10/30/06 - Poochie went to the Rainbow Bridge 10-27-06. I am totally devastated and heartbroken and still crying. This boy was way too young and so very precious. Unfortunately, after having knee surgery last May and struggling with an eye ulcer since July, which finally healed and he was given the a-ok just last Tues. Poochie suffered a slipped disc and surgery was not recommended for a dog his size. I made the very difficult decision to end his suffering and I totally forgot that I was supposed to contact BAR until yesterday. Please be assured that I did not make this decision lightly. I miss him terribly. He was my very favorite even though he wasn't the best behaved.
 

9/22/04 - One year!!!!! I want to begin by thanking everyone at BAR for the wonderful and difficult work that they do. Without BAR I would not have found precious Poochie! From day one he's been a delight to have around. There have been NO fights with the other dogs and he has not destroyed ONE thing! AND, he's not been crated at all for the past 11 months! Maybe his name should be Perfect. We are still working on manners though and I'm planning on enrolling him in Obedience class this fall. Poochie loves to play with Bubba and Lou, in the house and in the yard, and he loves walks in the park but his very favorite pastime is riding in the car. He sits up and looks around and takes everything in. No matter where I take Pooch, people react to him with a big smile.....they can see he's enjoying life and it's infectious. We are sooo happy that we adopted Poochie and that he's adopted us!

3/24/04 - Hi all!  It's been six fun filled months with Poochie!  We are soooooo grateful to have him.  It's truly amazing how easily he fit right in.  There have been NO problems with the other dogs or the cat and he's a perfect gentleman in the house.  Poochie has been so good, that we don't bother crating him at all anymore.  We really love our big, wonderful Pooch and we know he loves us too.  He wakes
with a smile and he enjoys his days.  Thanks again BAR!

12/23/03 - Hi!!!! Poochie here. Mom said I'd get an extra Christmas present if I wrote my own update this month. She's really busy decorating the house for Christmas and getting ready for my Aunt Cindy's family who will be visiting from MI. Mom was really concerned that I'd break an ornament because I get excited some times and run really fast near the tree but so far......she's broken three and I haven't broken ANY. I'm so good! Mom says the real test will be when she brings out the BIG stuffed snowman that sits on a chair holding a little stuffed boxer puppy. She's afraid I'll want to play with the puppy like I play with my stuffed pig. The pig is my favorite squeaky toy but sometimes I let my brother Bubba play with it. Bubba is really nice and very well behaved. I like him a lot and Mom says I should try to behave more like he does. I am trying but I'm having so much fun here I just get over excited. I like my brother Lou too but he doesn't play very often cause he's so old. At first I thought that Aunt Carol, the cat, was really interesting but now she just bores me so I don't really pay any attention to her anymore. There are so many more exciting things to do around here. My Dad takes me to the park almost everyday. Sometimes just the two of us go and sometimes we take Bubba. Dad also takes me to the Post Office and anywhere else he goes where he can see me waiting in the car. Mom won't let him take me anywhere where he can't keep an eye on me. She's afraid someone will steal me and she wouldn't want that to happen. She says it would break her heart. Welll, I have to go play now. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm very happy in my forever home and I want to thank everyone at BAR for helping me. Happy Holidays! I can't wait to see what Santa brings me. Love, Poochie

11/20/03 - Hello everyone! I've been nagging Poochie to write this update but he's been too busy playing with Bubba and Lou or one of his many toys. He is also fond of going for car rides and tries very hard not to be left behind. Poochie continues to be a great addition to this family. He now feels comfortable on the family room sofa and doesn't get overly excited when he sees Aunt Carol (our 20 yr old cat). There really isn't much to report because Poochie has fit in so nicely. We have been blessed with Poochie for two months now and he hasn't done ANYTHING wrong. He learns what's expected of him very quickly and just wants to please. Poochie is loved and appreciated VERY MUCH and we are just thankful to have him and his kisses! Thank you BAR!!! You do great work.

10/21/03 - Hi everyone! This is Poochie's forever mom reporting on his first month with us. I just can't tell you how happy I am that we found each other. Poochie has been a VERY GOOD BOY and is just a "perfect" addition to our family. My husband said just the other day, "Aren't you glad you got Poochie!" It was more of a statement than a question. Poochie is just such a joy to have around because of his absolute joy of living. He has perked all of us up. He had one little accident (tinkle) on my kitchen floor the first time he met my husband but I think for some reason he was frightened. No more! He follows my husband and son everywhere they go. I also can't believe how easily Poochie learns what's expected of him. He now stays and doesn't try to rush threw every door that's opened and he patiently waits for the other dogs to finish their food before he licks their bowl clean and he has come a very long way walking on a leash. Poochie now goes where I want to go and doesn't drag me. We took Bubba and Poochie to Cove Island Park on the Long Island Sound where there are lots and lots of people and dogs and I held Poochie's leash and he was a perfect gentleman. THAT makes me very happy because I really enjoy taking them to the park and I once wasn't sure I'd EVER be able to control him. We practiced just a half dozen times in our fenced yard and he was ready for the outside world! Again, I just can't stress enough how easily he fit in. I crated him for just the first two nights, then decided to try him loose. He has been just fine and hasn't chewed or ruined ANYTHING! I do still crate him when we leave the house and he goes in the crate occasionally on his own......if Bubba isn't in it. I do have to give credit to Bubba, my other Boxer(6 yrs) and Lou, my Border Collie mix (16 yrs) for being so accepting of Poochie. If they didn't have the right attitude, this wouldn't have been such a smooth transition. I want to thank Mary and John for fostering Poochie and everyone at BAR for making this adoption possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!! Pat Ferman

