April498


	Age & Sex: 3 yr. old Female


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 76 lbs.


Other Dogs: Working on it


	Color: White Boxer/Mastiff Mix


Cats: Unkown


	Ears: Natural


Children under 5: Yes


	Tail: Natural


Children over 5: Yes


	Neutered/Spayed: Yes


Microchipped: No


	Surrender: Shelter


Honesdale, PA

Adoption Donation $300

8/21/06 - It has been over a year since we adopted the love of our life April. She is doing extremely well and is the joy of our life. Once again we owe everything to BAR and the fabulous foster mom of the world Alyson!

2/14/06 - So sorry its been so long since we have posted...Life with April is SO good. She has made herself completely at home and we absolutely love and adore her. She has finally gotten used to the sounds of the city, but a loud garbage truck can still shake her a little bit. We found out that she has some allergies and have recently changed her food to a Vet prescribed Hypo-Allergenic type. She is starting to test us with the boundaries in the apartment. At bedtime she used to automatically come to her cage (it is at the foot of our bed) but now she comes in there for awhile and then we find her out on the couch in the morning. She is allowed up there but only when we invite her. .SO we need to do a little training in that department! Thanks again to BAR for all you do and bringing us our wonderful April!

1/2/06 - From April's Former Foster Mom: April is wonderful. Kelley says she never thought she would love this dog, this much. She's better with discipline and is now just fantastic. She's had a few incidents with dogs in the dog run. They involved pit bulls and April was not the aggressor. No surprise there given her history with pits. April stays with a good friend when her family is out of town and they have a ten year old daughter that adores April and vice versa. She's great with all the kids in the friends neighborhood. April went away with them to a friends house and they have a 1 1/2y/o baby whom April was just terrific with. She loves kids and people, was a bit unsettled when they had a party in the apt. in Dec., but warmed up quickly and flirted with all the guests. April is still stealing all the attention while on the street, as she is just as beautiful as she always was. I was thrilled to hear she was doing so well, although I expected nothing less, as I knew they were a great match.

8/29/05 - We are very excited..in the past week April has had a ball in the Dog Run near us..she gets along with everyone-small dogs, big dogs, people...she is SO popular! We now know that any aggression she has towards other dogs is when she is on her leash..that can be fixed! Its so wonderful to see her running and happy..people cannot believe her history and are so amazed she has turned out to be such a sweet girl.

8/15/05 - Its hard to believe that its been over a month since April joined our family-it feels like shes been here forever. She wakes us up each morning at the crack of dawn with big wet kisses..who needs an alarm clock when you've got April. She is still a little skittish when we take her on walks-mainly due to big trucks,motorcycles and other loud noises. But we notice she gets a little more comfortable every day. It is amazing how protective she is when anything unusual happens. People stop us on the streets and smile at her through restaurant windows in our neighborhhod. She is definitely a looker!

8/7/05 - It's been about a month since we've had April. Things are going well and she is been much better on the leash with less aggression to other dogs. Still has to be forced to go outside but usually does well once she's out there. April loves to wrestle in the morning and boy is she strong but very lovable. It's late and I have no idea how I'm going to get her to go outside at this point.

7/31/05 - Well, we have had April girl with us for 3 weeks now and everyday she adjusts to her new home. We went through a few days of rebellion last weekend with some accidents in the house, but that passed. We are going to start training with her in classes that specialize in socializing dogs. When you think about it her only socializing was defending herself in the pit bull ring. We had the opportunity to take her to the Hamptons this past week and she was happy as can be running and playing outdoors. She is one stubborn kid and we think of her right now as a rebellious teenager! Always willing to give us love and kisses though....

