BOWSER 3/15/03
#164
Adopted
4/6/03
Pictures
Bowser's Foster Journey
Post Adoption
Pertinent Information
1 yr. old Boxer/Bulldog Mix
38 lb. Flashy Fawn Male
Natural Ears and Tail
Shelter Surrender
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered in East Lyme, CT
Adoption Donation $200
5/6/03 - WOW! I can't believe we have had Bowser for a whole month already. So much has happened since the day his "little self" graced our house with his footsteps. He is such a cutie pie! His brother, Dawson (an Australian Cattle Dog), has welcomed him with open arms. He has taught him the routine and loves him dearly. It's still difficult to determine who is truly dominant, I guess Bowser is most of the time...but they seem to trade the role back and forth so neither one has too much responsibility. Bowser has become much more comfortable in his new home. He is fascinated by my horse and the other animals on the farm. Our Jack Dempsey (fish) really has him perplexed as to how he manages to just hang out in what seems like the air, from Bowser's perspective. There are too many wonderful things to say about Bowser. He loves to swim (even tolerates baths) and he really enjoys hiking around the center of town). He loves to play ball but he just can't keep up with Dawson. It's really cute how they play. Dawson runs and gets the ball while Bowser hangs out about 5 feet from me. Dawson brings the ball to Bowser and lets him take it to me. He is starting to get the hang of "leave it" and "down." He does "sit-stays" very well.....I am able to go to the other end of the house while he is in a sit-stay and then call him and watch him come running with that big grin on his face! He is extremely sensitive both physically and emotionally. He really wants to please me and internalizes any disappointment I may have. He also loves the boomer ball, but after rolling over it and chasing it for a while, his belly was all scratched up....that is something I am not used to with Dawson....it's like having a naked dog! Anyway, with all of the good things that Bowser does, comes one very big flaw that we are working on. He has taken very well to those people he sees on a somewhat regular basis, but he is still very leery of strangers and new dogs. I believe that he suffers from fear aggression. I have made a tremendous
4/6/03 - Bowser has been adopted.
3/31/03 - Bowser certainly has made himself at home here. He has toys absolutely everywhere! He has transformed into the sweetest little "man" as I call him. When he first arrived, he was very scared and shy, but now he is a lovely lap dog and a delight to have around. He certainly has put some life back into my old dogs! He and Coco play continuously, tugging at ropes, etc. They are noisy when they play and are a bit rough, but it is just good, old fashioned, Boxer play which is wonderful to watch. Poor old Joey tries to get into the action, but poops out rather easily and then comes and sits on my lap (all 95 lbs. of him) and watches the youngsters play. Bower still does a little of the jumping up and hitting your nose, but he is much better and listens very well to commands. He just gets overly excited sometimes and has to be told "no." For this reason I still feel that he should be in a home with older children rather than young ones.
3/27/03 - Bowser is now a full fledged member of our family! He and my 2 dogs have been roaming around the house together for hours now. Up to this point, we had been very careful and were introducing the dogs very slowly. This was not because of any problem with Bowser, but because our female had one bad experience with another dog and is still very scared and we didn't want her to feel threatened by him. They have socialized through baby gates and on leashes up until today except for a few jaunts outside. When I got home from work, I let them all out in the yard together and they had a ball. Then, it was such a nice day, that I opened the door to the house and they began running in and out and around the house. Bowser even dug up an old bone that Coco had buried and she seems to be alright with it. He went through the doggie door for the first time by himself (well, Joey was behind him and kind of nudged him out) and he came back in through it also. He is such a cutie pooh! He and Joey are laying next to each other on Afghans on the floor. Whoever adopts this spunky little man better be prepared to buy him a lot of toys. He loves toys more than any dog I have ever seen and keeps himself very busy playing with them. I feel confident, after having him here for almost 2 weeks, that he is ready to go to his forever home now and will make some lucky family a wonderful pet.
