Bo Jangles


	Age & Sex: 2 to 3 yr. old Male


UTD: Yes


	Weight: 68 lbs.


Other Dogs: Yes


	Color: Brindle


Cats: Yes


	Ears: Natural


Children: Under 12: No Over 12: Yes


	Tail: Docked


Professional Training Required: No


	Neutered: Yes


Microchipped: Yes


	Shelter Surrender


Location: Reading, PA

Adoption Donation $300

11/12/07 - Saying Goodbye is never easy but when you have to choose to say goodbye it is even harder. Today, I peacefully guided BoJangles to the rainbow bridge. My sweet Boman was a character indeed. Not a day went by this year that I didn’t laugh because of him. Bo reminded me of a two year old; always into something and ready for the next adventure. Plus, if they don’t get what they want they have a tantrum. However, Bo’s tantrums were scary since he would growl and snap. I usually had the ability to calm him down and with the help of a wonderful behaviorist I learned skills which curbed some of his aggressive behavior. Over the weekend, I sadly had to report that he bit my mother and me. Obviously, Bo was not adoptable and I was offered the option to keep him. I felt that he was too unpredictable to have around people especially children. So, it is my hope that there is a wonderful place called dog heaven where Bo can play and be happy where all his fears and aggression will be gone.

10/17/07 - As most of you can guess, fostering a dog can be hard. Too bad each dog doesn’t come with an owner’s manual and a list of his past events so the foster owner can know how to deal with each foster. Ok, I am not complaining, I actually love it. The boxer kisses and wiggles are enough of a payment to continue fostering. And moments like the following make it all worth it. Today, I got a message at work from a neighbor saying they were walking their dog by my house and Bo opened the gate to the fence. Bo has access to the outside and inside of the house while I am at work since the yard is fenced in. The fence is a post and rail fence so Bo can watch what is happening and the gates are locked with pad locks so no one can come into the yard (unless they climb over the 4.5’ fence). Guess who forgot to lock the fence last night? Bad foster mom!

The next line of the message was don’t worry he is behind the closed gate again but they wanted to let me know it was not locked. My stomach turned as I thought of this sweet old couple touching Bo’s collar (he can become aggressive if you touch his collar the wrong way). So I called my neighbor to make sure no one got hurt. I was ready for the worst but instead I got a huge surprise. The neighbor said Bo opened the gate accidentally when he ran up to it barking at them. The neighbor said Bo sit and stay.
BO DID! J So, he was able to close the gate.

All that work teaching him to stay, sit, come, wait and lay down finally paid off. When I first got Bo, you couldn’t walk through any entrance without being knocked over or jumped on by an excited boxer. My neighbors all have said they see great improvements in Bo. Since I am with him daily, I don’t really see it (or recognize it). I am a really proud foster mom today. Bo definitely deserves an extra long walk tonight.

10/1/07 - Bo just spent a week with a new dog sitter while I was on vacation. She said Bo was an angel. She had no problems with him at all. She also watched my dog and my mom’s two boxers. I heard that Bo played with Sugar and swam in the pool with Scarlette. I am so proud of him for being such a good boy. For his reward, my parents took him for a car ride and got him some bacon as a treat!

9/12/07 - Bo is doing great. He is a real clown. I know he is really smart because he learns things rather quickly. I love the fact that he knows to sit and wait patiently by his bowl to be fed and NOT to eat until I say ok. He also knows that negative attention works as attention all the same. The other day, he got into the shed and started pulling things out. Oh, did I tell you he is really strong. Then he walks by me with each item waiting to get yelled out. It is hard to get mad at him because he is a clown. Finally, when I did stay that is NO, he ran around the yard so proud of himself!
And sometimes he isn’t so smart. Like yesterday, I took him for a walk with my niece and nephews. He sniffed a telephone pole and YELPPED. Now, wouldn’t you think he would just stay way from it? No, he had to investigate more. After three shocks, I pulled him away from the pole. What a clown!
He fell in the pool last week and that ended his swimming days so now he just watches. He is great in the car and loves rides.
He still is dominant and needs to be corrected at least once a day. Like last night, I was going to bed and he got in bed first and growled at my other dog when she tried to get into bed. So he got removed from the room and had to sleep some where else. He takes punishment easily enough and is started to understand what is expected of
him.
Bo definitely needs a fenced in yard to run around in. He has free roam of the yard and inside of my house all day while I am at work. As long as he has this much room, he is a good boy. He also needs a good amount of toys. The stay at home mom next door says he plays by himself during the day in the yard. It seems that a plastic bucket and a stuffed elephant are loads of fun.

