Damon 3/19/05
# 495
Pictures
Damon's Foster Journey - Adopted 5/14/05
Post Adoption
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Pertinent Information
1 1/2 to 2
yr. old Male Boxer
Flashy Fawn Shelter Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered near Boston, MA
Adoption Donation $300
12/6/05 - Damon Dog! That, along with Baby Dog (Danzig having 20 pounds up on Damon) and Bubba Gump are some of Damon's new nicknames. He's such a good boy--I can definitely tell how happy he is that he came to live with us. He'll often come into the putter room and stand up with his front paws on my lap to give me hugs while I'm typing. He could definitely be an agility dog. We knew Damon could jump high, but how graceful he is doing it is amazing. He can jump up and over something from a standing position easily. He and Danzig had a blast in the snow, playing and running around the yard like two horses galloping. We have yet to set up our Xmas tree, but I'm curious to see how he reacts to it. More than one Boxer is definitely the way to go--Best thing we ever did was rescue to a two Boxer home!
9/3/05 -
Damon continues to do well.
He goes in the crate a little better, but is still somewhat hesitant.
I know he doesn't like it, because he pees in it every so often, as soon
as we put him in. But we're working on that, as well as his
counter surfing. He stole a small piece of Kielbasa off the
counter--we were worried what it would do to his stomach and his "gas
emissions". (He can be stinky sometimes!) But no worries.
I guess the time of living on the street had him eating out of
trash cans, even if he's somewhat picky with his own food sometimes.
Funniest thing is, he eats the same way I do: Munch munch, drink
drink. Repeat. We found out he must not like cats too much.
There happened to be a cat sitting outside the fence, taunting both the
boys. Damon went bananas, trying to crawl underneath. We'll
remedy that with staking the fence along the bottom. He continues
to be a cuddle bug. He "tumblesaults" onto you when lays down, and
has no worries about sleeping on his back. I'd say he feels pretty
comfortable in our house. I can't wait till we see how
he reacts to snow around the six month update.
7/13/05 - Damon is a cool dude! He knows how to give paw, and he'll use it to get your attention! He swats at you to make sure you're listening to him, even if his playful little growls don't get the point across. He's got the great Boxer wiggle-butt, and his whole body shakes when he's happy. (Danzig just licks you to death.) He's very cuddly, but not overbearing. (Which isn't bad anyway, since he's only just over 50 pounds.) He and Danzig continue to be very good friends. Little scuffles as I would expect, but usual Boxer noise--nothing serious. I think they scare some people in my neighborhood they get so loud! They are comfortable sharing toys, and the occasional nylabone. He seems to look much healthier, and more filled out and hydrated then when we first got him. I can't see his hip bones poking anymore. He eats well, and likes to drink a sip of water with every few bites. He's made himself right at home, and I'm glad he likes it here, because EVERYBODY likes him!
6/13/05 - Damon is home! The trip
went well. No issues on the way up, and we met with his foster mom each
of us within minutes of arriving at the rest stop. He seemed to like us
almost instantly, and is very friendly.
Trip back was the same, with one stop for gas and a potty break for
Damon. He slept most of the way.
Introductions were done at a local park, on retractable leashes. A few
small incidents there, which were corrected. After about an hour, back
to our yard. We continued with the boys in harness and now 6 foot leads
dragging them around. Another incident or two, which was corrected with
stern "no's", with plenty of "good boys" for nice play. No need to use
the leashes to separate anyone. After about 3 hours, they acted like
they're best buds, with an occasional show of mild dominance by either.
Leashes and harnesses off! All went well, except that Danzig is
RELENTLESS! Everyone slept in our king size bed, with Danzig getting up
at 3 am, then again at 6 am. Each time it was supposedly time for play
again with his new buddy Damon. It’s interesting to see how different
their personalities can be. Damon is actually a welcome addition being
as laid back as he is. He can be content with playing, or just lounging
around cuddling with you. Damon can keep up with Danzig no problem, and
the two have become best buddies quicker than I ever imagined! We still
have to introduce chewies slowly, even though they seem to be fine with
nylabones. Damon seems very happy, and is quite the watchdog, barking at
anyone who passes by the yard.
5/14/05 - Damon has been adopted
5/11/05 - Damon is pending adoption
4/24/05 -
I thought I’d write up a pro/con about
Damon so that anyone interested knows everything there is to know about
this sweet boy.
Damon is house trained and only has accidents when he gets really really
excited playing with his Boxer sister and I have not been paying close
enough attention. I don’t think he quite knows how to tell me when he
needs to go outside yet. No other accidents, he is fully housetrained.
