Zappa3-06


	Age & Sex: 2 yr. old Male


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 90 lbs.


Other Dogs: Yes Cats: No


	Color: Brindle


Children: Under 5: Yes


	Ears: Natural


Children Over 5: Yes


	Tail: Docked


Professional Training Required: Yes


	Neutered: Yes


Microchipped: Yes


	Owner Surrender


Location: `Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA`

Adoption Donation $300 + $20 Microchip Registration Fee

1/3/08 - Zappa past away on November 18. That morning I took him to the park next to my house. One second he was running and jumping around, the next he just fell to the ground. I picked him up and tried to carry him home. He died in my arms. His heart failed. Zappa was such a beautiful boy both inside and out. I was so proud to walk him down the street. Words cannot explain how we feel without him. I'm so happy that he was my dog for that short amount of time. He will be missed and loved forever.

7/19/06 - Zappa has been adopted-----He has joined his forever family today and I'm sure he will be very happy. I'm certain that Mike and Claudia will give him all the love he needs and deserves. We'll miss you buddy. Good luck and all our love.

7/15/06 - Zappa continues to do well in our care. He absolutely loves to play with our 2 boxers and the kids. He awakens from his naps when he hears us open the front door so he can join us for a ride. He is a great co-pilot. He is till quite the comedian. Today, there were some ducks on the TV and Zappa heard them quack and went on a mission to find them. He was looking behind the TV and walking from room to room tipping his big head from side to side. He gets funnier everyday. He has finally mastered his walk. I took him today for a 30 minute trek through the neighborhood and he didn't move from my side. No pulling at all. yip---eeeeeeeeeee!!!! Just goes to show you that practice makes perfect. He still has the same great house manners. Allyson H. from the rescue came by with some food for him today and she and her husband commented on how well behaved he was. He didn't jump on them at all, but he did come right over for some attention. He would be great when friends came by for a visit at his forever home. You would not have to worry about putting him away somewhere. He follows my husband everywhere. Bill always has to look before he takes a step to avoid tripping. I'm also certain that Zappa will make a nice guard dog. Although he is a sweetheart, I do believe that he would protect his family. He gives a deep bark when the doorbell rings that would scare off any unwelcomed guest. However, if you opened the door and let someone in, he would greet them with boxer kisses and wiggles. He also likes to sit on the higher part of our yard with my male Tyson and keep a watchful eye as the kids play. He would make a great addition to any family. I am hoping he finds his forever home soon although I am in no hurry to see him leave. I've become quite attached to the big mush.

7/11/06 - Grooming Day for Zappa. Today he had a nice long brushing and loved every minute of it. We also trimmed back his nails and he didn't fuss at all. He still remains very playful and submissive. No aggression at all. He is great with kids and other dogs. Zappa is also such a snuggler. He inches his way up onto your lap for some lovin and he will stay there forever as long as you keep petting him. He is still quite comical. He does these amazing leaps of joy when he sees you. 4 legs off the ground---straight up in the air. Its hysterical. He is heeling much better on his walks now. I can take him instead of him taking me. He enjoys rides in the car and is very well behaved. His appetite is healthy. He will sit and wait until the food is placed on the floor and I say OK before he devours it. He has no food aggression issues. I am really getting attached to this big boy. He is so easy to fall in love with. He is sweet, affectionate, and funny. He would be a great addition to any home. Don't let his size put you off. He is really no trouble at all. Zappa will rest in his crate at times but prefers to be with the family. He has been well behaved even left out of the crate when we weren't home. He has not damaged a thing. I still have only heard him bark when he has to go out to do his business. He is a quiet boy. Keep those apps coming.

