Romeo 4-13-03

Pertinent Information
11 month old Brindle Male
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
43 lb. Owner Surrender
Soon to be Neutered and Updated
Good with other dogs
Being Fostered Near Middletown, NY
Adoption Donation $200

6/15/03 - Romeo went home yesterday afternoon to the family that has patiently been waiting for him for almost two months. He has every thing a Boxer boy could possibly need including three girls to dote and love on him for a lifetime.

5/24/03 - Romeo must finish his treatment for mange and then be neutered before he can go to his "forever" home. He expects to be going home with his new brother, Walker, in mid June.

4/22/03 - Hi! Romeo here. Mom is busy, and I know it's been a few days since she talked to all of you about me, so I thought I'd help her out some. I had a bath on Friday and I know I shocked Mom. She had been told that I didn't like baths, so was ready for a difficult time, but I gave her a break and just sat down on the towel she placed in the bottom of the tub. Yup, sat there, nice and quiet until I knew her guard was down and I was allllll lathered with the special shampoo.....then BAM! I shook so hard my ears nearly wrapped around my head!! Mom had to laugh, after she wiped her eyes and got a look at the bathroom....I managed to get suds up in the fan and she said that is a definite first! After my rinse (thaaaat felt good!) Dad carried me out to the deck where I could shake, rattle and roll in the sunshine. Then, to my surprise, Mom gave me a BIG bone to gnaw on in my crate. Guess she really liked my decorating ideas in the bathroom. You know, sud spots with Boxer hair trim aren't for everybody...........only Boxer lovers, I guess! I'm really feeling better and enjoying my time here. The only thing I don't like is the medicine Mom makes me take every day. YUK! I fight harder each day, but she always wins.....so it's pretty hopeless. We get it over with early in the day, though, so it's pretty easy for me to put it behind me and move on to playtime. Guess things could be much worse.... Three other dogs live here, so there's a playmate waiting around every corner. I have to admit, though, my favorite game so far is chasing the littlest girl that lives here! Shhh, don't tell the other Boxers! She wears these little nightgowns with ruffles on the bottom and when she runs down the hall, the ruffles shake and bounce, and oooooooh, I just can't resist chasing them! It's better than any toy in the big toy basket and I loooove to hear her giggle!! The little squirt is getting quicker, now that she knows this is our "special" game, and I got to going so fast yesterday night, that I didn't make the turn into her bedroom and ended up sliding right down the hallway on the wood floor and into the bottom of the hall closet!! Thank goodness Mom was doing wash and the laundry sorter wasn't in there. That squeaky thing on wheels makes all us dogs nervous, so the last place you'd want to be is in a dark closet alone with it.....YIKES! Ooooh, the little one is calling me, gotta run.........carefully, this time! Bye!

4/16/03 - Romeo had his dip and began his medication on Monday. It upsets his tummy, poor baby, but we keep telling him that he'll feel worse before he'll feel better. He's a very good sport about the whole thing and, like your typical Boxer pup, doesn't let it affect his energy level! His scratching from the severe itching has created quite a few painfully raw itchy spots, especially around his neck/chin area, so the doctor prescribed him something to ease the itching today. We'll let you know how it helps. Romeo's introductions with the other dogs in the home went very smoothly, so he has graduated to free run of the house with everyone, though Foster Mom keeps the door to the finished basement closed so that everyone stays on the same level where she can monitor the group interactions. Romeo never strays far from where the family is located and feels perfectly at home sprawling himself across the couch with his housemates. He also really likes his crate and prefers us to keep the door open so that he can go in periodically during the day to snooze. We're very impressed with his calm demeanor and willingness to go with the household flow. We use an extenda-leash with Romeo, as this allows him the freedom to frolick while we maintain control of how far he gets. He enjoys playing tug with his leash tremendously and will dance and paw and shake his head as long as you're willing to be on the other end responding. Never seems to tire of that game.... He nuzzled through our toy basket today, but didn't seem to find anything that piqued his interest....yet. His favorite toy right now is a 4" Pooh bear that he sleeps with (awwwwwww!) and will sometimes lick/cuddle. We'll make certain that Romeo goes nowhere without his friend Pooh, so if you're interested in sweet Romeo, it's a package deal! ;o) We're working on his leash walking skills, as he can't seem to decide which side of his human he likes to walk on, and constantly circles us. This inevitably leads to whomever is walking him turning into a human barber pole...not good. :o) He's also learning table manners, the crux of which is "no table". We get the impression that some of this is not new to our dear Romeo and that he may be testing the waters to see just what he CAN get away with........ummmm, not much, we're afraid! :o) We plan on using our time with Romoe's illness to make him the best behaved 1 year old Boxer pup any family has ever seen! So watch out, world, here comes Romeo!!!!

04/12/03 - Romeo has come to us here at BAR by way of Pittsburgh, PA and an owner that loved him enough to drive him over 6 hours in order to make the ultimate sacrifice on his behalf. You see, Romeo is currently battling severe generalized demodectic mange and his owner could not afford his treatment. There weren't any rescue spots available for him in the PA area, so his owner brought him to us. Romeo has already been to our vet for the beginning of his treatment where he was given a shot to help make him more comfortable with the itching/swelling and some medicine for his conjunctivitis. He returns again Monday for the next step: a special dip/bath and an oral med that he will be on for approximately a month. This particular mange is not contagious, as it occurs due to a microscopic mite that all dogs carry. However, when a dog's immune system is compromised, the mites overpower the body and "red mange" develops. There can be any number of different reasons for a deficient immune system, but we believe it has a lot to do with the fact that Romeo is still a pup and much of his body's energy is going into growing. He will make a full recovery, though, and he is looking forward to that, as he's a tad uncomfortable right now! This condition is something that Romeo's new family will want to watch for, as there is the possibility that it could reappear as a small spot in the future. However, proper immediate attention will ensure that it never gets to this extent again. Despite being less than 100%, Romeo is the sweetest Boxer boy and has met all of his housemates--immediately winning them over. The oldest of his Boxer play mates is a bit reserved, but he'll come around to Romeo's winning personality, we're sure! He loves the children in the home and is a wonderful sport about being in the crate. He goes right in without a peep....though we all know he would rather be out with us. The crate is safer for him right now, because his feet are so swollen, it hurts him to walk and being out and about with the other Boxers would be too much temptation for a pup to play and possibly hurt himself. All the dogs are hoping that Romeo starts seeing results of his medicine real soon because springtime and playtime go hand-in-hand here and there's no better playmate than a Boxer pup!! Check back for more on Romeo Monday evening after his next vet visit.....