3/15/07 - Bruce has been adopted

1/5/07 - Bruce is doing great in our home.  He is such a love----full of kisses, wiggles and snuggles.  He
fits in so well with my family.  We love him to pieces and he shows us he loves us too.

12/27/06 - Bruce is pending adoption by his foster family.

12/26/06 - What a good boy Bruce is.  He does not bother a thing in the house.  I have not crated him at all while I am out and everything is untouched.  He gets along great with my boxers and my children and is so playful.  He has the sweetest disposition of any boxer that I've fostered this far.  Filled with kisses and boxer wiggles.  We had him out on the town for the holiday and he did well with children of all ages.  He does not jump on the furniture unless I call him up on it.(which I do).  I am still working on his walking skills.  He does pull a bit and he is powerful.  He is totally housebroken.  I have him ringing the cow bell with his paw that I have hanging on my sunroom doors.  This is how all my dogs tell me they have to go do their business.  Bruce is a fast learner.  He is physically beautiful.  So soft.  The only problem noted with Bruce is that he has broken upper fang teeth.  I called the previous owner and I was told that he probably broke them off in the crate.  He really hates it, although I have not  needed to use it.  He is a perfect gentleman.

12/21/06 - Bruce has been with us for 24 hours now and my first impressions of him are----beautiful, energetic boxer.  Bruce is absolutely gorgeous.  He was introduced to my 2 boxers and my other foster Jack and did very well.  No aggression issues at all.  Actually, Bruce and Jack are like long lost friends.  I've never seen Jack wag his tail so much.  They had a blast playing with toys and prancing around my yard.  I put Bruce in a crate for about and hour while I went grocery shopping and he did great.  I did also have my female crated in the same room so maybe that was a comfort to Bruce or maybe I just tired him out with the long walk we took upon waking up.  Later in the day, I had to take my son to basketball, and I decided to try Bruce with free range of my downstairs.  I left him and my male out.  I was so afraid to see what mess was there waiting for me when I got home but the boys were perfect.  Bruce and Tyson were actually lounging on my window box together looking out the window.  Not a thing was out of order.  I think Bruce just needs company.  He would do great in a home with another dog pal for him to play with.  He plays so nice with my children too.  He knows just how rough he can be.  The neighborhood children came over in the afternoon to meet my newest foster and they were all playing in my yard with him and he seemed so happy.  He loves to fetch a ball.  Bruce slept all night without any problems.  He shared his fluffy bed with Jack and they both snored like crazy.  Bruce climbed up on my bed about half way through the night and slept on his back with all four paws up in the air.  He is so comical and sweet.  You will fall in love with this guy so fast.  Let's get Bruce in a great forever home.  Ideally, with another dog and maybe some children.  He is a typical boxer, trapped in eternal toddlerhood and just loves to play. I will keep everyone posted on his progress.

12/20/06 - Bruce was returned to rescue as his family was away from home too much and he began displaying separation anxiety.

12/4/06 - Bruce is a fantastic dog - he loves to be around people - he loves to play - he absolutely loves to roll in the grass - he is a pleasure to be around - when he sees me - he literally folds in half from excitement and wiggles and wiggles - he's a very affectionate dog - loves to give little kisses - there isn't one person that he has met that he doesn't love to play with or get affection from - he sleeps on his back with his legs spread which is such a nice sight because it shows me he's happy -
My workday schedule is as follows: I leave the house at 7:00am every morning - my niece comes over at 11:00am and walks him and spends about 1/2 hour playing with him,  - my other niece comes over at 2:00pm and again walks him and spends about an hour with him - I'm home at 6:00pm and the dog does not get crated until the next morning.
Just so you don't think that he is PERFECT, there are some things we are working on. - he used to pull on the lease to the point that he couldn't breath - I've have corrected at with some techniques I have learned, and now he walks like a gentlemen.- he walks fantastic with me - but my nieces have not mastered the techniques, so they still have had difficult walks with him. I am trying to show them what to do, but have not had much success yet. We'll keep trying. He likes to jump on people, but with consistent corrections, he does not do that to me anymore - he jumps on everyone else until I step in - these have been problems that I correct and he obeys well to - so he is a quick learner.
Unfortunately there is one problem that has come up and I am unable to correct - he is starting to urinate in his crate - he did this a while ago - I called up and spoke to Gary and Tina who advised me to take the blanket out of his crate - which I did and the problem was corrected - but it has come up again - he is urinating in his crate and it gets on his toys (stuffed animals and rope pulls) 
I've also noticed he is shedding A LOT. All of this indicates that Bruce is a bit stressed to say the least, and that when I am gone, he is not handling that stress well.
When I come home I take Bruce, feed him, relax with him, and then take him out approximately 9:30 for his final bathroom call - most of the time he doesn't go - we just stand outside for about 5-10 minutes and get the fresh air - we go upstairs about 10:00pm for the night - he's gated in my bedroom bathroom - he's fine in there - for the most part - and curls up to sleep.
It breaks my heart to realize that Bruce is stressed. I wanted him to be loved, which he is, but I also wanted him to be very happy, which apparently he is not.
I've brought him to many people's houses and he's fine - I've had many people come to my house and he's fine with that - he loves to be around people - he's never showed any aggression - he never barks unless the door bell rings - he would be perfect except that my situation if apparently not perfect for him.
It would seem that the ideal home for my Bruce will be one where someone is home more often for him, so that he does not get as stressed as his gets now, when I leave him. Whoever gets this boy is truly getting a gem. As you can see, he is BEAUTIFUL, with a disposition to match.