Winston302

Pertinent Information
Approximately 7 yr. old Reverse Brindle Male
51 1/2 lb. Shelter Surrender
Cropped Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered near New London, CT
Adoption Donation $100

7/19/04 - We are so sorry to inform everyone that Winston passed away on July 7th 2004.  We took 
him on vacation to Ocean City.  On our drive down we stayed in a hotel and Winston did wonderfully.  
He was a special boy!!!  He was the sweetest boxer and loved everyone.  We had him for a short 5 
weeks but I think he enjoyed himself with us and I know we enjoyed him.  There is nothing quite like 
having a senior.  
I suspect he had a stroke but when we found him dead he was curled up in a ball and it looked like 
he was asleep.  I am sure he passed away peacefully.  I want to thank Boxer Angel Rescue for the 
sympathy card that we received today.
What a wonderful bunch of people that form this wonderful group.  Thanks for all that you are and 
all that you do.

6/9/04 - Winston is coming along. Although he has arthritis in his back legs he doesn't let that stop him from doing things. The first few days with him were stressful as he would fall a lot and walked crooked. The vet said he suspected that he had an inner ear infection and he is now on amoxicillin. He is doing better. He went down and up the stairs so much better today then he ever did. He is very attached to us and follows us all over the house. He waits patiently to have his meals. I feed Gabby first and he has realized that he doesn't eat out of her dish. He is learning the rules very fast. He has never had an accident in the house and from the first day has had the full run of the house. It warms my heart that we adopted an older dog and we hope to give Winston a happy home as his forever family. He is good in the car. So far I can't imagine why his family didn't want him anymore. He is precious. My daughter, son in law and 2 grandchildren are going to meet him this weekend.

6/2/04 - Winston just left with his new mom and sister. He is a very lucky boy to have found such a loving home.

5/23/04 - Today Winston had company that came to our house to meet him. A lovely family from here in CT who had put in an application to adopt a Boxer from BAR just happened to be in our area today. They have a 10 yr. old female Boxer and recently lost their male Boxer, and wanted to meet Winston. He was the perfect gentleman, slobbering over everyone and rolling over submissively on his back and playing with Gabby. They thought that he was "adorable." Let's keep our fingers crossed.

5/19/04 - Winston is feeling so much better today. Yesterday he even gave me a great big Boxer wiggle which is a first for him. And today he did the Boxer play bow and danced all around. Here I thought that he was just a very calm guy, when all the time he wasn't feeling well and now that he is getting better, a new Winston is emerging! Last night we took a short walk and tonight took a longer one, and Winston is wonderful on a leash. He doesn't pull at all and listens very well. We have met another dog on our walk who is behind an invisible fence who runs around like a crazy and Winston would like to meet him, but listens when I tell him "no". I can't wait to see how Winston acts when he is feeling 100%. I have a sneaking suspicion that he has a lot more spunk than I first thought!

5/16/04 - Winston has not been feeling too well the last few days. He had been coughing a little since his surgery and the vet thought it was from the trachea tube down his throat. But yesterday it started to get worse and caused him to regurgitate every time he ate and drank water. He was up all night coughing so off to the vet we went this AM and he has a respiratory infection. After just one antibiotic at the vets, he is much better this evening , ate dinner, and is hardly coughing at all. He is looking so much better too. He was a real sad sack yesterday, but now he is perky and his little tail is wagging like mad.

5/13/04 - Did I say that Winston has never tried to get up on our furniture?? Until today that was the case, but this afternoon, Joe, the volunteer who sprang Winston from the shelter came over to visit him and when he left I put Winston in the living room for a few minutes. When I came back to get him, he was laying on the love seat posing just as cute as can be! So I ran and got the camera and he never moved. The pictures to the right are the ones I took. I figured that by the time I got back with the camera he would have moved like all the other dogs do, but no, this boy stayed right there are posed as I took the pictures. What a character he is!
He made such a fuss over Joe that I wish I had gotten the camera then and taken a picture of Winston, my puppy and my female encircling him as he gave each one attention. There was no jealousy, just lots of Boxer kisses and wiggles. I just wish my alpha male would accept Winston.

5/11/04 - Winston and I went on a little adventure today to Long Island. We took the ferry over from New London to Orient Point to do a Home Check for a family that is interested in adopting a Boxer from BAR. They live way out almost at the end of LI, and it was hard for a volunteer to do their Home Check. I just cannot tell you how good Winston was today. Everyone on the ferry commented as to what a nice, calm well behaved boy he was. We strolled around the deck and sat inside the cabin. I hope that Winston made as good an impression on the family we went to visit as he did on everyone else. He was a very good ambassador for Boxer Angels Rescue and we hope that the family we visited will be welcoming a Boxer into their family very soon.

5/10/04 - Today was such a nice day outside that foster mom let Coco come out any play with me in the yard while she pulled weeds. She and I got along famously. There was not one back or growl exchanged! Of course we sniffed and sniffed each other, but that was about all. Then, this afternoon, Coco and I were allowed in the main part of the house and the other 2 dogs were in the foster suite. I really liked being with everyone else. I snuggled up in a really nice comfy dog bed and took a little siesta. But, I really want a family of my own that I can be with all the time.