7/17/05 - April has been with us for one week today and we are so in love! She is just the sweetest dog. Slowly but surely she is getting used to the city and our neighborhood. We left her alone in the apartment on Saturday for about 4 hours and we are happy to say the only thing she got into was fabric softner sheets (apparently she has thing for kleenex like items according to her foster family!) and had playtime with a tie that was left on the floor. She automatically goes into her cage at night, but it's nice to know that she will not create havoc if we are gone a few hours! We are meeting with a Behaviorist next week and then will start training after that. Considering what this sweet girl has been through I am amazed at her trust and willingness to give love and kisses! Our thanks to Alyson and her family for providing her with so much love and patience!

7/11/05 - April is making new friends in the neighborhood as there are so many dogs around here. I took her to the dog run in the park where other dogs run free in a fenced in area. I kept her on the leash though. Boy do people stop for her. If I were single..... Anyway she chewed on her raw hide bone on the ride home, drank enough water, and we fed her on time. She has had 3 bouts of diarrhea. She has been very good to run to the door to to let us know to get her out of there. She did get in her crate last night. I had erected it when we got her home and she didn't want anything to do with it even after I got in there but eventually she got in there on her own. Around 3 Am or so she became very restless and started whining. I thought maybe it's the fist night blues but when I unlatched the crate, she went right to the front door. I barely had gotten her outside before she had the runs again. Do you think this is just nerves and adjusting? That's my feeling. but the good news is she is smart enough to let us know! Ken & Kelley

7/9/05 - Well, BAR, we did it again. April has just left with her new parents. They arrived yesterday and spent considerable time with her. She loved them and hands down, they loved her. She waited at the door for them this morning. When they arrived, April was all too happy and they were grinning from ear to ear. She was more than ok with them, she got in their car and was great. She knew it was time. I'm sure if April could talk she would have thanked us and BAR for the opportunity at a new life, a great new beginning, one with love and care beyond her dreams. She has gone to a wonderful forever home. As we speak a butterfly has gone by my window, a sign of new life. April's new life and the new life that will fill her foster space. Saying goodbye is never easy, but when you know in your heart it's right, it's somehow all ok.

6/19/05 - Can you believe those pictures? She hardly looks like the same girl. April is going to a wonderful forever home and we couldn't be happier for them. She is a super, sweet, goofy, clumsy, playful, loving girl deserving of a home of her own. Congratulations, April. She's all set to go, her wound has one small scabbed area, she's as big as she needs to be and she's strong. Strong and healthy and secure with people whom she knows are going to take very good care of her. We've done our share and now it's time for April to begin her new life. Lots of luck to April and her family. I have her for a little bit longer, until arrangements for pick up can be made and you can bet, I'll soak up all of my time with her. We all will.

6/12/05 - Oh, glorious day. I'm doing a little dance right now. Ok, so not now because it's about 812 degrees, so I'm moving only when necessary. But, in my mind... I'm dancing. April had a HUGE, breakthrough today. We had my girl and April outside together, without incident. No, you're not reading things. I said, without incident.
Darlah was outside and then I brought April out. They totally ignored each other. They chewed their individual sticks, played, sniffed, went nose to nose and were complete ladies. Well, except when I sat down on the ground and my daughter hit her softball. April was leashed, to me and lets just say I received some grass burn. April made several playful gestures to Darlah, but it was just too hot to play. However, they laid down next to each other and walked together. I still didn't push it in the house, they went in their respective crates while my spoiled foster boy, came out. They were totally wiped.
I just feel so good about this. April has had very bad experiences with people and dogs and her behavior is incredible considering. She is great with the family and is doing markedly well with the other girl. The foster boy I have is aggressive with her, as is she with him. Although, he likes to antagonize her. My girl just walks by her and doesn't make her nuts, anymore.
April has filled in beautifully. She is the exact weight she needs to be and her wound has healed to near completion. I'm very pleased with the improvements April has made. I'll send some new pics this week. She is truly a lovely dog. I can say now, that I feel there is hope for canine friends. She needs alot of work, so anyone looking to adopt must accept this awesome responsibility. You'll get nothing but love in return. Ok, so she'll deliver some slobber, lots of kisses and a nudge now and then for the love and attention she's now come to expect. And, deservedly so.

