Buddy4-08


	Age & Sex: 2 yr. old Male


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 68 lbs.


Other Dogs: Yes


	Color: Red Fawn


Cats: Yes


	Ears: Natural


Children: Under 5: Yes Over 5: Yes


	Tail: Docked


Professional Training Required: Yes


	Neutered: Not yet


Microchipped: No


	Owner Surrender


Location: Higganum, CT

Adoption Donation $300

6/24/08 - Hi Buddy is doing GREAT and the kids love him. The first day he just laid about but started playing with everybody the very next day. He was skittish when walked on a lead but with praise and treats he's getting much better. He also learned paw/lay down but still has selective hearing at times. When he needs to go out to go potty he sits to be hooked up at the door and to be released when brought back in. I give him 5 to6 short lessons a day and plenty time for exercise and play. We set up a second play date with my brothers dog and they love playing together. Thank you BAR for the new family member and we will keep in touch.

6/15/08 - Buddy has been adopted

6/9/08 - Buddy is pending adoption

6/4/08 - Buddy had his vet visit/well check yesterday and our boy is now up-to-date with all his immunizations! He weighs in at 68 pounds and the vet proclaimed him to be in EXCELLENT health. We are still awaiting the results of Buddy's heartworm test, which should be back soon. The vet did find that Buddy has whipworm, which we are treating with medication, and also a slight infection in his ear which he gave us ointment for. Pretty soon, he will be good as new!

We were pleasantly surprised that Buddy did very well at the vet's office. We thought that the new people and new place might scare him as he has been skittish in the past, but he pranced inside and happily greeted all the waiting customers and receptionists like he has been there a thousand times before! Everyone loved him and they all called him sweet and beautiful!

6/1/08 - Buddy had a very fun weekend. My sister brought over her little dog to visit and Buddy had a blast playing with him! They had some tug-o-war games, they ran laps around the house and even wrestled a little. It is clear that Buddy likes being with other dogs and would do well with the company of another dog. Buddy even likes hanging out with his newly discovered friends, our cats. I even caught them snuggling together on the couch the other day. Buddy is an independent boy, but when it's time for a nap, he loves to snuggle with anyone who is willing. Buddy has a vet appointment tomorrow, so he can be be up-to-date with all his shots. We are also going to be scheduling his neuter tomorrow, so he will be all taken care of and ready to meet his forever family! Get your applications in soon!

5/26/08 - Hello from Buddy! Buddy is very happy that warm weather has finally arrived, as he is able to run in the yard and play. I still think Buddy could stand to gain about 5 pounds, but he is a very lean, muscular boy with lots of energy, so this has been a challenge thus far. I am looking forward to getting him to the vet next week to get an exact weight on him. Not to say that Buddy doesn't LOVE to eat, as his food is usually gone in about 10 seconds flat, no matter how slow I try to have him eat. He shows no signs of food issues (poor appetite, food aggression, etc.) what-so-ever. He just LOVES to eat. Buddy has gotten pretty comfortable in our home, and he is really coming out of his shell. He doesn't show hardly any signs of being skittish anymore. Only an occasional new noise (ie. motorcycles on the street) will cause him to withdraw a little, but only for a short time. Also, interestingly enough, when Buddy first came to us, we never heard him bark (I wasn't sure he knew how!). The funny part was, he would often bark in his sleep when he was dreaming!...but Buddy recently followed suit with our other boxer and barked when someone knocked on the door. He has a very deep, manly bark! Needless to say, he definitely does not have any problems with being too verbal! Buddy sleeps in his own dog bed, but he would much prefer to sleep with us on our bed! Sometimes he will try to sneak up there when he thinks we might have fallen asleep, but when redirected, he goes right back to his bed. He curls up as if he is a lap dog and falls right to sleep. Buddy sleeps soundly through the night and gets up when we do. Please consider making Buddy a part of your family! He would really like a loving family who can help him continue to grow and learn.

5/19/08 - My husband and I spoke about Mr. Buddy at length this weekend......we have reluctantly decided that we will not be adopting him. There is absolutely nothing wrong with him, but we feel that he has a lot of 2-year-old (puppy) energy, and since we both work full time, we think that he needs someone who will be home more often to be able to work with him even more. We are both really happy with the progress he has made thus far, and we know that he will be able to improve even more with lots of love and attention. Buddy really is a sweetheart and we wish we had more time during the week to work with him. I think it would only be fair to Buddy to find him a forever home where he can learn, play, grow and thrive.
We do have a vet appointment scheduled for Buddy on June 2, 2008, and he will be brought up-to-date with all his shots and have his fecal and heartworm tests.
I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows about the wonderful progress he has made.