5/9/04 - Foster Mom has been very busy this weekend so she let me write to you myself. The past 2 days there has been a little boy visiting us and boy did I like him. I was gentle as could be and did not jump up on him at all. I think he liked me too!
I am presently residing in the foster suite here, but I would really like to be with everyone else in the main part of the house. I managed to get through a baby gate today to be with everyone else. Then, when they secured the gate so I couldn't get it open, I just jumped over the top of it! I'm really a very spry 7 yr. old and smart too. There are 3 other dogs here and I'd just love to play with them. But foster mom says that one of them is just a puppy and since I had surgery this week and have a big scar with stitches on my side, that she doesn't want the puppy jumping up on me ripping the stitches open. There is also a pretty girl who is the same color as me and she is the same age too. I have met her and really like her. The third dog is a great big male who has only been here for 6 months himself and is still a little unsure of himself and is afraid that I may try to take him place. So he hasn't been too hospitable to me. I guess I can understand how he feels, this is a real nice place to live, but I know that there is a family out there just waiting for a boy like me. And I don't care if there are any other dogs around, just so there is a human who wants to love me and have me be his constant companion. All you Mom's have a Happy Mother's Day and please think about adopting me. I'd give you lots of love and kisses for Mother's Day is you were my Mom! Love, Winston

5/8/04 - Winston has been resting nicely since coming home from the vet. He is eating like a little pig and is a very messy eater. He woofs the food out of the bowl, looks back and forth and all around to see if anyone is there to try and take it away from him, while the food is flying out of his mouth. He eats like he's afraid that he may never get another meal, and I guess, that may have been the way it was living on the streets, not knowing if or where you were going to have the next meal. I have been feeding him outside for the past couple of days to make clean up easier. I talked with Joe, who sprang Winston from the shelter, and he adopted one of our rescue dogs a month or so ago and he said that Frodo (Sebastain) did the same thing in the beginning with his food, but that he has gotten better as he realizes that there will be more food.
Winston is such a good sleeper. He goes to bed with me at night and never makes a peep until I get him up in the morning. If someone is with him in the same room, he is content as can be, but, if we are out of the room and he is by himself, he makes it know that he is not happy. This boy is going to make a very loyal, loving companion to some lucky family.

5/5/04 PM - Just talked to the vet and Winston came through his neuter with flying colors. And the lump that was removed was a cyst, not a tumor! He is heartworm negative and all the other tests were negative too. They did find ear mites and he is being treated for them which we were not surprised at as he didn't seem to be hearing perfectly. His eyes are a little cloudy from age and he doesn't have 20/20 vision, but it doesn't seem to effect him at all. This little Boxer boy will make some lucky family a very good family dog. All he needs is some well deserved R&R and a family to call his own.

5/5/04 AM - What a good boy Winston is! After his nap yesterday afternoon we gave him a bath and he was absolutely wonderful. He ate another good meal about 7 PM and then he and I settled into the office to watch TV for the evening. He is the first foster I have ever had that has NOT has a potty accident in the house the first day here, and I am very impressed. About 11:30 we headed to bed and Winston slept on a dog bed beside my bed the entire night without so much as a peep. We got up early this morning and headed to the vet where Winston is being neutered today and having a little mass removed from his hip. Everyone in the vets office commented on what a beautiful face he has and what a nice personality too. The vet estimates his age at 7 to 8 years old. He is such a kind, gentle, accepting creature that it is hard to imagine how he ended up as a stray. I will update later when I hear from the vet.

5/4/04 - We received a call last week from a CT Animal Control Officer asking for our help in finding a home for a gorgeous Boxer boy. When he came to the shelter, someone commented that he looked like Winston Churchill (??) so they named him Winston. One of our volunteers, Joe, went to the shelter and evaluated him and he seemed to have a wonderful personality. So BAR made arrangements to bring him into our rescue.
Joe went to the shelter and picked him up today and brought him to us for a temporary stay while he gets neutered and has a little lump removed from his hip. Then he will be moving on to a more permanent foster home. The ACO and staff at the shelter were very fond of this boy and want to see him get an excellent home.
I was amazed at how calm and easy going Winston is upon meeting him. He went into our fenced back yard and obviously thought he was in heaven. He walked around and sniffed, did his business and drank lots of water. My 3 dogs were in the other yard barking and he paid very little attention to them . Before Joe left, we brought 2 of my dogs to meet him (one at a time) and he was super with each of them. The first was our 5 month old puppy who just wanted to play. I think Winston needs a little R&R and then he will be ready to play with Kaiser. Then we brought in our 7 yrs. old female and they really hit it off. He did try to show his male dominance (he is being neutered tomorrow) and she straightened him right out!
Winston just had a nice meal and is now taking a little nap. This has obviously been a stressful day for him and he needs to rest up after being in the shelter. Winston just loves people, he became quite attached to Joe from the two times he saw him and he watched very intently as he drove away. He snuggles up to you to be petted and leans on you when he is sitting. He is your typical Boxer who loves people and has been deprived of that close human contact recently.