6/7/05 -Well, Aprils not feeling so great, was short lived. She is back up and running as usual and feeling wonderful. She is starting to take a liking to Darlah. They are not permitted together yet, for the sake of all of us, but she's definitely shown improvement. So, perhaps in time, they'll become friends. Fingers crossed!!

6/3/05 - Poor, poor April baby. April came home a little while ago, from the vets. She was spayed today. She is quite listless and had trouble getting into my SUV, so without batting an eye, I lifted my porky princess into the truck. She did very well. I'm surprised I got her back. They just love her at the vets.
When I took April in and had her weighed, she came in at a thick 76lbs. Well, we did just what we set out to do. The vet said about fifteen pounds and she's done fourteen, so she's right where she needs to be. April's wound is nearly healed. There are several small spots that are open yet, but it's coming along nicely. All in due time.
April has been improving in regards to the other dogs. She is not initiating any aggression. She leaps for them, but all in play. She retaliates with a growl, but the growling has had to go on a while before she reciprocates. I'm hoping that with time, she will learn to get along with other dogs.
I adore this sweet girl. She is very therapeutic. Her fur is incredibly soft and those ears, oh my goodness, they are like nothing I've felt before. April is all set to go to her forever home. If you feel that you're the right family for her please let us know. April is a dream. She deserves the fairy tale forever home.

5/29/05 - Never a dull moment with Aprilina. (That's her nickname, April and Ballerina) She, as I've told you before, prances around here like she's a little dancer and she's banged her paw on something. She's opened her wound up a little more again, but my hope is that it won't take long to heal. While it hasn't completely healed as of yet anyway, she's set it back a bit. She's such a big goof. My husband has also taken to calling her "Apea", for her "ape" like behavior. She's too funny. I love this wonderful personality of hers.
April really enjoys the children. She's very interested in what they're doing and wants to be with them, playing with them, sitting with them, licking them. Oh boy, my son isn't too thrilled with that because one lick and she's cleaned his whole head. She is a real people person. She is very social. April is a great hostess and is very gracious to everyone who comes over. She doesn't jump on anyone and if she gets too rambunctious, she responds immediately to correction.
I must say that there may be hope yet for April and fellow canine pals. She and Darlah have been out near each other, leashed and one of us holding them and she's done nothing but sniff her and once she tried to jump on Dar, but she didn't respond very well, so we stopped that right away. April definitely wanted to play and I think it was too soon for Darlah to want to play. She hasn't growled at her except for this morning when Princess Darlah, cranky pants, growled pretty nasty at her and April responded in kind. They stopped when corrected and we'll try them again tomorrow.
April is a nice dog. I can't say that enough. She's just a joy to have here. She's come such a long way, she's put on weight and has come into her own. I can't believe she's the same shy, thin, weak dog that came to us, just one month ago. Boy, oh boy, she's anything but that now!!

5/24/05 - I don't know what is going on in that big head of hers. But, can someone please tell me what makes this girl thinks she's a ballerina? She's all boxer when it comes to wiggles and all mastiff when it comes to braun. She is a real sweety. April has the cute short face with just a enough wrinkles to melt your heart and the big long legs, to give you a run for your money. She is allowed to be in the house freely, when my girls are crated, of course. She is great with the kids, but she is so big, they get pushed around pretty easily. She hates to be in the crate when my girls are out playing and she hates to be segregated from the family when she's being too rowdy. She wants all the attention you'll give her. She's afraid she'll miss something. April's wound is healing nicely. She broke her collar, but it was just as well. She had actually created another small sore, already scabbed over, by trying to get at her wound to lick it. So, when I let her out of her crate one day, she bounded for the door, full boar, and cracked the collar on my screen door. Let's just say that door will never be the same. She's been good though, without the collar. She licks her wound on occassion, but because it has healed so much, it's of very little interest to her now. Except when she gets under foot, then I feel like a real bum for stepping on her paw. And, why is it that you always step on the injured one? Anyway, she's doing great with that, eating well and generally being a real doll. April has been feeling so much better, that she prances around the yard when you take her out. Whoever adopts her, better be strong and ready to take her on. She wants to play with everyone, young, old, small, big, everyone's her playmate, everyone except my girls, their her snacks. I'll be finding out about getting her spade, but other than that, there's no reason this girl isn't ready for a forever home. She is a wonderful dog. So appreciative of a good scratch and a full bowl. Well, she also really, really likes toys, many of which tiny dancer has destroyed. She is a real toy hog. She chase three different stuffed toys if you throw them all at once. Now, that's my kind of entertainment.

