BusterWhite

6/4/08 - Just thought I'd let everyone know the value of exercise for an active boxer. Buster was surrendered for adoption twice because of his separation anxiety, esp in the crate. Buster gets two to three walks daily here in the woods, where he can go off leash and run his heart out. And two to three times a week, he goes for 4-6 mile walks with us on the leash. One day, I ran out without crating him and came back to...nothing!! No torn trash, no pillows separated from their upholstery...just a happy dog. So now, the crate has gone into the attic and separation anxiety seems to be a completely nonexistent issue!!@!

12/3/07 - Was there a time before Buster??? This guy has just wormed his way into all of our hearts and we're focusing very hard with our trainer on two issues: his separation anxiety and his dog aggressiveness when we're out on the leash. As far as the latter, he is responding beautifully to Gentle Leader prescribed by the trainer and I can now see a day in the future when we can go back to the parks with me in control! We continue to work with him in the crate, right now, he's on a 3times/day schedule of sitting in the crate with a p-nut butter Kong until he calms down, at which point he is allowed out. And its getting to be a shorter and shorter period. (And a huge jar of p-nut butter, too!!) He's a helluva frisbee player and cracks us all up with how he handles excitement: grab a boot and walk around and around. No chewing, just strutting. Thanks, BAR, he's a keeper.

10/22/07 - Buster has been adopted

10/18/07 - Buster is pending adoption

9/18/07 - Buster has recently moved to NJ to spend some one on one quality time working with a very reputable trainer who will help Buster focus his energy on positive things, rather than getting himself into trouble. When Buster has graduated, he will be a boy to be proud of. Early reports tell us that he is working very hard and enjoying having lots to do. He is a dog who will always want to keep busy, so an active, outdoor loving home is a must. Maybe obedience, agility or flyball is your thing: Buster would love to be your dog! Successful adopters will get a complete handover session with the trainer to enable them to continue the work and keep Buster a balanced and happy boy.

8/20/07 - This is Buster, a friendly, charming and fun loving young man. He is available for adoption due to recent changes in his family's life, leaving too little time to meet his needs. Buster is an extremely high energy dog with a very strong personality: he knows his own mind and is very smart, and as such, is looking for people with true leadership skills, to call his own. Although he was a very social boy when he first came into rescue, hasn't been getting along well with other dogs recently and he will probably not do well with other dominant dogs, maybe an easy going female in the house would be nice for him. Buster can suffer from some high stress when left alone and doesn't do well when crated for long periods of time (though a companion dog is a huge help to him) so either a family where someone is home for most of the day or a safe secure indoor play pen in a basement (as we used when Buster was our foster dog) would help. He really isn't a city boy so his ideal home would be one in a quiet leafy suburb or out in the countryside with a fenced yard to play in between his walks. Please do not apply to adopt this guy if everyone in your home is out at work all day or you are not the active outdoor loving type. Buster adores children of all ages and has been used to them since he was a puppy. Anyone adopting Buster will get a free training session to help acclimate him to his new family. This boy is not an easy dog; he will ask you to be calm, confident and patient with him, but he will reward you with loyalty and love. Due to a shortage of foster homes, Buster is currently in kennels, so every day he is checking his mailbox for a new family to call his own: this time for good. I will be visiting him and updating his page with his progress as we hope to work to help him enjoy the company of other dogs once again. Buster thanks you for viewing his page.

