8/23/04 - Wow, has Hercules only been with us a year? Seems like he has been a member of our family forever!

Hercules came to us as our first foster dog after adopting Snoopy from BAR. AFter about 5 minutes with him I knew he would never leave our house. He and Snoopy formed one of those once-in-a-lifetime instantaneous bonds, and have been best buddies every moment since. Truly, I worry about what would happen if we lost one of the boys. I think the other would die of heartbreak, they love each other so much.

Herc continues to be one of the most intelligent and enjoyable dogs I have ever known and is a much-loved member of our family. He is completely trustworthy with children, our cat, and other dogs. He is definitely our dominant male, but he handles himself with dignity and restraint. He loves other dogs and we have not had any issues with our Snoopy or with any of our fosters.

Hercules is a take-anywhere kind of boy. Just this weekend we took him to a local festival, with tons of people, noise and even other dogs. He handled himself perfectly well, and we were approached by many children who wanted to pet him, which we allowed. He rides beautifully in the car and he handles visitors to the house with minimal barking (although much bouncing and wiggling).

We adore our Hercules and are so thankful to BAR for letting him become part of our lives.

7/4/04 - I've attached a couple of pictures of Hercules and our kitten for Herc's web
page, when you have time to upload it.  Of both the dogs, I thought he would be the one I had to watch the most with kitten, especially with his initial interest in him.  However, he seems to have adopted Pippin as his "baby" and loves to cuddle with him, even when Pippin claws and bites his nose.  I am really blessed with my dogs, they are both such wonderful family boys and soloving.
 

4/16/04 - I can't believe it has been only 8 months since Herc came to live with us. It seems he has been part of our family forever!  Herc is my best pal, he is such an intelligent and mischievous dog.  He is extremely obedient and a wonderful guy to have around the house, but he also has a warped sense of humor and when he wants to he can really wreak havoc!
His favorite annoying thing to do is when he wants attention to come up and bump your wrist or elbow from underneath, hard enough that you hand flies up in the air.  Its a big pain if it is the elbow attached to the hand that is trying to type or operate your mouse... I don't know how many typos I have had to correct thanks to this guy!  He also has a thing for shoes -- not to eat them, but when they are on your feet he likes to go on the attack.  You'll just be walking along through the house, and POUNCE!  Here comes Herc! 
One thing I can say about this guy is that he is an easy ke
We adore Hercules and can't imagine a day without him. Thanks to BAR for bringing him into our lives!

11/24/03 - Hercules is quite the character. He has an incredibly expressive face, and he is pretty intelligent. You can watch him thinking something through, and it is so funny to see his forehead wrinkle up in concentration.
Herc is a wonderful dog in all ways. He is pretty laid back for a boxer and he responds very well to obedience commands. Due to some unexpected necessary expenses we have had to tailor back our obedience classes, but I continue to work both he and Snoopy on their commands and Hercules is extremely responsive. When solo he will do long term down stays and long distance recalls, he heels like a dream and he is extremely focused on his handler. When winter is over we will start doing more outside of the yard and hone his skills in places where we can find distractions.
Herc, like his brother Snoopy, is wonderful with our toddler and with pretty much everyone. He and Snoopy both adore my stepson CJ, and no one in the world can make their butts wiggle quite like this kid.
Hercules has fitted perfectly into our home since the first day he arrived here. He is best friend and companion to Snoopy, protector of all who live here, and clown and comic relief on those days that life is just a little too much. He is a rock-solid dog and we couldn't be more in love with him if we tried. We are so glad that he found his way into our lives!

8/23/03 - I think we have a perfect dog in Hercules. He is absolutely a rock, so steady in nearly every situation. He has adjusted very well to life with us and we are so in love with this handsome guy. The only difficulty Herc has had is that we have discovered when left to roam the house alone, Herc will chew up things that don't belong to him. If it isn't left where he can get it, he seeks it out. As a result, Hercules must be crated whenever he is left without human companionship. His crate manners are impeccable. He goes right in when you open the door and relaxes quietly until you let him out. Hercules has clearly been well trained, he will not come in a room where you are eating unless you invite him, otherwise he stays on the other side of the doorway. So unlike our Snoopy who sits as close as you will allow him, drooling and trying to look underfed. Hercules is a very handsome dog, with wise eyes and a wonderfully wrinkly forehead. John thinks he looks a little like Winston Churchill. Hercules gets along great with other dogs and with small children. He is a wonderful companion to Snoopy, they have their regular play/rest cycles and are best pals. Hercules is also having a great time with our new foster, Poochie. Poochie is so big that he makes 67 pound Hercules look tiny. Herc is doing wonderfully here, we love him tremendously. He is one fantastic dog, we love him with all our hearts.