5/16/05 - April is coming along wonderfully. She has been wearing her cone, since they opted not to continue to bandage her paw. She is such a good girl. Her wound is healing at an amazing rate. It is drying up nicely and won't be long before it's healed completely, I'm sure. Even the areas that were already healed when she got here look better. They were quite pink and they are now more like the rest of her skin tone and not as tender.
She has started to put al ot of weight on and is not so ravenous when she eats, so I've backed her food down and she seems quite content with that. She is taking her treats much nicer. She's not quite so nippy and has almost grasped the command to stay. She is very interested what the children are doing. She is just about their ages and she sees playmates. She is still not allowed full run of the house because we don't want her to bump her wound on anything. If we keep her gated in the kitchen and dining, she's got less objects to hit. She's under the impression that she's a petite princess. Princess, yes, petite, no, not so much.
We were doing some yard work yesterday and had all the girls outside with us, at different times of course, and April didn't like it when we picked up one of the kids lawn chairs. Same as when she saw the stick, she cowered and ran away. So, I held it in my hand and kept calling to her and reassuring her that everything was ok. She still didn't like it so I just put it down. She reacts very much the same way when the broom is used. I don't know what kind of animals owned her before, but they've left their mark on this sweet girl.
Now, for some good stuff. April is the perfect blend of boxer and mastiff. She has the wiggley boxer butt down. The sweet wonderful presence and eagerness to be with her family. She has one bad boxer trait. Boy, oh boy, what a gassy girl! Peeeeuuuu, with a capital P and a capital UGH! She gets her size from the mastiff. She is a good size girl, but has the silly, dopey quality of a mastiff. She also has the large head and a beautiful coat, with the long, slender tail. She has eyes that will melt you in a New York minute. She is so happy to be with the family. Very, very, playful, lots of energy for her size and the willingness to listen. She has rebounded famously from her previous situation and is now ready for some really terrific family to call her own.
I don't know that she has any bad habits, not a garbage picker, not a counter surfer, housebroken, obedient. Nope, I got nothin'. She's a great dog. She has been through so much and I know that whoever is fortunate enough to be able to adopt her, will never be happier. She has had such a horrible life and for her to be so sweet, speaks volumes, as to the kind of dog she is. So, if you're looking for a great companion, with some wonderful qualities of two great breeds, than you need look no farther. April asks that you love her forever and make her the only canine princess. She's not interested in having any fur brothers or sisters. That's all. What you will get in return from this "little" angel, you could never imagine.

5/9/05 - Good grief, this dog is such a whip. She had a severe bout of diarrhea yesterday, what a lovely mothers day gift. Her crate was a mess, as was she. We had to bathe her and change her dressing. Her wound looks great, but sadly, when she was wet, the full extent of what she's been through was apparent. Her white fur, when wet, exposed her scars. Her hind quarters are riddled with bite marks. I can't imagine what she's been through and to still be so happy with people, I'm amazed. I've also made another deduction. My daughter and I had her outside to play and we picked up a stick to throw. She ran away from me and got real low to the ground and would not return to me until I threw the stick away. I guess she was reprimanded this way. Yet, despite it all, she is such a love, with people anyway.