7/15/06 - Buster was adopted by his foster family. Buster makes dog number five for us. We knew he needed a special home to understand and accommodate his special needs. We fell in love and decided he was home. Buster has been with us for just over a month now. He has settled in wonderfully. Buster has a high level of separation anxiety and does not do well in the crate. I have discovered that if I barricade him from the kitchen so he can't get in the garbage, then I can leave him for a few hours with out worry. Having the other dogs for company has helped tremendously. He is a good boy and the only thing he bothers is the garbage. Were working on his social skills. He thinks he has to act all big and tough when we walk in town and he hears or sees another dog. For the most part he is a very good dog and very obedient. He is learning to ride on the four wheeler and he loves to play with the hose with the kids. He is never to far from us when we do outside activities. Buster has even gone camping with us and he seems to enjoy it. He lets us know when he's ready for bed by whining and standing in front of the tent. He is very spoiled and does not like to sleep on the ground. He much prefers the comfort of his blanket which he drags up on the air mattress. Of course both Mommy and Daddy have to come to bed before he will actually sleep. If he hears one of us by the campfire talking with friends he whines. Once we both are settled in for the night Buster curls up in a ball at our feet and sleeps like a baby despite the sounds of the forest. Buster gets nervous when he can't see his kids and mom and dad at all times. I never have to worry about where the kids are when Buster is around. He ts me know if there wondering to far. We are looking forward to many happy years with him.

6/30/06 - We are Buster's foster home. We have decided that Buster's journey to find the right home to deal with his high level of separation anxiety has ended. Buster is a great boy and has settled in very well with our family. He does still suffer from the separation anxiety, but we will continue to work on that along with some of his other issues. We accept and love Buster for who he is and will take the bad with the good because there is so much good. He has taken to the four wheeler and enjoys slow rides around the yard. He loves his long walks through the countryside with his backpack and his new boxer sister. His favorite game is still lets see who can get the ball first with his new Dalmatian brother. Buster has met the neighbors horses and after a little investigation could care less. He does however find the cows across the road a bit more interesting. He likes to end the day with a visit to mom and dads bed for some much enjoyed rub downs and kisses. Then he hops down to fill the empty spot in the dog bed with his boxer sister and sleeps like a baby.

6/22/06 - Buster is pending adoption

6/20/06 - Buster has been here for five days now. He continues to improve as he learns the rules. I do have to send a huge "great job" out to our trainer Kim B. She did a wonderful job with Buster when he was in her care a few months ago. This boy has his commands down pat. He will sit most of the time with just a hand signal without being told. He goes into a down position on his own when told to sit. He sits and waits at the door to go out. He lets me put his backpack on with absolutely no argument. All the dogs get fed in there own designated area. When Buster sees me getting there food ready he will go to his spot and sit and wait. When I put his food on the floor he will look up at me and wait for me to give him the ok to eat. When Buster plays, he can on occasion get to carried away with running circles around the house, I simply stand in his way and calmly point to his bed and tell him to go lay down. He puts his head down and goes straight to his bed with no argument. He is also learning not to mess with the older girls in the house. He pretty much ignores them most of the time. When I see him looking like he wants to play with them I simply say his name and tell him "NO". He puts his head down and walks away. Buster LOVES to play outside chasing a ball or my Dalmatian. He tries to outrun my Dalmatian when chasing a ball but it's just not possible. On the few occasion he does get to it first he parades it around the yard playing keep away with the Dalmatian. It's quite comical. Buster's separation anxiety seems to be getting better having the other dogs for company. I short leash him right next to my boxers crate so he can see her. I also leave the Dalmatian free in the house to keep him company. I put the older girls up right now so he does not try to mess with them when I'm not able to supervise. He does bark for a few min but seems to settle down pretty quick. I have peeked on him through a window after being gone for an hour before and he was just lying on his blanket chewing on his kong. We took Buster to the lake over the weekend. He was perfect. He just laid down in the shade and enjoyed being with us. He did however got very excited when a dog arrived at the picnic site next to ours. He barked and barked. After about five min My husband finally got him to settle down. We are all getting very attached to Buster. He is a wonderful boy that just needs a special home to accommodate his special needs. Buster will show his appreciation daily. He is such a happy dog that just has so much to offer. He grows on you rather quickly. You'll fall head over heels for him as soon as you meet him, just like we all have.