8/27/07 - Bo is doing well. He spent the last week on my mom and dad’s house with two other boxers. I heard it was non-stop play time for the whole week. It is nice to have him back and I actually found myself missing him. He is full of life and makes me laugh constantly. Yesterday, I was cleaning a stain off the carpet. I was being a real grouch about it and gripping how I get really tired of cleaning up all these messes that animals leave. The next thing I know Bo takes my bottle of seltzer water off the table and ran around the house with it. He then comes into the living room, shakes it and rips the top off. It explodes right next to the area where I was cleaning. The seltzer water went everywhere from the ceiling to the walls. I was laugh hysterically because Bo sat down immediate and started licking me. I felt like he was saying, “Look mom, I will show you that things could be worse”. Bo reminded me again “not to sweat the small stuff” ! Bo has a bit of a plastic obsession. He loves plastic and will do anything including counter surf to get to a plastic bottle.
I also wanted remind those who are following Bo’s stories that he can only go to an experience dog owner. He still has some issues with dominance. If he feels threatened he will growl and I wouldn’t put it past him to nip someone to protect himself. It takes him some time to trust people. He fully trusts me now and I can do anything to him but I also have had him for 8 months. He is also full of energy so needs a home that can provide him with a backyard to run around in and needs plenty of dog toys.

7/30/07 - Bo’s new nickname is “the boman”. He is so enthusiastic about life and I have been trying to take lessons from him on how to not be so serious. His new adventure has been swimming in the pool. So while my dog and my family swim he runs around the pool. I guess he finally said enough is enough and came in. He hates not being apart from the family. I don’t force him, I just tell him to come on in and eventually he will. So he does know how to swim. He has gone in the pool a handful of times and each time seems to be less stressful for him.

7/13/07 - Are you an early riser? Do you love walks, car rides and playing in the park? Do you like to cuddle, laugh and play? Is life an exciting adventure with a new surprise around every corner? Then Bo is the boxer for you!
It does take Bo some time to learn to trust people but once he does he will melt your heart! He spent some time with my parents and decided it was his job to cuddle with my dad in bed and kiss his ears when it was time to wake up. He still has the habit of nibbling on ankles which I really am working at stopping. I found that when he does the behavior it means he is extremely anxious and needs to be moved out of the situation.
Also, He is protective which can be a good thing. We were on the beach (4 dogs and 3 people) and a strange dog came running toward us. He stopped, stood in front of the running dog and growled. Once the dog submissively came near us, Bo sniffed her and allowed her to play. He is a very strong boy so he has to be supervised with small children. He was great with my friends 7 and 4 year old girls but he accidentally ran into the 4 year old and knocked her over. To make up for it he kissed her which made her scream. Luckily he knows COME now and listened very well.
He has free run of my house and doesn’t get into anything he is not supposed to unless I leave the garbage out. He loves to play with other dogs and will play gently with cats. I no longer allow him to play tug or any game that requires me to get the toy from his mouth. The play growling has lessened and he is learning to drop the toy if he wants me to throw it. I think he is finally overcoming his dominance issues and learning that people won’t hurt him.
Oh, one more thing. He HATES to have his feet touched. It scares him and you can actually see the fear in his expression. I have been working on his by slowing wiping his feet with a towel. I am hoping he can learn to fully trust that not all people will hurt him.