He is great about going promptly when you take him out for a. His bowls
seem to move very quickly, so he needs to go outside 10 – 15 minutes
after eating and usually poops right away. He is great on a leash –
he’ll pull a little when he sees a dog or cat, but he’s not very big so
it’s manageable, and I’m sure with work he’ll learn not to do that. He
knows “sit” and “outside”, and I am working on “down” and “stay.” He
has crate anxiety and is a master at escaping. He can open up the large
metal crates that PetCo sells, even though there is a sliding latch and
the entire door has to lift in order to open. He has escaped three
times from the cage, but a padlock on the door does the trick. The good
news is that he has not destroyed anything in my apartment. He
scratched the door pretty badly, but nothing was chewed or broken. I
have switched to a plastic travel crate to see if the enclosed crate
makes him feel more secure. He is perfect in the crate at night, and is
content to stay in there for about 8 hours. He starts whining if you
try to laze around in bed any longer than those eight hours though! He
loves other dogs and loves my deaf female Boxer. She is persistent and
never stops playing, and Damon keeps up with no problem. He has met
dogs on the sidewalk and has been a perfect gentleman. My roommate took
him to a dinner party where he met a Golden Retriever and he was good
there too. The Golden wanted no part in Damon so he ignored her and
slept on the couch all evening. He is good with all people, loves to
cuddle and sit right on top of you! When someone new is in the shadows
and looks a little strange he will growl and bark. Once he sees that I
am OK with that person, he’s OK too. I feel like if someone tried to
threaten me on the street he’d protect me. I took him to an outdoor
café this week and sat there for about 2 hours. Damon lay at my feet
and was perfect. He got up to say hello to everyone walking by, but he
didn’t bark, didn’t whine, and was content to hang out. He met a little
shaggy puppy and even though he was 4x the size of the puppy, he was
gentle and they had a great time. Damon is really athletic – I think
he’ll make an outstanding agility dog. He can spring in the air at
least six feet. He will jump up on people but I am working to break
that habit. He is discovering new toys every day. At first he only
liked rawhide bones, but now he plays with just about anything, and
especially loves squeaky toys. Damon thinks they are alive, because he
growls and barks at them. He is very low-key as far as Boxers go, and
is good about calming down when he’s been bouncing off the walls and
I’ve had enough.
That’s all I have to report. He is a terrific dog.
4/18/05 - It is with great sadness
that I have decided to bring Damon to his foster home. I cannot manage
work and coming home for lunch every day, and it's not fair to leave him
alone for the entire day. He is an amazing dog and the only thing that
comforts me is that you have a great foster home for him and that BAR
will find him a good home.
He has already come so far - he has put on weight (I feed him 3x a day),
he wags his tail all the time now, and greets me with a Boxer wiggle. He
jogs with me, is good with new people and other dogs... I can't think of
a single negative quality to this dog. He and my deafie are fast
friends, but unfortunately my wonderful retired parents travel too much
to handle two Boxers.
I am so sorry to return him. I am sorry for the trouble I have caused
and I thank you for the opportunity to share these two weeks with Damon.
I will love him always.
4/3/05 - Damon has been adopted
4/3/05 - Damon is pending adoption.
4/2/05 - Damon had his stitches
removed this week from being neutered. He was excellent at the vets.
Last night when it was time for bed he went into the crate all by
himself. What progress! He does the following commands: sit, stay, come,
outside, cookie, and I am teaching him paw. He goes on walks with lease
well, no pulling. He is doing much better going outside when he needs
to. The best part of him is his affection. He loves to snuggle in your
lap. (My 100 pound yellow lab gets jealous)
3/26/05 - We are changing Milo's
name to Damon. He responds to Damon really well. It must be closer to
his original name. He has done fantastic in the past week with
significant improvement. He goes into the crate nicely (especially for a
piece of ham or cheese) He sleeps in it every night without complaint.
Our first issues with him seem to be mostly based on fear on his part.
He is getting into the routine of our house. He shares our dogs bed and
loves to play and snuggle. He absolutely loves rawhide treats. If it
takes him the entire day to eat one he will carry it with him all day.
He is adapting to or other dog Baileys schedule and has very few
accidents in the house. I feel in a couple of weeks with continued
structure and support he will be in great shape. Mostly he needs to know
that he is loved
3/23/05 - Milo arrived here over
the weekend. He is very affectionate. He loves to sit in your lap and
fall asleep and loves his belly rubbed. He can jump like a spring! Wow!
Milo loves to be outdoors and to go for walks and enjoys chewing on
rawhide and pig ears. He is not too interested in toys, but loves to
eat. He seems to drink LOTS of WATER.
He seems to like other dogs, but does go after our cat.
We are reinforcing sit, stay and getting him on a bathroom schedule. He
does NOT like to go in the crate when you leave. He is frightened and
will growl and attempt to nip you. He does not like to be left alone
even with our 2 year old lab. He is afraid that we are leaving him and
he pees when we are gone from stress.
3/19/05 - I brought my camera with me, and took some pictures of Milo. He is handsome, loves to put his paws on your chest and kiss you. He is the most interested in cats I have ever seen, immediately starting to growl on sight. Several people stopped at our meeting point with Felix to say hello to the handsome dog. Milo was a perfect gentleman with all the strangers and they all fell in love with him. One man rushed back to his truck to write down the web address for BAR so he could get his application in *TODAY* for Milo. I guess it was love at first sight.
Damon and his new
brother Danzig
