Follow Up: Chester

“I want a Golden”, my wife said. Well…..”I want a boxer”. I heard and spoke those words for a few weeks. In the end I won, because it was my turn to choose a dog. Kelly, my wife, picked out Huck (our 6 year old yellow lab) therefore I was in charge of finding the next dog. So, where to look? Well, that was answered fast enough when I spoke with Mel (and if she is reading this she better be smiling) and she let me know about www.BoxerRescue.com.

That night I went home, booted up the computer and I was hooked! I remember looking at all the dogs and reading all the information on them like: "Needs a fenced yard," "Walk on leash," "Can't be left home alone," and so on and so on.  And after reading all the information, we decided this is still the kind of dog for us (my wife said for me). So what was next?

We looked at contact people on the web page and we were lucky enough to be located near one of the most caring people we have ever met - Dawn (Scranton Boxer Rescue in Pennsylvania). From the start, Dawn was honest with us and seemed to really care about the dogs. Dawn asked the right questions on our phone interview, arranged a home visit, and eventually followed up with everything in the contract. We wanted a male boxer between the age of 10 months and 3 years. You know, the perfect age where all the bad habits are gone - RIGHT!!!

Dawn and I continually discussed the risks of having 2 males living together. She said 2 males can work but often doesn't. We told her my lab was raised with 4 males and would be fine. Dawn gathered the necessary information, and went on a mission to find me and my family the perfect dog.

It wasn't too long when Dawn called us and said that she found the dog we were looking for (to tell you the truth, I would have been happy to help any of the boxers on the site). She told us he was a 1-year-old boxer named Chester (AKA the alien! My wife calls all boxers that because she says they are so much like strange humans, and everyone I know that has a boxer agrees). So, a time was set and a date was made for Chester, Huck, Kelly and me to all meet.

Dawn brought Chester to us on a Saturday morning. I remember meeting her on the main road and seeing that mug in the back. It was love at first site. Dawn asked me how Huck would be and I said he is fine. Huck can tolerate anything. We drove 8 more miles to my house and the meeting happened. Dawn looked at me, I looked at her and everyone looked at everyone. After a sniff here and a sniff there... Love was in the air. I put Chester on a 20-foot lead and he and Huck played for hours.

The perfect dog. The first week was so nice. No fights, no messes in the house, and he was even perfect when left alone for a few hours inside the house. Then the day of hell. I remember coming home and seeing a doll chewed. Now we knew Huck never chewed anything before, and we knew it was Chester - no biggie. That night, I found out what it was like to have 2 male dogs fight over a toy... then another toy, then food, then.... well you get the idea. That night I looked at my wife, looked at Huck and thought "WHAT THE HECK DID I GET MYSELF INTO". Just after that thought, I remember what Dawn told me "The first 2 weeks... Make it through the first 2 weeks!"

To make this shorter, the 2 weeks felt like 2 years and was one of the hardest adjustments we ever made. What did we learn over those 2 weeks?

1. Don't feed dogs together

2. Don't let that face fool me ... he is bad bad bad (bad in a good way...Chester's attitude is what makes him - him)

3. If I buy one toy, I better get another. And so on and so on...

After those 2 weeks, everything seemed to come into place. There were still little squabbles now and then, which Chester always started and lost (and man, it sounded like the two were trying to kill each other). The 2 toys now became no toys in the house and that face, well that never changed. But….Dawn was right, after the 2 weeks Chester started to fit right in.

Chester came from the city and now has adjusted to country living. His favorite spot in the house is near the fireplace or on top of me or Kelly (whether we are in bed, on the floor or couch). We have never been around a dog that has so much love and commitment as Chester. He is a big ole lap dog that does something funny every day. Chester listens to commands (my wife may disagree on that one from time to time…but he does listen to me) and has now become our 2nd child. I have seen Chester transform from a city dog with a lot of extra energy, to a country dog who loves to run outside but relax on the bed or couch when inside. But most of all, I have seen what Chester has done for our lives. Chester has become a very important "person" in my life by always being there to give me hugs and kisses. …always there to greet me at the door with those wiggles….and always there with that look on his face (the alien look - the look that seems to say: I care about what you are saying. Or, where is my treat. lol) As for my wife, she loves Chester and always says " No matter how bad he is, that face and the love he shows all the time saves his tush". Last, and most important, Huck and Chester are best friends (see attached pictures of them sleeping). Huck has become a puppy again, picking up some boxer habits (the wiggle and jumping) and really enjoys his new brother.

I want to thank Dawn from the Northeastern Boxer Rescue group Scranton Boxer Rescue for giving us the chance to adopt Chester. Dawn has gone past being a middleman for boxer rescue and has become a wonderful friend in my family’s life, and a person I talk to all the time. She has involved me in the rescue and I love helping out.

Chester's original information

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