7/8/07 - We just got back from my sister’s house where there is a 5 pound Sphinx (a hairless cat). Bo walked into the house and I could tell he had NO clue what this thing was so he went over and sniffed it. He realized it was a cat and gave it a boxer wiggle. When he was walking away he was attacked. I am not sure if the cat was playing or not since I am not a cat person. Poor Bo, he ran over to me whining. After he was pounced on again, he went and sat at the front door. Bo makes me laugh every day. For such a large strong Bo he can be a real baby.
He LOVES cats and plays with mine gently. He just started listening to my sister’s kids (2, 4, & 6) when they tell him to sit or give paw. We no longer allow people to play “tug o war” which has helped in him being less dominant. We do allow him to play fetch only if he drops the toy. If he refuses to drop it everyone will ignore him. He learns things rather quickly and really wants to please. He still growls when he plays but I think it is more vocalizing than being aggressive.

7/7/07 - We spent the last week at the beach and Bo was a true gentleman. He got along with everyone. He was afraid of the ocean but loved chasing birds along the beach. He went into the bay up to his belly but was too afraid to swim. He remembered all his manners during walks and play time. He is turning into a wonderful boy. He played with other dogs and kids gently and didn’t show any dominance. He is always ready for the next adventure and everything in the world is fun. On our last day he was injured when he feel into a fence and tore his dew claw out of the nail bed. I was so impressed that he let me wash it and wrapped it because he usually growls when you touch his feet. I think it may just take him a little longer to trust a person than a dog who was owner surrendered.

6/25/07 - It has been a long time since I have updated Bo. Things are going very well. Kim Barnett came over to evaluate Bo due his dominant behavior. She taught me several things to do in order to get him to realize that he is not the leader in my house. I have been working diligently with him daily. My sister came over and actually commented how much better he was behaving. She had her kids with her and he didn’t try to take anything from them and didn’t knock them over. He has learned drop but he still growls while he is doing it. He is very vocal when he plays and it scares most people but he stops as soon as I say a firm NO. He is now required to sit and wait when coming in and out of doors and right before eating. I have been making him swim in the pool in order to relieve some of that energy he has stored up. He doesn’t enough the pool yet but I think he will start to as soon as he realizes he won’t stink with the life jacket on. He can only be walked at night due to the heat and still needs at least 2-3 miles a day. He is a good dog with a lot of potential but he still needs an owner who is dominant and boxer savvy.

5/24/07 - All is well with Bo. I have learned that he is a bit of a watch dog. I live alone so he doesn’t have much interaction with men. This week I have had an electrician, pool repair man, sales person and my Uncle stop by and Bo decided it was his job to protect me. He growled and barked and I just told the guys to stay way from him. The pool guy was here for a long time and asked to meet him at the end of the day. I decided to try it and Bo did fine. After Bo felt more comfortable he played with the guy. Bo also made me really proud one night. He woke up in the middle of the night and scared some kids off who were across the street looking into someone’s car. He got a treat for that one! He is a typical boxer, fully of energy but can’t handle the heat. Our walks are now in the evening when it cools down. He knows enough to stop when he gets too hot. He is curious about the pool I have since my dog swims in it. I am hoping that one day he will take a swim.

5/1/07 - Bo is doing well. I started socializing him with some other dogs in the neighborhood. It is very interesting though because he is full of energy at my house but when we go to our “play date” he won’t play. He plays with my mom’s boxer but won’t play with the neighbor’s Lab or the other neighbor’s dog. I don’t think he feels safe at other people’s houses so he doesn’t play or maybe the dogs are just to big for him (they out weigh him by 10-20 pounds. He is doing great with the “wait” command so now I can get out of the house without him knocking me over. He is also doing very well with the “leave it” command so he doesn’t pee on mailboxes or bother other people walking by. I have to say I do get weird looks when I tell him to “leave it” referring to people. He no longer jumps when meeting people. He has learned to sit and waits to be pet. He is a really sweet and lovable boy but he is dominant and will need a strong owner to will put him in his place when he does something wrong.

