8/13/01
- Ali has been a guest at our house for a couple months now and he has still
not worn out his welcome. This boy is in one word "awesome"
He is very special fellow and one that will be sorely missed. Ali has
a very unique personality. He is vocal and boisterous and sweet.
He is a lot of dog but with that has a lot of love to give. He came to
us on medication, with a stomach virus and kennel cough but it never kept
him down. He has since been taken off of the "doggie valium"
and has been doing fine his virus and kennel cough have all been cleared and
his bloodwork came back fine. His last pill was in the beginning of
June. He absolutely loves people but does not know how to show it.
He is very loud with barks and singing and "woo woo's" which can
be intimidating to people that do not know him as he is a big boy. He
has no idea of his size and thinks he is a lap dog like so many boxers.
His favorite past time is sitting on your lap while being petted.....quite
frankly it is ridiculous because of his size but after looking in those bog
beautiful eyes you have no other choice but to melt and go with it.
He
has become the best of friends with my female boxer Haley. They are
like bookends. They play hard and sleep together and have been fine
when left alone during the day (that is if you don't count the time they got
to the 5 LB bag of flour and looked like they were 93 when I got home). They
get along rather well as my female is semi-dominant he does not give her a
challenge. There has been one "argument" and that was when
Ali thought he was entitled to Haley's mashed potatoes and Haley would not
have it. He could eat all day long and makes no attempt to hide his
eating disorder quite frankly I think he should be a little embarrassed but
it has kept my sweeping in the kitchen to a minimum. He is a counter
surfer and we have had to put our bars of soap up as he tried to turn
his doggie breath to be "zestfully clean". He is
absolutely house broken and knows basic commands
Ali
is very protective of his home. He is the first to alarm if anyone is
coming, he is the same way in the car. He does suffer from some
separation anxiety and needs to go to a home where he has a playmate or a
person home to spend time with as he does not care to be alone. Since
he had issues with another male I would suggest that he only be homed with a
female as he has had no problem with mine. I would also suggest
that he not be homed with small children as he does not know his own size or
strength I feel he would be too much for a child. He is really very sweet.
As I was in my closet the other day he came in to see what I was doing I put
my arms around his neck and hugged him and I just watched as his tail
started wagging a mile a minute. I stopped he put his head against me
and I hugged him again and there the tail started all over. All he
wants is someone to love. If you want a dog that will stay off the
couch he is not for you, if you want a quiet dog, he is not for you.
If you want a dog who desperately wants a place to call home, who wants to
find that special person then he is for you. It will be a bittersweet
day when Ali goes to his home, he is very much loved and will always have a
special place in my heart.
5/8/01 - Ali is one of our
rescue dogs that is being returned to our rescue program with great sadness
by his family. Below is a report from the person who has been his caretaker
for the last year. "Ali joined our family just about one year
ago. He is a gorgeous 80 lb., 2 1/2-year-old Brindle neutered male.
Ali is a lap dog in a Boxer suit. He loves to be snuggled and curls up
happily on the couch with you. He is a master at the wiggly woo-woo
dance and displays his charm every time a new person comes in the door.
Ali thinks furniture is
just a means to change ones height perspective in the world so you can see
out of the windows better. He is not destructive at all, is fully
housebroken and crate trained. He has shown no interest in escaping
from our fencing and, in fact, on the few occasions that the other two
Boxers have managed to find/make a hole in the fence, he comes back and
tattles on them!
He has grown accustomed
to the horses and does not chase or bother them. We have one barn cat
that he will chase. I do not think he would hurt the cat but the cat
runs so he chases. He is the fastest dog I have ever seen and loves to
run in the fields, chasing bunnies and birds.
Why is Ali seeking a new
home? We have two other rescued Boxers. While Ali does very well
with the Alpha Female and quits his puppyish exuberance when she says she
has had enough, he and our other male Boxer have come to a serious impasse.
There is a battle going on for dominance that has resulted in serious
injuries and vet bills.
Ali can become over
excited, as is typical of his age. He has shown “fear aggression”
toward humans if discipline is too harsh. We've found that a deep
“uh-oh” is sufficient to cause him to sit with contrition. We have
recently put him on medication that has made a marked improvement in his
anxiety that brings on the fear aggressive behavior. He loves kids
though would do best with older children, as he is very strong. He
walks well on a leash, knows all the basic commands and has done a bit of
agility. He completed beginner obedience last fall with my 10-year-old
daughter and they were the stars of their class..
Last winter we took him
dog sledding. He worked perfectly with our other male Boxer in a
two-dog harness and had no problem being out with 4 other teams of dogs.
The aggressive fighting came on suddenly and recently. The
anti-anxiety medication works very well for calming him under all
circumstances except with regard to the other male."
Due to the escalation of
the fights between Ali and the other male Boxer, Ali is in need of an
immediate foster or permanent home. Ali is desperately seeking a new
friend that will continue to love and care for him as much as his current
family. Please complete a Foster
Application if you are interested in providing a temporary home, or
complete an Adoption Application
if you want to have Ali join your family permanently.