7/8/06 - This boy is a comedian. He makes me laugh all day. He is so playful and silly. He has become a full fledged member of our family. My two boxer babies love his company and my children love to frolick in the yard with him. He is especially fond of my 7 year old daughter who is pretty tiny for her age. He loves to play with her and seems to know how rough he can be without hurting her. After a play session he usually will snuggle up to my daughter for a nap. Zappa is such a people dog. He seems to love everyone. He is not aggressive or territorial in any way. He is just happy to be loved. Zappa had a bath today and tolerated it well. He sat still the entire time. He still loves to go for rides in the car and perks right up as soon as he hears the keys jingle. He still needs some work with walking but continues to improve on a daily basis. The family who gets Zappa will be truly blessed. He is a great boy. GET THOSE APPS IN.

7/5/06 - Zappa continues to be a good boy. His personality is really showing now. He is such a happy dog. He loves to play. He is also quite the comedian. Yesterday was the 4th of July and Zappa did fine. He joined us at a family picnic and watched TV through the fireworks display. This big boy deserves a loving forever home. He has nothing but affection for his humans. Despite his past, he has great manners. He has not stolen any food from our table or counter, he knows basic commands, and has not damaged anything. My children ages 9 and 7 just adore him. He will play with then all day long if allowed. ---------------LETS GET THOSE APPLICATIONS IN FOR THIS LOVE--------------------- I have a feeling he won't be here much longer. He is such a great companion.

7/3/06 - Another road trip for Zappa this weekend. This boy is a riot. He had such a blast at the campground we stayed at. He played ball with our kids and was doing these funny leaps of joy straight up in the air. He was well behaved on the 4 hour car ride. I still have nothing but good things to say about this boy. He is a joy to foster. Very affectionate. He really loves kids. Also, my husband has been working with him with his walk. He is pulling a lot less than he was even last week. He is beginning to heel nicely. We will continue to work with him so he is perfect for his forever family.

6/29/06 - This week has been a true test of Zappa's personality. We had severe flooding in our area and were evacuated. We took Zappa for a ride in the truck and he stayed for 2 nights in our camper. We also had friends with us with their dogs and children. Zappa played with all the dogs and enjoyed a game of frisbee with the children when the sun peaked out. He was not aggressive at all. He did not damage anything in our camper and was very well behaved even though he was stuck in there for most of the day because of the weather. I have to say, I do not find Zappa to be any more exuberant than my 2 babies. He plays just like they do. He is a very submissive dog and full of so much love. He did not mind at all when the other dogs that were with us tried to share his bone or his food dish. We have not noted any food aggression at all. You can probably stick your face in his bowl and start eating with him. He is such a gentle giant. I have not noticed him to startle easily since we had him, but we had a nasty thunderstorm the other day and he came running over to us for comfort We gave him a bath also this week and he tolerated it well. He plays in our yard for a few hours a day and has not shown any territorial behavior. I should also mention that Zappa is not much of a barker. He is such a sweet boy, so full of love to give.

6/26/06 - We have had Zappa for 48 hours now and he has been a joy. He is a submissive big boy to other dogs and to humans. He has not jumped on anyone in the family. He seems to have great house manners. He needs to be exercised to release his energy but still remains playful throughout the day. I am working with him with his walks because he is a strong boy, but with a few corrections he heels nicely. He sleeps through the night on a dog bed without any whimpering. He has not attempted to jump onto our bed. He has had no accidents in the house and has not caused any damage. I find him to be well behaved. Zappa loves to be near people and showers us often with kisses. He is friendly to strange people and other dogs. Zappa snores and snorts. (its a riot). He will make you laugh all day. I'm sure Zappa will be a loyal friend to his forever humans.

6/25/06 - Zappa's on the move again! Wow, this boy is a real globetrotter, and this time, it's to a new foster home for some training, and more fun with a new boxer and human family. We realized the time he was with us
was wonderful, but the physical toll was starting to show on our own fur babies, and we asked to have Zappa relocated to a place where his energy would be matched by younger dogs. So he is off to Pennsylvania with some of his favorite toys, where he will get a chance to have even more fun, and a little more training to make him an even better addition to someone's forever home. Look for more updates from his new foster mom
and dad, and we have been blessed to have Zappa with us. Good luck, buddy! :) We'll miss you!