4/20/07 - I have been teaching Bo to stop and wait at the corners of my development when we talk our daily walk. He has been so good. I have a long leash and I can walk all the way across the street while he is in the “wait” command and he doesn’t move. I say ok and he comes running. What a good boy! Last night I thought I would treat him to a run in a huge field out in the middle of no where. He took off like a grey hound racing. It was the most amazing and beautiful thing to watch. I wish I had a video camera. He came back with a whistle and a stern come. He is very trainable which is nice. He is still very dominant and needs a strong person to watch over him. I was speaking to a neighbor who was impressed with the changes in him since I started fostering him in November. I told him that I have learned to be one step ahead of Bo at all times. The house is Bo proofed (no food on the counters, no plastic of any kind in his reach, garbage’s placed in closets or under counters, nothing let on the floor, and toy everywhere). It seems to work well for us. He still has some issues: he nibbles on you when he is feeling anxious/ stressed, he is terrified to have his feet wiped, he growls when he plays and other dogs don’t know how to take it, and he doesn’t know his own strength so he plays roughly.

4/14/07 - Bo is doing well. I took him to the beach for Easter. He was afraid of the ocean and cried when Scarlette (my dog) went for a swim. He finally realized that it was ok and it was play time on a 20 foot leash! He would rather run than go near the water but that was just fine. I finally got to see him tired. I never thought that would happen. I guess running on sand for a half hour is a lot of work.
Bo knows sit and wait (he wouldn’t respond to stay). So during our daily walks I am able to have him sit and wait at every corner. He will not move until I say OK. I am very proud that he has learned it.
I am now teaching him “leave it” because we had an incident on Easter morning. He found an Easter egg that the Easter bunny hid. When my mom grabbed his collar and said NO, he turned around, got on his hind legs, wrapped his front arms around her arm and grabbed her hand with his mouth. Not a good thing to do since he did hurt her.
Bo is a very dominant dog. He does not like being told what to do. I have made it completely clear that I am the leader and he listens to me very well. He MUST go to a person that is very familiar with the boxer personality and someone who will show there authority so he doesn’t get out of control. He is very enthusiastic about everything but will listen to a strong voice.
He now knows sit, paw, other paw, lay down (if you say it a few times!), Wait and come. He is well behaved on walks as long as I give him guidance (heel and leave it when he sees another dog). He is learning heel and leave it but he doesn’t always follow through.
Bo is too rough to be placed with small children. He does play with my nephew who is 6 but knocks him over accidentally. He also nibbles on toes or fingers when he gets nervous and I can’t seem to break that habit.
Bo will need to be exercised daily. He doesn’t have a smooched snout so I think he would be able to keep up with a runner. Since I don’t run he gets a 2-3 mile walk daily (even in the rain) to get rid of some of the energy.
One of my older dogs passed away so Bo has been officially allowed throughout the whole house even when I am not home. As long as food if not on the counter and garbage’s are under the sink he is a good boy.
He loves the car and is an excellent travel companion. Just don’t leave food in the car or it is fair game to be eaten!

