2/15/05 - Well, in Jean's words of advice to me, "the honeymoon is over." Lacee was on her best behavior when she first got here, but not so much anymore. She has definitely earned her new nickname "Lacifer." :-) I wasn't crating her for the first couple of months because she was so well behaved while we were away, but she progressively got worse over the past few weeks- chewing, accidents, getting into anything and everything that she could make a mess with, etc. So, I've had to start crating her. But, I have found a great daycare on my way to work, so she goes there a couple days a week. She really doesn't like her crate, but I hope she'll get more comfortable with it over time. Other than that, she is doing great! She is maintaining a really good weight, has become a lot more independent (she was very clingy when she first got her), and is understanding commands better every day. We really forget that she's deaf most of the time because she has become so responsive to hand commands.

1/13/05 - Just an update to let you know that Lacee is doing really well. She is very well behaved (for the most part...she seems to be picking up some bad habits, but nothing major) and continues to be a big snuggle-bug, sitting on top of someone whenever she can. She is, however, showing some more independence. She'll now sit quietly playing with her chew toys and even occasionally let us out of her sight...but only occasionally. I haven't had much luck with her and other dogs in the house. She does okay at first, but as soon as another dog goes near her "things," she quickly moves into defensive mode. She's fine with them outside though, so at least she can play outside with other dogs. She has gained weight nicely and is finally appearing to be at a good weight, which I'm happy about. So, everything is going great and I'll send another update next month!!

12/9/04 - I just realized in my adoption contract that I was supposed to give you an update on Lacee two days ago...sorry this is late! She continues to do well and is just so adorable. She has, fortunately, gained weight. When I took her to the vet the day before Thanksgiving, she was up to 64 lbs. I still think she needs a few more at least until I can't see her ribs. I don't mind feeling them, but I don't like to see them- it just looks so unhealthy. It's been hard to get her to gain weight though because she has little interest in food. She rarely finishes her entire bowl, but she is now eating most of it...a little bit here a little bit there. I tried your tip about the baby food though. The only time I've seen her polish off her bowl of food is when I mixed in baby macaroni and cheese. I got a bunch of different kinds, but when I run out, I think I'm just going to stock up on the mac & cheese.
Her playful side has started to show the past couple of weeks and I have battle scars to prove it! :-) It's not her teeth but her tail (no wonder Boxers' tails are docked!), jumping, and just not really knowing boundaries- she's a little peanut but she is so strong. But she's learning. Although, I have discovered that in one of her past lives, someone must have played some type of "game" with her with their hands, because if you're playing with her and you have long sleeves, she gnaws at the cuff of your sleeve. My prior boxer used to do that with pant legs because she lived with a house full of guys when she was a puppy who used to play with her with their feet. All habits that can be broken! :-)
Well, I guess that's all for now. I have a digital camera on my Christmas list, so I should be able to send some updated pictures when I do my post-adoption updates.

12/1/04 - Lacee has been adopted.

11/22/04- As we approach the end Lacee's second week with us, she is still doing great! She is just as cuddly as when she first arrived- as I type this she has the top part of her body draped over my lap. She is definitely starting to show more of her playful side too. Still not a lot of interest in toys, but loves to run around and have you try to catch her. She has gotten better in the car as well. I didn't restrain her this weekend and no attempts to get into the driver seat with me. She is such a terrific dog!
As far as her being deaf, I honestly forget most of the time. She is very good with vibrations. She comes instantly when I stomp on the floor. It really has not been much different from having a dog that can hear. Although a HUGE benefit is that, when we are out for a walk, she can't hear other dogs barking at her...she just trots along completely unphased.
This past weekend was a big test for her as we had about 16 people over for dinner. She was very excited when the first few guest arrived (she is a jumper, so we'll work with her on that), but after the first few, she was very good. Gave each one a quick hello and moved on to see what she had missed in the other rooms. Her favorite guest, however, was a little blonde 2 year old. Lacee did not take her eyes off her the entire time from the moment she walked in until the moment she left. It was just adorable. Lacee was very gentle with her and was happy when her little friend finally worked up the courage to pet her. Although, the little one was not very fond of all the kisses Lacee wanted to give her and, finally, towards the end of the night kept asking Lacee to "stop eating me." :-) I was pleasantly surprised at how well behaved Lacee was the whole time (with the exception of a little accident...I think we missed her asking to go out though and she was really excited about all the company), especially with such a large crowd. She truly is a special dog.
 