9/28/03 - Poochie (now being called “Hooch”) is wanted for thievery.  He has stolen his new mom’s heart, along with her husband and son’s hearts as well!  Pat says “My heart is just singing.  I love this dog soooo much!”  Hooch’s adorable face and loving ways have made him a quick fit in Pat’s family.  She reports that he plays extremely well with his boxer brother Bubba.  An even bigger positive is that he has even enticed their 16 year old Border mix, Lou, to play as well.  Seems Lou has been taking things real slowly of late, and was to the point where he was not even able to jump up on the couch anymore.  Since Hooch joined the household, Lou has started playing again, and the exercise has done wonders for his joints.  Pat says that Lou flies right up on the couch these days.  A little boxer workout is a wonderful thing for anyone, human OR canine!  Pat also says that Hooch has been great with her 20-year old cat Carol.  Carol is blind now, and spends her days baby gated in the laundry room.  When Pat brings her out to sit on her lap and get petted, Hooch comes over, puts his head down on Pat’s arm and gives Carol boxer kisses.  Hooch hasn’t been allowed to freely play with Carol, since Carol’s age and limitations don’t give her much chance of avoiding Hooch’s boxer boisterousness.  Pat says that there is nothing on earth that could get Hooch away from her, he is so loved and doing so well in his forever home.  Hooch has gone from living tied up in the shadows of a back yard to living in a warm and loving home.  I am so glad for this big, lovable dog.  He has found the love that he deserves and I know he will return it a thousand fold to Pat and her family.  Foster Mom, Mary

9/21/03 - Poochie has been adopted. He will certainly be a "pampered pooch" in his new home!

9/20/03 - Poochie has been at the Lakeside Boxer Retreat for a month now. Sometimes it seems that he has been here a much longer time, he has really settled into our routines and knows what's expected of him. He's settled into our hearts a bit as well, as I know every foster does. I can't say enough times that this dog does not have a mean bone in his body. He has a lot of playful bones, and a whole bunch of loving bones. Poochie just wants love, love, love, and he adores getting attention from you. He loves to have his belly rubbed and really enjoys a nice scratch around his neck. He still has a slight indentation from where his old collar was sort of embedded. Auntie Liz took it off the night he came into rescue and put a pretty red nylon collar on him. He still feels the "itchies" there and will just dig right in for you to scratch it. I think the thing that has surprised me the most about Poochie is that for all of his energy level and bounciness, he is absolutely an angel when it comes to our daughter. This is not to say he hasn't accidentally bumped into her, which all of our dogs do from time to time, but he really knows that she can't play with him like the other dogs and the grownups do. He will even take a treat from her chubby little hand ever so gently. Admittedly, he is pretty good about taking treats from any hand, he has a nice soft touch when you hand him a treat. But he is especially gentle with the baby, and he just loves to give her kisses. Poochie would definitely do well with a family with children or grandchildren around. He's also done very well with visitors at our home, he has greeted every visitor with a happy smile and a request for petting. He is an all-around friendly dog, with people and with other dogs and will make an excellent addition to any family -- maybe YOURS?

9/13/03 - We're still having fun with Poochie-boy. This morning I was roughhousing with him and my two boys a little. I have had lots of time to see him interact with the dogs in play, and he plays frequently but well. He never gets mad, he just loves to wrestle and jaw. When playing with people, he's a little more restrained. I found that he tends to be very careful of his mouth when playing with humans, he eases off considerably and tends to try to give you kisses when your arm or hand get in the proximity of his muzzle. He likes the game of "you shove me away I try to get back to you" a lot. He is a very powerful dog, but his main goal is to be physically close to you for the purposes of sharing affection, not to overpower you. He does think he might be a lap dog, a notion we have abused mightily. He's an impressive dog physically, he's getting lots of muscle tone with all the playing, and he's not as pudgy as he was when he came in to rescue. We've been feeding him Wellness food with a little olive oil and yogurt in it, and the improved diet has given his coat a nice softness to it and improved his overal "sparkle" factor. If you are looking for a dog with a big heart and a big personality, Poochie is your guy. Give him a try, you won't be disappointed!