6/1/06 - Road Trip for Zappa! This past weekend, we all went on a Memorial Day road trip, and he was a great passenger in the car. Zappa loves to hang his face out of the open windows, and the breeze that flaps his lips and ears back is hysterical. It's also very nice to know he is not dog-aggressive when we make those rest stops where there are always other dogs being walked.
Zappa is a different dog in the house than when we first got him. So relaxed and comfortable. What incredible strides he's made! He sleeps outside of the crate now, unless he wants to go in. He's made being in it seem so attractive that our other two boxers take turns in his crate, and we have to keep booting them out! The only time he gets shut in is when there's no one home, because I'm more comfortable with him in it
for a couple of hours, and not for any real need. I haven't seen him get destructive at all, except when there's a bit of loose dirt in the yard that he wants to look under, or a plushy toy he wants to give the death shake. :)
He has shown us a dramatic improvement in his desire to obey commands. He is still a bit of a stickler if he's just not in the mood to sit, but will do so when there's food involved. :) He is also such a kisser, and shows affection all the time. His bouncy leaps of joy are guaranteed to make you love him even more!
Now that he's eating well and getting regular exercise, his muscles are starting to really develop. :) This boy was a walking stick when we got him, but now he's showing some real boxer musculature. I'm pretty sure
he will always be lanky rather than beefy, but he's still got some more muscle to pack on if I'm not mistaken.
Zappa's appetite is extremely healthy, and now that all three dogs are eating together (under my watchful eye), there are no food aggression issues, and as long as each dog is finished with their individual meals,
they are allowed to browse each other's empty bowls for licking rights. We even have all three together in the same room with vanilla flavor bones. Peaceful, happy boxers chewing away...
If it weren't for his size, we would probably never give him up. Both the skin and fur family have become so attached to him, and he is such a happy dog it's hard to think someone didn't want him.

5/13/06 - Zappa has a clean bill of health from our vet, and he's free in the house. He has become a full-fledged member of the household, and is calming down while he's inside. Sometimes, he gets a little too excited, and
we can't get him to listen, so he gets a 15 minute time-out in the crate (with a treat, of course, The crate is not a punishment, simply a tool), at which point he just goes to sleep. Zappa spends the night out of his crate now, but he tends to go back into it when he wants to rest.
One bad habit that has developed, now that he has run of the house, no food is safe on the counters. We're working on correcting that, but I believe that this will be an ongoing issue for the near future,as it seems that any of his former owners never set limits. We all know how stubborn Boxers can be, and Zappa is no exception. Gentle consistent reminding will work, you just need the patience, as he's veryeager to please. It seems like this boy was abused in his former life. If you raise you voice (WHAT are you DOING on the COUNTER!) and make any fast movements, he cowers and tries to slink out the dog door.Last night, I had to call him to stop him from going out. I made him come over to me while we 'talked' about him being on the counter, and he just stood there with his tail tucked and his head down.
Vicky and I are wondering, why is Zappa still here? (not that we're complaining, he and I have bonded really well) This big mush-face will win your heart in an instant, just come and see him! He'll make you laugh 100 times a day.