3/24/03 - Bowser had a very busy weekend with a lot of company. On Sat. we had a group of BAR foster parents for a Foster Workshop. When the first group arrived, Bowser was behind a baby gate, and he became a little scared of so many people and barked in a protective manner. I brought him out, on leash, to meet everyone. He was still scared and jumped up in the face of one of our volunteers, so he was crated until he settled down. Later in the day when everyone was sitting down around a table I brought him back out and he was good as gold. He made the rounds of every single person and was a big hit. He had a rope toy in his mouth and he tried to get everyone to play with him. So we discovered that this young man needs to be introduced to new people very slowly. For that reason, we feel that he would do best in quiet, calm home without a lot of people coming any going. Because of his jumping up in people's faces, we also do not think that he would do well with young children either. Every adult at the meeting wanted to take Bowser home and thought that he was an absolute doll. He is full of energy and a real delight to be around.
Bowser has been spending more and more time with our 2 Boxers. He and Coco love to run around and around in circles outside. He is a very active puppy and a little too much for our old gentleman, Joseph, but they do dance and prance around one another. The love he shows in his eyes when he looks at me and the contented way he cuddles up and sleeps beside me or on my lap, show that he will make a wonderful addition to the "right" home. Contact us if you think this boy would be the perfect match for you.
3/19/03 - We have had a delightful couple of days
with Bowser. He is such a pleasant, loving puppy. He is a mix
with the colorings and body of a Boxer, the under bite and size of an
English Bulldog, and the head and tail of an American Bulldog. My
son, who has a Purebred Am. Bulldog, fell in love with Bowser and wants to
take him home with him. He thinks that he is just the cutest little
guy he has ever seen! He makes the perfect lap dog at only 38
lbs. His greatest pleasure in life is rolling over on his back and
having his belly rubbed.
He is getting along very well with our 2 dogs on a limited
basis. Our older male, Joseph, has a neurological condition
and is very unsteady on his feet, so we don't want a young pup over taxing
him. Joey is also a very large Boxer Boy weighing in at 95 lbs. and
he has a habit of putting his great big paw on the back of other dogs and
we are afraid that he will hurt Bowser. He met out cat and didn't
seem to get too excited over her until she swatted him on the nose for no
good reason. Bowser decided he didn't like her which I can't blame him for
at all. She has had a few bad encounters with other fosters and is
very hesitant of all dogs. She and our female have never gotten
along and they live in totally different parts of the
house.
Bowser is completely housebroken and sleep the whole night through without
a peep. He will make a wonderful companion for some lucky family.
3/16/03 - What a good boy Bowser is! He slept the entire night without so much as a peep from 10 last night to 6 this morning. I am impressed with how young he is and how much he likes to play, but how quiet he is on the other hand and how quickly he settles down. The only time he has barked is when one of my dogs was scratching at the bathroom door bothering him, so we put a gate up so they can't scratch the door and he is fine. As soon as I took him out this AM, he did his business and then found an old ball to play with. What a great time he had running after the ball in the back yard. He took time out to eat a good breakfast, then went back outside for another potty break and more playing. He is now taking a siesta after a lot of petting and a tummy rub which he just rolled over on his back and loved.
3/15/03 - I went to Providence, RI late this
afternoon to meet a lovely new volunteer, Sonja, who sprung Bowser from a
shelter in MA. He was a little scared at first, but settled down
nicely for the ride home. He went outside and sniffed around like
mad, but didn't use the outdoor facilities. Sure enough, as soon as
I left him alone in the bathroom/laundry room area (tiled floors thank
heavens!) to make his dinner, he graced his new accommodations with
presents! It seems that every foster dog I get goes to the bathroom
in the house right after they arrive. I'm sure it is just nerves
with all of them. After he ate a hearty dinner of hamburger,
rice and dry food, he went outside and did his business like a good boy!
This young boy just loves to play! He loves his new rope pull toy,
and his stuffed squeaky heart. Since it was a little late when we
got home, we didn't have too much time for a lot of interaction yet.
We put a dog bed in the bathroom after he came in from his outside
adventure after dinner and he settled right into it. We were going
to put him in a crate for the night, but he was so quiet and contented in
the bathroom, that we just let him stay there all night.
Bowser & brother, Dawson