9/9/03 - Hi everybody! Poochie here -- Foster Mom says I can write my own update today because she is tired and needs a break from the computer. I don't mind at all, I like to help! I've been hanging out with my buddies here at my foster home. I'm having such a good time playing. Foster mom says there isn't anyone or any dog in the world that I don't get along with! I especially love the smaller humans. The littlest human here likes to give me big hugs around me neck. It makes me so happy inside when she hangs on to me like that, I am really careful to stay really still so that I don't make her fall on her diaper. When I first came here I didn't realize how small she was, but Foster Mom has helped me learn to be more careful when she is near me. My foster family also has a boy that comes over sometimes, and seeing him makes me so happy I almost can't stand it. I can't help myself, I just HAVE to get close to him so he can pet me and so I can give him boxer kisses. I think human kids are just the bestest playmates in the whole world! I still love my doggie pals, but I would rather be petted by and play with a human than just about anything else, even eating! Speaking of eating, you will all be proud of me to know that I've learned that I have to sit and wait for my food until foster mom says I can have it, even if it isn't right away! I didn't know what table manners were before I came here, but I am learning really fast. I'm also learning that it is really nice to just lay on the floor near a human and have my head scratched. Foster Mom tells me to type to you all that my head is a "perfectly convenient height from the the floor to be scratched from the couch without having to lean over to do it." Whatever THAT means, I don't know, I'm just a dog! I am having so much fun here, it is the most wonderful thing in the world to get to be IN THE HOUSE with people almost all the time, but I would really love to have a forever home and a family to call my very own. I promise to love you with all my heart and be your very best friend.

9/5/03 - Time to update our Poochie again. As I type this he and my boys are playing in the living room in standard boxer style, jawing and "grrr-ing." Amazingly we've been able to teach them all to play more quietly when the baby goes to bed (for the most part, anyway). Poochie continues to be an affectionate, playful, amiable dog. He's pretty agreeable to just about anything, once he figures out what you want. About the only thing he objects to is being confined in his crate in the evenings if we are around. Occasionally the boys need a time out when the play gets too rambunctious or the decibel level too high. Poochie can't stand to be in his crate when we are home and awake, and will give you his best "poor starving dog" look and cry. It is truly comical. Otherwise he is a very quiet, well-behaved dog in his crate. We've even found him going in it on his own for rest periods as our own dogs do, so he has clearly learned to see it as his private refuge. Poochie is great with other people. Our contractor came by the other morning to discuss starting our remodel, and Poochie was the only one of the dogs who did not bark at him. We are sure going to miss Poochie when he his forever home finds him. In the meantime, we are truly enjoying his time with us.

9/1/03 - We discovered today how good Poochie is with older kids. I can tell you that this is going to be one heck of a family dog! My stepson who is 12 came for a visit. We haven't seen him for a few weeks since he has been on vacation with his mom, so he hadn't yet met our big foster boy. Well, Poochie was out in the yard when he came in. He heard people in the kitchen and came through the dog door, saw my stepson and just stared for a moment...then this wiggle started somewhere in his butt and went all the way through his ears!! This dog is a comical sight when that tail starts to go, and it goes all the time. Poochie clearly adores children, other dogs and pretty much all people. My one neighbor who has dogs came to meet him and he washed her face clean. Poochie proves every day what a good dog he is. I just know that there is a forever home for him that is going to make his every dream come true.

8/30/03 - Our big foster boy went to the doctor to get UTD on all his shots. We are delighted to report that his fecal and heartworm tests were both negative! Poochie is in great health and made quite an impression on all of the people at the vet's office. He had kisses for everyone and got his blood drawn while presenting his belly for scratching. Poochie has shown himself to be very friendly with strangers while out and about. He loves to be the center of attention, and when he is getting pats and hugs his tail just goes a million miles a minute. He's going to do best in a home with understanding and patience for that bouncy boxer energy that we know and love, and with people who like blatant displays of affection from a dog. Poochie would be a lap dog if he could manage it, he just wants to be as close to you as possible. This big love of a dog is now ready to go to his forever home. We know he's going to be a super addition to a very lucky family. Are you that family?

8/27/03 - Hi!  Foster Mom is upstairs giving the baby something called a bath, so I thought I would take over her computer and write my own update today!  I am having so much fun with my foster brothers Hercules and Snoopy!  At night and during the day when foster mom and dad are at work, I have to stay in a crate.  But when they are up and around, boy do I have a great time!  Hercules and I love to play together, we have such a blast!  Hercules is smaller than me but he can run really fast when we play tag in the big yard.  I can outwrestle him though, because I'm lots stronger!  I learned how to use the doggy door on my second day here all by myself.  Foster mom says that's a record!  What's a record?  Foster mom and dad are teaching me to sit really nice and lay down.  Sometimes I don't listen so good but its only because I really just want to give my human friends big sloppy kisses and to have them pet me.  I love being petted, it is my first favorite thing in the whole wide world!  My second favorite thing to do is to eat!!  I LOVE breakfast and dinner time.  I even love foster-mom-leaving-for-work time because even though I have to go in my crate, I get a thing called a KONG and it has food in it and this wonderful stuff called PEANUT BUTTER.  Yum!  Foster mom says I get to go to someplace called the "Vet" in a couple of days.  I'm not sure what a "vet" is, but I sure hope there is peanut butter there too!  And foster mom tells me that after I see the vet I'll soon be ready for a forever family.   I'm having a great time with my foster family, but I would sure love a forever family of my very own where I have lots of room to play and a doggie brother or sister to wrestle with and a human or two to pet me and love me and for me to give my kisses to.  Is that home yours?