3/30/07 - I have had Bo Jangles since Tuesday and he is a good boy. Although he is a bit aggressive when you grab his collar I have learned to work around that. When he isn’t doing something good and instead of grabbing his collar I go and get a treat. This way he drops whatever he isn’t supposed to be carrying around and I can swoop it up before he finishes his treat. Also Kim has been working hard on grabbing his collar and he is much less aggressive. I had to grab his collar the other day and he was fine with it. Last night Bo Jangles and I spent the night at Kim’s house, Kim was in CT, but we stilled stayed overnight. Bo wanted to sleep in my bed and I told him no and to get on the floor. He wouldn’t so I put him in the family room with the baby gate locked. He cried and moaned so I went downstairs to let him back up with me. I sternly told him that he couldn’t sleep in my bed but he could sleep on the couch. While I was telling him this he sat and looked at me and I pointed to the couch which is in the same room as my bed. Anyway he hopped on the couch and there he slept for the whole night. Even when I woke in the night to get a drink he remained on the couch. Wow!!! He understands English. I had to leave him at Kim’s today while I did some things with my other daughter and when I got back to Kim’s I took Bo on an hour walk. He loves walking and is wonderful on the leash. He will need someone who is not afraid of dogs, someone who will enjoy a challenge, and someone who will be the pack leader. What they will get is a loyal friend. He loves attention; he loves to play with toys, and tries so hard to be a good boy. He should be placed in a house with a docile female. He does well with Sugar. He plays and plays with her and even if she is done playing he still wants to play so she asserts herself by growling at him but he is so playful that he ignores the warning. Sugar doesn’t do much else then warn so we intervene and separate them for a bit while Sugar gets a second wind. Bo and I traveled from Kim’s back to my house tonight (2 hours in the car) and he is so good in the car. Not a peep. He just looks out the window or sleeps. Kim has done wonders with him. I just hope that someone will take Bo as their own and find out for themselves what a great dog/companion they will get. I think Bo will do well with a family with older children. Maybe kids that are over 12. He is rambunctious and may knock over younger children.

3/23/07 - t has almost been a week that I got some tips from a trainer. Bo is doing wonderfully. He is so much calmer. The collar that the trainer recommended has helped a lot. It is a cotton collar that acts as a choke collar when I walk him. Every day for 5-10 minutes we practice all command: sit, lay-down, stay, come, leave it and release (a toy). We make it into a game which helps Bo’s short attention span. Every evening, yes even today while it was raining, we walk with me in control. He is expected to heel the whole 3 mile walk. He hasn’t growled at me in that time either. I thought I was being ALFA but I guess I wasn’t. Bo will be best suited with a family who can walk or play with him daily plus be dominant. He is good with kids but will knock them over so older kids are a better match. He is good with other dogs but I strongly suggest that he get adopted with a submissive dog since my last foster and him had a few fights. Bo swears Jack started it and Jack swears Bo started it ! Bo is extremely enthusiastic about life. He is always playing with something. He will sleep all night but as soon as the alarm goes off he is ready for action!

3/20/07 - Over the weekend I spoke to a professional trainer who gave me some great training tips for Bo. Bo is very dominate and stubborn. If you grab his collar, he will grab your arm with his mouth, or swat his paws at you or growl. The trainer showed me a before and after video of a dog just like him. I met the dog and the transformation was amazing. I will continue to practice the training techniques daily. Bo has been on his best behavior and I am not sure if it is because Jack went to his forever home or the training is helping after only two days.

3/12/07 - My mom took Bo for a week to allow my other foster dog to recover from surgery. She did wonders for Bo. He is so much more relaxed now. He is still a VERY active and dominant boy but is listening much better. Over the weekend I did discover something new about him. He is terrified to have his back feet wiped with a towel. Poor boy! If you try he will start shaking and growling. He also grabbed my arm with his mouth (didn't press down). So about three times a day I have been wiping his feet for him to get use to it. We are now down to just shaking (no growling). He rolls on his back now which makes it much easier to wipe the feet. I wish I knew the story behind this fear!