11/17/04 - Well, our first week with Lacee has been wonderful! She's really starting to settle in nicely and is such a good girl. I had been gating her in the living room, but it didn't take her long to figure out that she can jump right over whatever is blocking the door. When I came in the other night and saw that she had gotten out, I thought for sure I'd have a mess to clean up. But, not with Miss Lacee. She didn't get into a thing (even though there was food on the counter within her reach)! She's definitely become more comfortable being left alone- she's no longer barking when we walk out the door. Instead, she just sits at the window so she can watch us leave. And, not a single accident from Lacee all week. As she gets more comfortable, she's showing more interest in wanting to play with us and with her toys. We just love her- it's impossible not to. She is very expressive and loves using her human friends as pillows...absolutely adorable!

11/14/04 - Lacee continues to do great in her new foster home! She is such a wonderful dog and has been on her very best behavior. She does bark for a little while after being left alone (I stood outside the door one morning and it was at least 5 minutes), but I always come home to her napping, so she does settle down after a little initial "distress." I have not crated her the past couple of days because I wanted see how she did without it. Even though she's only been here a few days, she was perfectly fine being unsupervised in the house- no accidents or destructive behavior. In fact, I haven't had to scold her for anything...other than getting on the couch, but that's a pretty minor infraction as far as I'm concerned. Even with that though, she is learning.
I introduced her to my friend's dog this weekend and she was fine when he came into the house until he went near her blanket...at which point she made it clear to him that it was hers. But once we got them outside, she was absolutely fine with him and very excited to have a playmate (of course, by that point she had scared him to a point that he didn't really want to play with her).
Lacee truly is a very sweet dog. She seems to be more interested in cuddling with her human friends than playing with any of the toys we have laying around. Her being deaf has not yet been much of a factor either. Primarily because she doesn't let you out of her sight very often. She's not under foot though- she will follow you into a room and just lay down. If we want her attention, we just stomp on the floor and she's very responsive. When I take her for walks, a tug on her leash will get her attention very easily as well. Lil' Lacee has definitely been a wonderful addition to our house!

11/11/04 - I picked up Lacee last night and she is doing wonderfully! She is such a sweet dog- so far, all she's really wanted to do is cuddle with one of us. I have absolutely no complaints about her behavior. She is very gentle, has had no accidents in the house, and is very good about asking to go out. She is also excellent on a leash- minimal pulling. She is, however, a furniture climber, but she seems to understand when I'm telling her to get off. I've taken her in the car twice and she really seems to love riding. I do have to restrain her though, otherwise she tries to get into the driver's seat with me. As far as sleeping goes, she loves to nap! She did get up at 4 a.m. this morning (probably because she went through 2 bowls of water when she got here last night), but I took her out and she came in and went right back to sleep. She really is a sweetheart.
She does appear to be underweight, so hopefully we can fix that quickly.
Well, that's it for my first 24 hours with her. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about this girl in the coming days!
 

11/9/04 - Tomorrow Lacee will be moving to a wonderful foster home here in CT.  Her new foster mom will be picking her up tomorrow night.  There are no other pets in the home so Lacee will be the Queen Bee.  They have reported from the kennel that she is just the sweetest little girl and that they have tried her out in doggie day care and she was wonderful with the other dogs there.  So, if you are looking for a super loving girl, don't have any other animals in your home and are willing to spend a little extra time with Lacee as she is deaf, then contact us ASAP.