6/17/06 - Well, Buster has been with us for 24 hours now. What I can say about him is he has definitely had some training. His first time in BAR he was our trainers foster dog. It shows. He knows a tug on his leash means sit. When told to sit he skips that part and goes right into a down. He is very obedient when he realizes he has no choice. My boxer girl and Buster made friends fast. They play so well. I've had a few fosters in the past that played real rough, not Buster. He just loves my girl. She has become his safety net. He wants to be with her at all times. He also gets along well with my male Dalmatian mix. However it might take a bit to get him to realize the two older residents, a nine yr old husky and 7 yr old shepherd mix, are not to be messed with. He tried to play with them when he first arrived and they got a little snippy. Now Buster seems to think he can mess with them every time they come near him. But Buster is a good boy and responds well to discipline, so I know after a few more group walks and he learns who is in charge things will be fine. Buster is wonderful with my kids. He immediately took to my 10 yr old son. My son loves the fact that Buster actually listens to the commands he is giving him the first time. They had some fun and bonding time yesterday playing ball in the yard. Buster also likes my toddler. When he cries Buster is right there to investigate and give kisses to make it all better. Buster is a very strong minded boy that needs guidance, direction and strong leadership. He also has separation anxiety and does not do well in a crate. He needs a strong willed human to be home most of the time and can include him in there activates and a fur brother or sister to keep him company when he is alone. He really is a good boy that loves to give kisses. His tail haven't stopped wagging since he arrived, and he's quite comical when he is playing with my boxer girl. He seems to enjoy the game keep away. Buster has been through so much in just the few months since first coming to BAR in Jan. I want to make sure his next move will be his last. He deserves to be loved unconditionally and cherished and have a human that will accept him for what he is. Are you that someone?

6/16/06 - Buster made it to his new foster home safe and sound. He is very beautiful and vocal. I have noticed he barks when he gets nervous. But he seems to respond pretty well to a quick sharp correction. After he settled down in the car he laid his head on the back of the seat and relaxed until we got home.

Upon arrival at my house I took him for a short walk, then after strapping the backpack to Buster (which he took rather nicely) introduced him one at a time to my guys through a walk. The first dog he met, my 7 yr old Shepard mix, he tried to show some dominance to. But I laid down the law and with the next three dogs he did not even seem interested in sniffing. He just looked at me while they sniffed him. Now he lays here at my feet completely tired out from all the walking. My guys also seem completely relaxed just lying around in there beds. Hopefully once he gets rested up things will still be fine.

6/5/06 - Buster is looking for a new home due to recent and unforeseen changes in his family's life. This exuberant young boy was my foster dog before being placed and I was sad to se him go, he and I spent many hours together training, playing and walking in the Pocono's, even in the snow, he was always ready to work for me, ready to have fun. Buster is a high energy dog with a strong mind and as such needs to live with people who love to walk and play and enjoy the outdoor life but also like to come home and relax in a calm environment as he is very easily stimulated.

He is a dog who is willing to please and a big clown but requires calm yet firm direction from his pack leader. He loves children but can get overexcited if he cannot be with them when they are playing and it may be that he will be better suited to a home with older quieter children if any.

Buster does currently suffer from separation anxiety and does not do well when crated, this means that a home where someone is there most or all of the time would be best, at least while this issue is worked on. In our home Buster did better in a large indoor pen with another dog for company than a crate. He loves the company of other dogs and would benefit from living with others, particularly the calm relaxed type who could show this boy how to 'chill out a little'.

I was sad to hear that Buster's home are unable to keep him, but I know just what a special dog he is and I do believe that there is someone out there who will be lucky enough to offer him a great home preferably in the countryside with lots of room to run and play in the summer sunshine.

6/4/06 - Buster has been with use for several months now and unfortunately we are unable to keep him. He is an absolutely wonderful boy and our family is incredibly sad to see him go. He has done very well with his training. He knows most commands and listens quite well. He is wonderful with kids of all ages and is very very affectionate towards them. We’ve been using Ceasar Milan’s approach to training. Buster has responded very well.

He is an active dog. He is great on a lead and LOVES his walks. He also LOVES his free play. Chasing a ball around the yard and such. He LOVES Frisbees and is very willing to show off how high he can jump to catch one.