3/5/07 - Bo Jangles wants to be a good boy so badly. He is a counter surfer so whoever adopts him can’t leave him alone in the kitchen with stuff on the counter. We are working on that. He doesn’t counter surf at Kim’s, his foster mom, but for some reason he thought it would be fun to counter surf at my house. (His foster grandmother). He is a great walker, I tried him on a harness today and it was awesome.
He waits in a sit while I fill his bowl with food and is told “ok”. He loves to play and will play and play all day. He is getting the hint though that when Sugar doesn’t’ want to play he will find some toys to amuse himself or just go find some comfy couch to lay on.
He did growl at me today when I told him “no” when he was eating the stuff that dropped on the floor from his counter surfing. I stood up and told him “no growling” and he immediately headed for the door to go outside. He is an excellent listener when he feels that Kim or I are the leader of the pack. He will make someone a wonderful pet but that person has to be in charge at all times and can’t be intimidated by Bo’s growls. If a person cowers to his growls then Bo will snap and that is not a good thing. The person that takes Bo must show Bo that he is not ever in charge. He is a great dog but does need to be put in his place now and then. He is responding well to “NO”.
He seems good with kids 6 years and over. He is too enthusiastic with younger kids because he will knock them down when he is running and playing.
Bo got outside today without me and I went outside and called him to come and opened up the car door. He immediately jumped into the car and I was able to leash him up and bring him into the house.
He is quite a character. He is starting to calm down quite a bit. Right now he is snoozing on the couch.
I hope someone will give him a try. I am thinking he might be 3 years old. He would do well with a female boxer or a female non boxer. He likes to be the alpha in his dog world so the female should be submissive.
When we are eating dinner he will join us by sitting near us but not a peep will he make. When it’s time for bed I don’t allow Bo to come upstairs to the bedrooms and I baby gate off the stairs so he can’t come up. I don’t hear a peep from him all night but he is so excited in the morning when I come down.
When I leave for work he is confined in the family room with Sugar and is a very good boy. He doesn’t chew anything but toys. He doesn’t have any accidents.
He is very good with Gab
He is excellent in the car. He will just curl up while we head to our destination.

2/14/07 - Bo shared many butterfly kisses on this snowy Valentines Day. Today was our real first snow in PA and I got to see the rough and tough Bo being a bigger goofball than he is normally. Something that I haven’t mentioned that much is that Bo growls when he plays, when you make him do something that he doesn’t want to do (like getting off the bed or going outside) or if another dog has a toy that he wants to play with. I have not been able to stop this behavior so he is going to have to go to a home where no one is afraid of dominant dogs. I have taught him to go lay down so when he growls at another dog because of a toy he gets removed from the situation. Most of the boxer that I have come in contact with growl when they play so I haven’t tried to stop that behavior. I am sure Bo will know the phrase “knock it off” before he leaves my home since it is what I say if he growls when I kick him off the bed or sofa. He really is a wonderful dog and will make a great companion but he is a dominant dog and is very active.

2/7/07 - I just had to share this story. Bo Jangles really wants another dog to play him. So he has developed a new technique. He grabs his stuffed turtle that is quite large and shakes it in front of each dog. First he tried Thunder, a 13 year old lab who walked away. Next was Scarlette, a 10 year old Rottie/GR mix, she barked at him to tell him to go away. So he tried Jack, the other foster boxer. Now lets remember Jack can not see from his right side. So of course, Bo smacks him on the right side of the head with the turtle and runs. By the time Jack was able to turn around Bo and the turtle were gone. Poor Jack, this happened three times and he finally came over to me looking perplexed. So I stood on his right side and the next turtle hit was in Jack's left side so he saw it and went nuts (in a good way). They both played tug for a little while.

It was such a nice sight to see. I am telling you, if you want a good laugh daily then adopt Bo!

2/2/07 - I have been very impressed with Bo. I got another foster dog and he welcomed him with open paws. He jumps over a 35 inch baby gate to say hi. He was hoping that this would be a dog that he could play with but the new dog isn't ready yet. Bo keeps trying and every once in a while they will play tug. Bo keeps reminding me in subtle ways that he arrived first so should get fed first, go out first and be loved first. For those who are interested in Bo, he has a very strong personality (everything is a game and he just wants to run around like a clown, plus he growls when he plays with toys). He will have you laughing daily. His new owner will have to have a strong voice and will need to be consistent.