I do have two recommendations for her perspective adoptive family though. I definately think that, with all she's been through, she should be an only dog. It's been two weeks here and she just doesn't get along with either of my girls and she does not get along with other dogs at the vets either. Also, purely because of her size, probably best in a home with children that are older. My kids are 4 and 7, but my 7 is pretty petite and when they play, she easily bumps her around and knocks her about. She is a big girl and the better she is feeling the more rambunctious she is. So, she thinks she is this teency weency that can run up to you to play. Not so. I want to stress that I feel she is great with my kids, but she is very big and she can easily overpower youngsters.

April is such a sweet girl, you can't help but fall in love with her. She makes you!! She is a super sweet girl and loves, loves, loves people. She has been feeling so much better and it's nice to see that now she wants to play. She's so goofy. Someone will be very happy with this girl. She want have it any other way!!

5/6/05 - April went to the vet on Friday and we got wonderful news. They allowed me in the back to help change her dressing and I could help hold her, she's a strong girl. I cannot get over how well it healed in just three days. The area has shrunk to about 1 1/2"x 2 1/2". The outer edges of the wound are a nice pink and shrinking fast. I'm so happy to see that with a good clean environment, she's making progress. Of course, there will be a significant scare on her leg, but who cares? It'll be healed and she'll always be as beautiful as she is right now. April is a lovely girl. She still wants to snack on other canines. When I took her to the vet, there was a dog, off leash, crossing the street and she was barking her fool head off and growling. She is making progress with Darlah. When she's out and sniffs Darlahs crate, there is no exchange. When April is crated and Darlah comes to sniff, there is growling and snapping. So, there may be hope yet. I am still reserved with the children because we don't know the full extent of Aprils history. She is allowed to get fairly close to them, but not close enough to nip, if she wanted. She's doing fine with them and is very interested in what they're doing. I think she likes children as she perks right up, tail beating away, when they come into the room. So, we'll continue to move ahead in these areas. April goes back on Tues for a dressing change.

5/5/05 - I just thought I'd make a quick note on this girl. She's obviously feeling better because she is bounding all over. She is running outside and chasing things and being really, really playful. She is so goofy. You can definitely see how she has mastiff in her. She is not aware of her size. She has no idea that when she bumps into you, she can easily trip you up. She is so cute and everyone loves her. April is very good on the leash and listens even better. You can really see that she's made such changes in the few days she's been here, that all she truly needed was to be loved. Well... and fed... a lot... a whole lot. She's going to make someone very, very happy.

5/3/05 - Well, April had her first visit to the vet and..... She did GREAT. Everyone was in love with her. They were all anxious to meet my newest foster and they just thought she was beautiful. They were amazed at how loving she was after all she's been through.

She had three people working on her while changing her dressing. Not an easy process because the dressing had stuck to the paw. She hardly flinched. They cleaned it with solution that they said probably stung, they flushed it with water, they put some ointment on and redressed it, all without incident. Then, if that weren't enough, she hadn't pooped, so they probed her bottom to obtain a sample and followed that up with a needle for her heartworm test. Well, after all that you'd think she would be a little irritable, not in the least. Although, she did think an appropriate treat would be the little poodle that they had just brought in. I said no and that was the end of it. She also wanted to muscle the St. Bernard, but again, immediate correction and that was the end. She did yack in the truck, but otherwise she rode very well.

So, after all that, she continued to love all the techs. They were impressed with how well she listened, that she knew her name and with her whole personality. She was a wonderful spokes girl for rescue.

Then, we came home. She ate and wondered around the house a little and about ten minutes later she went to the door. I let her go and she came back in the living room and then kept going back to the door. She went outside peed and pooped and was such a good girl. Then, she came in and we played a little. She pounced around a bit and played with a stuffed toy and that pretty much wore her
out. 'Cause now she passed out at my husbands feet just a tootin' away. Ugh!