10/31/04 - Poor Lacee, she just couldn't get along with Spudge!  For the first month, they were pretty good together, then Lacee started to assert herself.  Perhaps she sensed that he was very submissive and decided to take advantage of the situation.  Whatever the reason, the new owner could not continue to have Spudge scared silly and hiding in the bedroom, so Lacee was returned to BAR by a tearful owner.  Lacee is a wonderful person dog, but she has had problems dealing with some other dogs and cats.  So we are now looking for a home for Lacee where she will be the only animal in a house which has a fenced in yard.  You could not want a sweeter, more personable dog who just loves to cuddle with her humans.  Unfortunately, we do not have a foster home available that does not have any other dogs, so Lacee is being boarded at a kennel.  We would really like to find her a new home as soon as possible.  Do you have room in your heart and home for her?

9/19/04 - Hi, I'm thrilled to have picked up Lacee sat. morning, 9/18. I wanted to thank everyone at Boxer Angel for all the hard work, and for making my family of two extremely happy. She' s fitting in beautifully. There is one person who I'd like to contact, but no longer have her phone # or E-mail. A lovely lady by the name of Raquel came to my house for the home visit and I would like to contact her to thank her and maybe visit. Thank you all again, Lois, Spudge and Lacee

9/14/04 - Lacee is pending adoption.

8/17/04 - Lacee has been anxiously waiting for her new home. She has been practicing all her good behavior
and promises that if you are the right home for her, she will give you nothing but loves, boxer kisses and of course...dancing fun! Just as a reminder, Lacee knows basic commands through sign language, is completely
housebroken, crate trained and will do pretty much anything for a hug. She loves most other dogs and is partial to cuddling with them. She doesn't chase balls but loves to be chased and caught!
Because she is deaf she requires a bit more attention as far as watching her outside, always having her on a lead
when out for a walk etc. She is a love and wants very much to be in a home where she can make someone very happy
and likes her dancing as much as she does!

8/6/04 - Lacee is waiting and waiting for a new home to love her. She is wondering what her new bed will look like,
if she will have a brother or sister. Will her new parents dance with her? Let her sleep on their feet? Will she be able
to run around? Are you that home that Lacee needs to get her worries to stop and for her to smile again? We know
 she needs a home that requires dedication and has lots of love to spare, but we also know that home is just waiting
for a dog like Lacee to fill their hearts and home. One look into those eyes and you will see what I mean.

7/27/04 - For those of you that were wondering more about Lacee or perhaps adopting  deaf dog, let me tell you a little! 
Typically deaf dogs make a great companion for another dog. They really do train easily-especially this one since she 
is already trained with hand commands. She loves to practice too. Only thing is with that "Boxer" attitude, when she 
doesn't want to do what you do...she looks away! 
One major difference is that she may startle easy, which is one of the reasons she can always be found either on top of 
one of her fur brothers or sister, or on her people parents. Lacee is a cuddler, so if you aren't into that, she isn't the dog 
for you. Sometimes I think she has no idea how big she is because she still likes to sit on a lap. She loves rides, is really 
good at the vet (except maybe when she has to get her nails clipped) and really likes ( and knows how) to flirt with men. 
She melts even the toughest of guys hearts. As you can probably tell from her pictures, she is a ham and loves to play. 
We even have  sign for "let's dance" which is one of her favorites. If you are looking for  friend for your dog, ask about 
Lacee. It needn't be another boxer as she is currently residing with  a rottweiler, a yellow lab and another white boxer-she 
loves them all.

7/23/04 - Lacee is a white deaf baby who has no idea she is deaf. She currently lives with 3 other dogs that she relies on 
for all of her needs. Although she likes other dogs (she goes to doggie daycare and is queen bee there) she will do best 
if she is not with another alpha female. She doesn't appear to understand that role. She is a goofball who would play all 
day if she could, or sleep all day if you prefer. She does know basic commands through sign language and is very eager 
to learn. She was being trained to become a therapy dog and went to many a nursing home where she did very well. She 
is very gentle and good with kids, but she gets excited at the little ones. She will not do well with cats and likes to chase 
other wildlife too.
She is completely crate trained during the day, but at night she sleeps on the floor of our bedroom with the other fur kids. 
Since she is she has a natural tail, she wakes you up smiling because it hits everything she is near doing that famous boxer 
kidney bean dance. She is probably the happiest dog I have ever met and we bonded the moment we met, as I am sure you 
will when you meet her.