home. Winston has a unique blood type, so every so often he is called upon to donate blood to help other dogs (Boxers are often identified as universal blood donors). Read more from ktul.com:

“They call us when they need it,” said Winston’s mom, proud as can be of her boxer.

“Boxers are the universal blood donors for dogs,” she said.

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“The doctors that saw him felt like he had acid poured on him or something,” she said.

This is what Winston looked liked when they first got him; seriously wounded, starving, infected.

“It took like an hour or so to clean out all the maggots,” she said…But as sure as his scars healed, his personality turned out to be all love, well, except to certain boys.

“He doesn’t like men to talk to Amanda,” she laughed.

Winston has triumphed over his life of abuse and now helps save the lives of other dogs.  He truly deserves to be called a hero. Click here for the full story, and here to learn more about Tulsa Boxer Rescue.

DOG SAVED BY EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN TUMOR TREATMENT -“She still leads a very happy life. She’s still active. She loves her walks. And she could live the rest of her life hopefully healthy.”

Peyton, an 8-year-old Boxer, was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor with only 30 days to live.  Prospects looked bleak until Peyton’s vet informed her owners of a new experimental form of treatment by the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center and Masonic Cancer Center.  Although she still has a few more obstacles to overcome, Peyton is still going strong despite the initial 30-day prognosis.  Furthermore, the expensive treatment was provided at no cost to Peyton’s owners.  Here’s more from nwitimes.com:

Peyton was a healthy, loving 8-year-old boxer when she suffered a seizure March 23. Her owners, Rob and Renee Henderson, described it as a facial seizure, or “a facial tic,” and didn’t think much of it until it happened again that same day.

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On Tuesday they were still trying to figure out how to handle the last month of Peyton’s life when they got a call from Dr. Timothy Bentley, the veterinary neurosurgeon at Purdue who treated Peyton. Bentley told them about the canine brain tumor clinical trials program, a collaborative effort of the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center and Masonic Cancer Center.

Peyton was an ideal candidate for a trial in which a sample of her glioma tumor would be used as a vaccine against it.

Peyton will continue to be monitored, but it appears that her chances of living a full life are good.  Hopefully, doctors will be able to discover more such advances in canine medicine. Click here for the full story.  Good luck to Peyton.

Submission from pictureproducer.  

DOG SAVED FROM EGYPTIAN SHELTER HAS A BIG HEART - “In a shelter of 700 dogs fighting over food, she watched as Tyson sat back from the pack, letting all of the other dogs eat before he got his share.”

A 5-year-old Boxer named Tyson was rescued from an Egyptian dog shelter and currently lives with his owner in Kentucky. He turned out to be very gentle with a big heart, and was subsequently trained and registered as a service dog. Tyson often does good deeds.  Here’s more from maysville-online.com:

Castelli said that she and Tyson were taking one of their regular routes down Cox Alley when the dog began pulling her off the road…It was there that Castelli found a denim pocketbook that had clearly been picked through, showing that theft had likely occurred…Using the address from the I.D., Castelli and Tyson made their way to the owner’s home.

The owner followed Castelli back to the purse, and was overjoyed that it had been found…Tyson’s behavior is not surprising. She said that on one of their recent walks, Tyson spotted a small dog locked in a hot car, soaking with sweat from the heat. He refused to leave until Castelli spoke to the owner. Castelli said he is also friendly with all of the neighbors.

“He loves children. If they scream [when playing] he thinks they’re hurt,” she said. “He’s got a big heart.”

Tyson is also a registered U.S. Service Dog, and can be used for therapy — he has the badge to prove it. Castelli said that in the past, Tyson helped her mother by pulling her in a wheelchair. He also helps Castelli, who sometimes has panic attacks, remain calm.

Tyson has traveled very far to get where he is today but it seems that he has more than repaid his owner by helping her get through rough times.  Dogs can be very compassionate creatures. Click here for the full story.

A boxer named Buster heroically fought off burglars who invaded his home. Buster was severely injured but has had surgery and is in recovery.  Here’s the story from the startribune.com:

 Nine-year-old Buster fought so hard to protect his home that he shattered several teeth as he chomped on his attacker’s hunting knife. He also suffered gashes to his throat, shoulder and jowls.

“Every room of my house was filled with blood. It was like a murder scene,” said Larry Wagaman, who returned home to the crime scene about 10:20 a.m. Thursday at his east St. Paul house.

Buster, a fawn boxer who survived his latest surgery on Monday, was home alone while Wagaman went on a 20-minute run to buy supplies for a weekend bow-hunting trip.

Wagaman, an Anoka County corrections officer, returned to find Buster slumped in his basement kennel in a puddle of blood and gasping for air through a sucking neck wound.

A thief (or thieves) broke in by smashing two windows of the house on the 1800 block of E. Maryland Avenue. Cash, computers, a hunting bow, three rifles and Wagaman’s corrections uniforms were stolen. The invader turned Wagaman’s own 6-inch hunting knife on Buster, then left the bloody weapon on the kitchen table.

Wagaman wasn’t surprised Buster fought so hard to protect the house he’s lived in since he was a puppy.

“He’s a dog that comes around every 100 years. He’s just awesome,” Wagaman said. Buster “fought him off every room they were in.”

Let’s hope Buster makes a speedy recovery and once again can go back to the home he loves so much.