The reason we are unable to keep buster is because he has quite high level of separation anxiety. He does not do well even when someone leaves the room. He has fantastic days when it is just he and myself here hanging out. But the minute the children get home and scurry about running in ever different direction he gets very worked up. I am in the process of opening up a home daycare and I am afraid he just will not do well in this environment. He also does not enjoy his crate. We’ve gotten to a point where he will go in (reluctantly) for short periods of time. But the way he gets worked up I wouldn't ever want to leave him in there for long periods of time.

I really hope that Buster will find a good home. I am very sad that we won’t be able to keep him. I think Buster would do best in a home where he is not left alone for long periods of time. Although he does fantastic with children I think the home he goes to should be one with a low activity level. I have four children and the chaos that four children bring is just too much for this boy. Perhaps one child would be best. He also LOVES other dogs. He has been introduced to a yellow lab and they run and play for hours and he is incredibly happy doing so. He also has made friends with a tiny mini pincher.. so I think he’d do great with a pal of any size to play with.

3/21/06 - Buster is doing wonderful. We really can't imagine life before him. Since his arrival I have given birth to a gorgeous baby girl, Ella.

Buster is very interested in Ella. He comes over. Sits in front of her. Then lies down and looks at me. This is his cue that he'd like to say hello. I've made it so that I won't allow him near her unless he is lying down and he has caught on to this rather quickly. Once he is lying down, I'll bring Ella over and he sniffs her head.. usually licks her belly. Then he's done. If he is in another room, and she starts to whimper, he comes running and immediately lies down next to her. He wants to make sure she is OK.

Buster is doing really well with the other children in the house. And now that I'm back on my feet Buster and I have been working harder at our training. He seems to ONLY be having a difficult time when I have to run out to run an errand, and also when people leave the house. He gets very upset no matter who it is that is leaving. Even when someone stays behind with him. I am sure this is part of his separation anxiety and we are slowly working on this and I suspect we'll be in great shape in no time. He's a fast learner. Buster is also a little confused by our swing set and my son's ride on motorcycle. We've been working him with it though and he has gone from barking mad when someone is on the swing.. to a minor whimper. This is huge progress. I think the more we work the better we'll get.

I just wanted to update everyone and tell everyone how happy I've been with the entire process. Buster seems very happy here and my family is in heaven and feels complete.

I've attached 3 pictures. The first is Buster looking for permission to say hello to Ella. And the 2nd is Buster and my 4 year old, Jaxon, watching cartoons and the third shows Buster's hard life.

2/19/06 - Buster is adjusting nicely to his new home. I just wanted to share a picture of my son hard at work with buster... I think he's gotten that confidence up and Buster seems to really be taking to him. Thanks again for everything!

2/18/06 - Our dear boy Buster left with his new family this morning. Buster's stay has been a journey of learning and growth, he and I have trained together every day and played every day, laid on our backs in the snow soaking up the winter sunshine and just being dog and human together.

1/31/06 - Buster's former owner sent a thank you note to BAR for taking such good care of Buster and gave us some further information on him at the same time: "I am the previous owner of Buster and check your web site every other day to track his progress. He looks so happy, it gives me peace of mind. I knew that Buster had such great potential, he just needed a chance. It hurt me to let him go but I see that he is just doing beautifully. He has that mischievous little glint in his eye again. He was very well behaved with my 2 year old grandson. He would get so excited when my little grandson walked in the door. He would run and get all his toys. I can't thank you enough for taking such good care of my little boy."