So, April is doing very well here. She is still limited with the children. And... I don't' know that she'll ever be ok with my girls. Only time will tell if she's going to be nice with other dogs, but as things stand right now, if you're interested in April, please keep in mind that she's not doing so great with other dogs. So, if you have no other pets, maybe that's the way to go. Of course, it is very early in the fostering to be sure, but we will be very clear on whether she can be with other animals, prior to adoption. Girly goes back to the vet on Friday for a dressing change, but other than that she's in good shape. A bit more underweight than we thought, she actually weighs 62lbs and the vet thinks she should put on at least another 15 lbs. We're workin' on it!! Her wound looks good, it's about 2"x3", like an oval shape, but despite it's size, it is healing well. Love this dog! I'm sure you will to. Now don't everyone fight over her. There's only one April to go 'round.

5/2/05 - April has had a fairly quiet day today. She and my girl are still snarling at each other, but I don't expect that to change just yet. She was allowed to sniff the children and she even licked my son. Her tail was going a mile a minute the whole time. April is a little touchy about her bandage. I just think she doesn't want anybody messing with it. I have to put a plastic baggie on it when she goes out and sometimes I think she just wants to get out and forget the bag. She is housebroken and considering what she's been through, that's surprising.

April has a beautiful coat of fur. It's very soft and she has a few spots here and there. She's got one super long tail. If I had to compare her to a character, right now she reminds me of Marmaduke. She'll shake her head and stumble all over or she goes to turn and trips over her own feet. She lumbers along, in no big hurry.

I did find out that she likes to be with people. She is alternating crate time with my girl. The door to the laundry room was accidently closed, where the crate is, and she howled and yipped a bit. She said, ok fine if I have to be in the darn crate, just don't close the door. She wants to see everybody, I think she feels closer. She loves lots of lovies, she leans up against you to get you to ruffle her ears or scratch her neck. She knows her name already and responds well, with perked ears and a wagging tail. She is going to make a lovely addition to someones home, one day, but whether she'll want company of the canine persuasion, is yet to be seen.

April is set to see the vet tomorrow evening and I shall update you then. We'll see how she does out in public and with strangers and dogs.

5/1/05 - Welcome our newest girl, April. She came to us yesterday, the very last day of the month, with no name. We settled on April because she began the journey on her new life this last day of the month. So, she made the long trek here with the help of several volunteers, Thank You. She needs a lot of TLC.

A brief history on April, she was taken from a pit bull fighting ring and was one of the few dogs deemed adoptable. Probably because she wasn't a fighter, but bait. Sadly, she suffered a severe injury to her right back leg that originally was thought to need skin grafting. It may not need that now, but only time will tell. She is grossly underweight and we will work on fattening her up. She is a very, very big girl. Despite the fact that she's bearing backbone, ribs and hipbones, she is very muscular. So, I'll bet she's going to be quite big when she gets some fat on her.

April and my Darlah are a little too interested in one another, so I'll be making very slow introductions over the course of the next week. Other than not being overly thrilled with the other dogs, go figure, she's very sweet. She seems to really enjoy a good scratch and allowed us to tug on her jowls, ears and give her a basic evaluation.

Upon her arrival, April was very interested in the toys on top of Rizzo's crate. She took them all off and just put them in a big pile on the floor. She was a little playful, trying to tug on a rag monkey. She seems very nice, at first glance. I don't know what the next couple of days will bring, but we will work steadily with her to reassure her that she is safe and loved and cared for.

She will be going to the vet this week for a dressing change and a few simple tests. She has done well, allowing us to baggie her bandage when we take her out and pull her from the food and water dish and reach for her leash while she's eating, we've even put the bag on while she was eating and she didn't seem to mind. April is a bit clumsy, she's just a big doof. We will hope for a speedy recovery for her and I'm sure this pretty girl will have no problem finding a forever home.