We had the pleasure of meeting Shamus recently, picking him up at a kennel to become a foster family for the first time. What a wonderful dog to begin this journey with! Shamus rode well in the car for the 2.5 hour ride back home, and promptly "did his duty" at each of the two stops we made along the way. A good sign! Upon arrival he checked out his new place, and spent about an hour running around the backyard with our Golden. He is very springy, and looks like a deer bounding with his long adolescent boxer legs! How good it felt for him to get out some energy. Inside the house he is much less rowdy, preferring to follow you until you sit down somewhere, then lay at your feet. He is a velcro dog, and absolutely has boxer wiggles to give; just say his name! We've discovered that he knows how to sit and come (for a treat), and seems to know "off" as well (most of the time). He is loving the dog beds in our home, but has not gotten onto the furniture. Considering he is still a puppy, I am amazed that he is so well mannered. He wants very much to please, and to know he is a "good dog". Shamus is pretty thin, so we're hoping to add a little weight to him. He is being free fed and has not binged at all. Our four year old daughter has discovered that he particularly likes stuffed toys that squeak. So far, only one accident in the house when he first arrived, probably due to stress. Shamus will hover by the back door when he needs to go out. He doesn't like being left out alone for too long, and is back at the door pretty quickly unless you walk out with him, in which case he'll happily roam about. The first night Shamus was here we used a baby gate to keep him in the mudroom in case of accidents, and he did great. However, the second night he discovered that he could easily jump the baby gate, so he was left to roam around the house and chose to sleep on the dog bed at the foot of our bed. He has not shown any interest in jumping our four foot wooden fence in the backyard, but we have mostly been with him outside so he hasn't had any reason to be uneasy. I think Shamus would be great for a family with kids of any age and another dog for a buddy. He seems to have slight separation anxiety, so I'd love to see him go to a home where someone is around most of the day. We are absolutely loving him, and are trying to resist the urge to adopt the first foster we have! This dog is a love, wants desperately to bond, and needs a forever home that he can trust.

Northeastern Boxer Rescue

Jamie Meadow - Jamie@boxerrescue.com