1/30/06 - Here's a note from the Buster boy himself. Hi everyone, my life has certainly changed in the past few weeks, in fact I didn't realize there was so much to life, so many things to see in the great big world outside, so many games to play and friends to make. Every day my foster Mom makes me do my school work before I can play, I walk to heel on the lead , sit and down when told and give up all my toys without question. I can even walk calmly when the other dogs are running around me with their balls, it's hard at times but I can do it and then I get to run off the lead and play chase the ball and just run for the love of running with my buddies. Foster mom took me for a walk in our busy town last week, it was noisy, lots of people cars and trucks, at first I was a bit thrown by all of this but I soon got the hang of city life and with confidence from Mom I was soon strutting Like John Travolta, in fact I heard many people stop and look at me and say "wow look at that cooool dog" I'm not kidding you, they really did, ask Mom! At home I love to carry teddies around and sleep with them too, but I never chew them, Just play gently, my rough play is for my big Kong toy, I just love to eat the peanut butter and cookies from the inside ,though it does take a bit of work and lots of concentration, I can never quite get that last bit at the end. I have learnt to wait when a door is opened and not rush in or out. I have met some children now and I greeted them in a polite way. I will soon be allowed to play with them too. Foster Mom says that I am one of the best dogs she has worked with, I am a strong personality and need good direction, just like a human kid but I do my homework and learn fast, she said that I am a dog to be proud of! I would like a home where people love the same stuff as me, playing in the yard, lots of walking, running with the wind in your face, coming home to snooze by the fire ( I can do the cuddle thing too!) oh and yes the school work , I need to keep that up too! Oh and I am super fast at going out to pee and poop, I get it over with just like that and have never had an accident in my foster home, well why would I, I'm a grown up boy with good manners. I love my life here but if you're out there thinking that you'd like to meet me and maybe offer me a home of my own, then please send me an e mail. There's a lot of fun waiting out there.......... let's get to it!

1/15/06 - Buster has spent just over a week with us in the snowy Pocono mountains and boy does he love the snow! We were out late Saturday night playing in the yard in the middle of the snowstorm, the wind was howling, the trees were blowing and Buster with some of the other dogs were having the best time, eating snowflakes and chasing balls. After a week of lots of training and hard work a boy needs some fun too! Buster has been learning to live as a pack member with 2 humans and four dogs after being an only dog, he's had to learn that old lady Boxers do not flirt or play foolishly with young boys and that if you push anyone too far, then neither do they, all in all he is fitting in well. Buster is a good looking, proud walking, eye catching young dog and has a personality to match. He needs plenty of exercise and an active, outdoor loving family, committed to continuing his obedience training and offering him good leadership, in order to help him mature into a loveable, well mannered adult. If sharing life with this boy interests you, then please watch this space for more Buster news and photos coming soon!

1/8/06 - Buster arrived on Thursday evening after a very sad goodbye from his original family. It was obvious that this was a much loved little guy but circumstances simply made it impossible for them to keep him. He was visibly upset and unsettled for his first 48 hours with us, but after spending some quality time over the weekend getting much love and needed direction he is settling in wonderfully now.

Since Buster is such an adolescent in need of training we decided to take him to puppy school in the Poconos to visit our resident BAR dog trainer. After just a few hours of working with him our little dog whisperer (tee hee hee) had Buster taking commands like a real pro…..you could see the tension and nervousness melting away from his demeanor as he became calmer and calmer – a testament to the benefits of taking a newly acquired dog to obedience training! After such success and marked change in just a few hours of training we decided to leave Buster there for the next week for more one on one sessions and exposure to other dogs – we will bring him back to Garrison next Saturday and continue his training here. This way when he meets my gang, Mac, Nigel and Penny he won’t be the high strung nervous baby dog that he was the first day that we had him here with us. With this kind of training and attention, when our little Buster boy finally goes home to his forever family he will be a real pleasure for them to show off and have in the home.

I just hung up the phone with the gang in the Pocono’s and Buster’s training today continued to go very well. At this moment he is sound asleep by the fire with his head on a pillow…..such a rough life!
Buster has behaved well so far with the dogs he's met , though does not appear to be used to cats. We do not know if this boy is used to children yet so he will be introduced to some as a part of his training. I’ll update everyone on his “social skills” over the next couple of weeks. He is so sweet and wants to do well – I’m sure that he will continue to impress us all as he settles in and gets comfortable.