4/24/06 - Well, it's been two weeks since Zappa was neutered and had the lump on his hind leg removed. We picked him up from Gary on Tuesday night, and things were looking good. You know what they say about dogs being groggy for a time after they wake up? Well, not this boy. He was ready to go as soon as he hit our front door! The E-Collar went on him, and what a change. He just stood there like someone nailed his feet to the floor! We couldn't make him move! Well, into the crate he was literally pushed, and he layed down for the night, and spent the night trying to lick his wounds.
The next morning, he was hungry and used to the collar. He was kept separated from Otis and Brandy, and none of the dogs were real happy about that. It took him a while to realize that he didn't fit out the dog door with the collar on, but after having the door opened up for him a few times, he got the idea. Saturday morning was nice, so we had him outside with us for a bit. All of a sudden, he BOLTED and started to do a 'retard-lap' around the yard, and promptly blew out all the stitches in his leg. After a few panicked calls, off to our regular vet he went, and was restitched, after a very stern lecture from the vet. Sooooo...now Zappa gets walked on a leash in the back yard until he heals.
Unfortunately, he is a very itchy boy, and spends a lot of time trying to scratch his face through the cone. This action is starting to open up the wound again, so now he is rarely left alone, day or night, so we can keep him from working that leg, and give it a chance to heal up. This is one very unhappy dog right now, as most of his time is spent in the crate, because as soon as he's out, all he wants to do it PLAY! He's discovered that with the cone, he can't lick us, but his favorite thing to do to me, just me, is to run up to me fast, and hit me like a linebacker, all his momentum into his shoulder! He things knocking me over is such wonderful fun! When his leg heals, two can play at that game!
This past week, fecal and urine samples were brought to the vet, and blood taken. He is heartworm negative (whee!), but has whip and hook worms pretty bad. He has had the first treatment on Sunday, and in two weeks will get the second treatment, and should be fine.
Zappa is getting more comfortable in the house, and, as long as the other dogs are out of sight (they are still being kept separate), he'll actually settle down, and go to sleep after about 5-10 minutes. He dozes as we watch TV, and he actually wakes up, picks his head up, and watches the tube if something catches his ear. Our other two lumps just sleep through
it all. I've known cats to watch TV, never a dog! Every day, this boy makes us laugh. Despite all he's going through, he still in good spirits, and craves attention. He'll stand for 20 minutes beside you as long as you are touching him. If you stop, you get the sad-eyed look, and the full 80lb 'boxer lean' just to help you remember what you were doing.
Saturday he goes back to the vet to have his incision reassessed. Keep those applications going, he's ready and waiting for his forever home!

4/8/06 - Zappa started off the week with an identity crisis. He woke up thinking he was a Springer Spaniel. :) He just started JUMPING, straight up, in place in front of the gate he was behind in the house. Little did he know he was jumping a few inches above the 3 foot gate! He was just so happy! His personality is really showing, and he's just a happy mush. He's playing well with Otis and Brandy, and he's feeling more comfortable around the house. He's actually settling down after a while, instead of constantly moving, or going outside. Due to this, he's spending
less and less time in his crate, and more time enjoying being part of the family.

We're working on the basic commands, and he knows sit, stay, down, come, wait, when he wants. He will require constant re-enforcement of the training, as he can be a typical headstrong boxer that was allowed to
get his own way for a while. When his forever family gets him, if they are not well versed in working with boxers, I'd suggest professional training for a few times to get the basics down.

Zappa is going for his neutering on Tuesday, so he'll be all set in a week or so after that for someone to take this bouncing baby(?) boxer home! Life is sure going to be quiet around here after he's with his new family!

Oh, this boy LOVES to snuggle. Too bad for him that the couch isn't big enough for both us and him, as he's always trying to 'sneak' up on the couch.

He's putting on some weight despite his constant movement, and he's getting some nice muscle tone back. I believe he'll top out at around 85-90 lbs, and be a handsome looking boy!

3/31/06 - When I got home from work today, I let Brandy and Zappa out in the yard. Otis was put on the 25 ft. training lead, and went outside with me. After some careful correction for both Zappa and Otis, they started playing well enough that I unsnapped the lead, and let them both have at it while I followed them around the yard. After a few initial scuffles, then kept on playing really rough for almost 2 hours, with a 15 minute break for dinner. Zappa plays *hard*. Otis, at 75 lbs, is a handful for me, and Zappa would just flatten him at will, but he kept on going. I think that Zappa will calm down after he gets used to playing with other dogs, but it's really clear that he needs a big playmate. Tonight also showed me how mellow he really is, since Otis was in his face for the first 20 minutes, and he just rolled with it, and didn't seem to care.
Zappa is also remembering his old training, with the help of treats. He seems to know sit, stay, 'wait' will stop him in his tracks, down will get him to lay down about 50% of the time. We tell him 'get in your crate', and off he goes, and then waits for his treat. He's still not happy about being left alone in the crate, but he usually goes in willingly.