5/18/08 - Buddy's update is well overdue...we have been very busy working with Buddy and he has made some great progress! I am happy to report that Buddy is now much more well-behaved with our cats...they can actually lie in the same room with him and he does not bother them at all. He just needed some time to get used to them! Over the past 2 weekends we have had some friends over with their baby (1 year). Buddy just LOVED her. At first he poked her a couple times with his nose to try and figure out what the heck she was, then he licked her face. During the second visit, he said hello to her and then went on his way. Buddy would definitely do well in a home with children of any age. Also, Buddy has made very good progress with his commands. Luckily, he is food-motivated, so treats work great in training him. He now knows "down", "come", and of course, "no". Buddy has also spent some time out of his crate when we left the house and he does pretty well. He likes to play with toys, and we have no shortage of torn up toys scattered around the house. Once or twice he has tried to grab a shoe or slipper (cause they taste so good!), but when corrected he drops them. Buddy also LOVES to run....we let him out in the yard as much as possible, and he runs lap after lap....I swear, he runs so fast in a big circle that pretty soon we are going to have a track worn into our lawn. Overall, Buddy is a wonderful dog. He is very friendly and sweet. More updates to follow...

5/3/08 - Getting to know Buddy has been a pleasure. He is such a sweet boy with a very endearing personality. Buddy is 2 years old and definitely still has the energy and personality of a puppy. Buddy LOVES to play. He loves his toys and at any given moment you can find him prancing around and throwing his toys in the air for himself. Our 7 year old boxer can barely keep up with him! Their favorite game is tug-o-war, and many a toy has been sacrificed to this game. It is very clear that Buddy would be happiest with another playmate in the house. Buddy's interest in the kitties is still a challenge for us. When we are in the room, he knows not to chase them. He usually gives them a little nudge and leaves some slobber on their heads just to let them know he was there. But if I turn away for a second or get distracted, he finds great fun in chasing them out of the room. He is a very smart boy and knows when he can get away with it! Buddy is slowly becoming more comfortable in our home. He is still easily startled by loud noises. I try to make it an effort to introduce him to new things and new sounds slowly, as not to scare him. Just yesterday I was using the lint roller on my clothes and made the mistake of ripping off one of the sticky sheets too quickly....Buddy nearly had a heart attack! Poor guy went running the other way, and even when I put the roller on the floor for him to check out, he wasn't too sure he liked it! But after a while he gave it a once over and decided that it wasn't really that scary anymore. Buddy has gotten much more comfortable with meeting new people. Instead of running away, he gives them a cautious sniff and keeps his distance for a while to make sure that they are okay. After a couple minutes, he quickly warms up to them. We took Buddy for a walk the other day and he was not really sure what to make of it. He is not leash trained, but is willing to learn. He was watching our other boxer who came along and is beginning to walk like a gentleman. He seems to do best with his harness on. With the collar, he knows he can wiggle his way out. Pretty soon, Buddy will be the perfect gentleman!

4/23/08 - Mr. Buddy is adjusting to his new home very well. Within days, he met our other boxer, without incident. Just a couple sniffs, and he was on his way. He seems to be very friendly with other dogs and does not show any signs of aggression whatsoever (with food, toys, or strangers). He is definitely more submissive than dominant. Buddy is very interested in our cats. He would LOVE to chase them all around the house if we would let him. He has met them, and appears to want to play with them more than anything. Hopefully he will adjust to living with these little furry creatures soon. Buddy is crate trained, and even when I leave his crate open at nighttime, he prefers to sleep inside. Buddy is sometimes skittish, and is easily startled by loud noises or strange surroundings. We are working with him on this....gradually introducing him to new areas of the house..he is slowly becoming more comfortable with his surroundings and he is beginning to trust us more. Buddy is fully housetrained and has had no accidents since being with us. Buddy is in the process of learning some basic commands....he does know how to sit and he is quickly learning the word "no". We have been training him with treats, and he seems to be a very smart boy who picks things up pretty quickly. We are glad to report that Buddy seems to be fitting into the family very well. We look forward to getting to know him better as the days pass....

4/20/08 - Hello from BUDDY the boxer! He arrived safely last night after a long car ride. Buddy is a beautiful, muscular red fawn boy. I would guess that he is about 65 pounds, although we will know for sure once we get him to the vet for shots and neutering. Buddy is 2 years old as we learned that his birthday is 4/12/06. Buddy did not mind riding in the car...he was very alert and taking in all the sights and sounds of the road. After a couple hours he decided everything was okay and dozed off for a while. Once the ride was over, Buddy was a little nervous to get out of the car, but after a little coaxing he cautiously went to check out his new surroundings! We look forward to getting to know Buddy some more. So far, we know that he loves other dogs. His last owner had one, and today he happily met our other boxer with plenty of happy boxer wiggles.