8/17/03 - Herc is doing great.  He had his vet appointment on Wednesday and is now UTD on all his shots, heartworm negative.  I will be calling today to get his Lyme's test results (I forgot to on Friday).  He was great at the vet's, very interested in everyone and everything.  There was another dog on the other side of the door that he could hear but not see.  He whined and wagged, he clearly wanted to be allowed to play.  He tolerated his shots and blood draws like a trooper.
His personality is coming out more and more the longer that he is here.  He has not had one soiling incident in the house.  What he *does* do if you leave things where he can get them, is eat books or steal things from the bathroom garbage.  Feminine things, if you get my drift.  We just have to remember to close the bathroom door and keep books put up when we leave him alone.    He has excellent crate manners, he goes in without a fuss and waits quietly until you let him out.  He is an early riser, and he usually nudges me awake in the morning before the alarm goes off.  I love it on weekdays, just not so much on Saturday morning when I'm hoping to sleep in a little before the baby wakes up.  John has been out of town all week and Herc has been the one to make sure I get up on time, know when the baby is fussing or wakes from her nap, and shares welcoming wiggle duties with Snoopy.
Herc doesn't bark much, at least not nearly as much as Snoopy.  He will let you know if someone is at the door, or walking by the house, but he doesn't get too excited.  He and Snoopy are both very good at the door, neither one gives you any indication that they would take off and neither has tried to push his way past into the front yard or street.  They sit and wait as they are asked to when I'm going out or coming in with the the baby and my arms full of stuff.
 Hercules and Snoopy have been best buddies since the first day he came here.  They enjoy each other's company tremendously and have pretty regular play/rest cycles.  They get a little rambunctious at times, but know to go out in the yard when told to. 
Herc is a wonderful fit in our home.  We are very grateful to have him be part of our family.  Thanks, Mary &John 

8/10/03 - Hercules has been adopted by his foster family!  Congratulations.

8/7/03 - Hurk is pending adoption.
On our morning walk yesterday we met my neighbor who has two rather nice springer spaniels. With two strong boxers on leash, I wasn't yet ready to allow the dogs to come nose to nose, since controlling two is not an easy task and I wouldn't want to risk any of the kids getting into trouble. We stayed on opposite sides of the road and chatted, and although Herc pulled on the leash at first to go meet the springers, I asked him to sit down and knock it off. He immediately sat down, let his ridge lay flat, and behaved himself for the rest of the conversation. Once again, this dog continues to do nothing but impress with his manners and personality! Herc has a very knowing, intelligent look in his eyes when you talk to him, and I swear you can see this guy smile at you. Herc does like to play when invited, and he plays in true boxer style, involving his entire body and his vocal cords in the process. When he gets a little too excited, a "Stop! Sit!" plants his butt firmly on the ground. I've found he's not a fetching dog, not liking to chase balls like Snoopy does, but he will bring you a toy to tug with him. He will give it immediately when you tell him to. Hercules' former family must have invested some good time and training with him, and on top of him being a good personality to begin with, the result is a super dog. Hercules has not had one accident in the house this week, and has also learned to use the dog door to go out when he needs to. His ideal home will have another dog for him to interact with on a regular basis as he is very sociable and loves to have a playmate. He continues to be extremely trustworthy and gentle with our toddler, and she enjoys sitting on the floor and talking to him. Her latest game is when he lays on the floor is to hold on to nearby furniture with one hand and take big steps over the top of him, an exercise which had me worried at first but with which he has shown himself to be endlessly patient. I honestly can't find enough good adjectives to use about Hercules.

8/4/03 - Hercules continues to impress us with his good nature and easygoing ways. He spent 8 hours in his crate today with not a single accident or problem! He goes right in his crate when you ask him to without any argument or hesitation. He is a total gentleman. He was all wiggles when I got home from work tonight, and although he clearly wanted to get right up on my lap, he sat quietly in a sit/stay while I sat on the couch with my daughter for a few minutes. This boy has excellent manners and a downright sweet personality. He needs a little work on his leash pulling. I took both the boys for our walk this morning, and for the most part he was very good, he does like to pull a bit when he sees or smells something he is interested in. He appears to know "heel," although I will need to test him when it is just the two of us to determine how much he really does know. He is a great family dog, we are enjoying him immensely.

8/2/03 PM - We have spent the afternoon getting to know this wonderful boy, and all I can say is that it will not be long until Hurk is adopted!  He has a wonderful personality. We will evaluate him and see how he does when he is left alone in his crate, as his previous owners said that he does  not being left alone in a it.  We will begin by leaving him for a short period tomorrow in his crate (with Snoopy around for company) and see if he has any issues and how we will work through them.
 He is an easy-going fellow and plays really nicely with our resident boy, Snoopy. They have been jawing and boxing and running around the yard quite a bit today. He has also shown himself to be extremely trustworthy with small children. Our two-year-old is not at all afraid of dogs, and at one point while he was resting on the floor, she sat down by his head and started to talk to him and pet his face. He just sat there and enjoyed the attention for a few minutes, and then gave her face a lick before going off to play again with Snoopy. 
He knows all of his basic commands, "sit," "down," "paw," "speak," "stay" and "come."  I have so far tried pulling his ears, picking him up, taking food out of his bowl and pulling him away from his food with the same reaction - none. He and Snoopy even drank from the same water bowl at one point, and neither one cared. So far all we can see is a truly great dog.   Keep watching for updates on Hercules, and get your applications in quickly!  This terrific boy is not going to be available for long!

8/2/03 AM - Hercules arrived at the Lakeside Boxer Retreat about 20 minutes ago.  We brought the family out front to meet him and let the boys get introduced in the front yard.  He is a big fawn and white male, neutered and probably about 10 lbs or so overweight.  He gives the nicest little boxer kisses, knows basic commands, and has so far met everyone in the house with no problems whatsoever.  When he first saw Aeryn his nub started wiggling like crazy and he gave her a sweet little face wash.  He and Snoopy are all wiggles.  They seem already to have settled in like two gentlemen, with no issues whatsoever.

We will send pictures shortly.  This is a NICE dog, we are delighted to have him here!