3/29/06 - Zappa is a little thin right now, but is going to be a big boy when he finishes filling out. Our female Brandy is starting to teach him some doggy manners, since he loves to play hard now that he's with another boxer, and Brandy is letting him know gently when she's had enough. Due to some hip/knee issues with Brandy (she has dysplasia), we have been told that Zappa will probably do best in a home with a boxer that can keep upwith him physically, which Brandy cannot.
Otis has not been left loose with him, as Zappa has not had his neutering done yet, and Otis wants to mount him. Zappa warned Otis he not receptive to that, so we are keeping them separate for the time being. Zappa has
shown no aggression at all to either Brandy, or the dogs on either side of our yard.
We believe Zappa will be happiest where he can have some company during the day, as he barks when he's left in his crate alone, even for a few minutes. At bedtime, when he is alone in his crate, he seems to like a light left on for him. Then he settles down and goes to sleep.
Zappa seems a bit unsettled when he's out of his crate, and won't stay in one place very long or lay down unless he's in it. We see Zappa will need a little time to become more of a house dog rather than a primarily outside dog, because given a choice, he will stay outdoors. He does love the convenience of our doggy door. We don't think he's ever had this much freedom! But he hasn't learned how nice it is to relax with his people yet. :)
He gives lots of boxer leans, kidney beans and wiggles. He loves people, and absolutely adores children! Due to his size and general exuberance, smaller children would probably not be a good fit for Zappa.
We are having to teach him how to take walks, as he has shown he will use all his strength to pull on the leash, and he's a strong boy! He has already shown signs of improvement, and we will work with him further on this.
He takes treats with a little excitement, but no teeth. It looks like he's going to need some time to get used to the idea that he now has enough food and water, but we expect that his tendency to gobble his food will get better once his body stops telling him he's not getting enough.
We gave him a bath, and afterward (he was a very dirty boy!), his coat was shiny and we haven't noticed excessive shedding.

3/26/06 - Well, we made it through the 2nd night with Zappa. He seems to be settling in. He's fine in the crate as long as someone is in the room with him. He's in our daughters room, so this is not a problem at night. He's eating well, typical starved dog way of just *inhaling* the food. I held the dish last night and gently petted his back, no reaction. Today,
when I fed him, still rice and chicken, while he was eating, I took my hand and laid it across the food, causing him to eat around my fingers. He accepted that without missing a bite. Don't try this at home kids...So no human/food aggression issues at all. We've been feeding him separately, but he and Brandy have shared the water dish without hesitation. Looks very, very encouraging.

His nails are badly broken. Except one, which was over 7/8 " long. Luckily it was a clear nail, so a bright flashlight behind the nail showed a nice short quick, so out came the dremel tool, and we shortened it up real good and cleaned up the others where possible.

It's obvious that this poor boy was neglected most of his life. He only really responds to 'sit', and has almost no inside manners. We'll work on that in small bites as he is loose in the house. *After* he is fixed!

Otis is showing positive interest in Zappa. He was allowed into the room where the crate was, and actually went into the head down/butt up 'play with me' position, while making all kinds of yowling noises. It was pretty funny. That went on for a few minutes, then we broke the party up. Slow and steady. Later on, we'll go for a tandem walk, on opposite sides of the street, and then swap off handlers on the return trip. If it gets warmer, we'll head down to Smith Point beach for a long run on the 50' training leads across the sand. Nothing like running in sand to tire a dog (and handler) out.

3/24/06 - Zappa is a 2 yr old gorgeous brindle male Boxer. An animal lover saved him from being PTS by his owners who didn't "feel like taking care of him anymore." He's the big dark brindle guy as you can see from his pictures and such a cutie!! Also, it turns out he IS housebroken. He has no accidents in his rescuers house and he barks at the door when he needs to go out! Zappa is very sweet and playful but he doesn't realize his size when playing with smaller dogs. He has had a hard start in life, living outside most of the time and neglected, but he is now in a BAR foster-to-adopt which will hopefully be his forever home.