1/25/07 - BoJangles has picked up two need interest that I thought I would share. The first one is being blow dried. He gets between my legs whenever I blow dry my hair so I finally turned the blow dryer on him. He loves it. He also had figured out that if you rub up against pine trees they give the best back scratches. It is very funny to watch. BoJangles continues to be a good boy. He has filled out a lot so I will be sending new pictures soon.

1/12/07 - A day in the life by BoJangles: My foster mom's alarm goes off before the sun comes up. At that point, I am asleep in her bed cuddling with her. If she doesn't turn if off quick enough then I get up and stretch over her. A few butterfly kisses on her face usually gets her out of bed. Then I race her down the stairs. I love racing! She doesn't seem to understand the enjoyment of the race down the staircase. She keeps telling me I am going to hurt myself. Between you and me, I have missed the corner and slammed in the wall a few times but it's ok because it doesn't hurt all that much. My foster mom insists that I need to go out to be a good boy outside before I am allowed to eat. When I come back in, I am the first one at the food dish. I finally realized that if I sit still next to my dog dish I get fed first. I even remember to wait until she says OK before I dig in. When my foster mom comes home for work I get to eat again. I love eating! Then she takes me on a long walk. I love walks! If I am a really good boy she takes me to a field and lets me run around. I always try to come back promptly when she calls. I love to run! If I am lucky I will get to go for a car ride. I love car rides! Sometime she has people come over and I love to greet them! I have learned no to jump but sometimes I can’t resist all the excitement. I love toys too! My foster home as a lot of them. The rope ones are the best because I shake them really hard and Scarlette will chase me. I love playing with other dogs! Did I tell you I like cats too! There is this one cat who plays with me. When he comes up to me and pounces I know it is time to play. I really like my foster home, it is so much better than the street of NY city and the pound. My foster mom tells me that there is something better out there for me. Somewhere I can call my forever home. I can't wait!

1/02/07 - Happy New Year from BoJangles! Bojangles went to CT with me this weekend. The house where we were staying did not have a fenced in yard and he was accidentally let out. My heart sunk as he ran off into the woods. When I called him, he came back immediately. I was so impressed. He is such a wonderful boy. He was excellent in the car ( 5 hours up & back). He didn't mind being restrained behind a pet guard. He still prefers the front passenger seat but is learning the phrase "back seat". He has been to three houses in the past week and has not marked (maybe last week was a fluke?). He played with some labs and boxers while we were in CT and I finally saw him exhausted for the first time since I've had him.

12/27/06 - BoJangles had a very Merry Christmas. He had spent the holiday with a boxer adopted from BAR plus 3 other dogs. He was very well behaved while they were at my house. He spent the last two days with my mom and she discovered some things that BoJangles and I need to work on. He loves car rides but insists on being in the front passenger seat. I really didn’t think that was a big deal since my dog takes up the whole back seat but it is a problem when you have a human in the passenger seat. He then insists that he is a lap dog. We will work on his car manners. I have a dog seat belt that I can use to teach him that it is ok to sit in the back. He also peeped in her house. I consider this “marking” since he never has accidents in my home. I will start working on this behavior by asking some friends to let Bo into their house and keeping him on a leash while he explores different homes. My mom said that Bo kept her laughing. He is a very busy boy and is into everything. He is not destructive but anything below his eye level is considered a toy (this included a dust pan that she left in an open closet). He is also active and needs someone who is willing to walk or run with him daily to drain some of that energy. His latest achievement was learning the command “leave it”. He is not at 100% yet but is getting there quickly.

12/19/06 - Each day BoJangles amazes me more and more. He wants to be a good boy so he is a quick learner. Like I stated before, he knows sit and stay. In two days he learned down (lay down- I use off if he is on something he is not suppose to be on). He is great on the leash now and no longer needs the gentle leader. I had my 6 year old nephew walk him the other day and he was excellent. He loves to play tug. I don't usually allow this game to be played but BoJangles seems to understand it is only a game that is played with certain toys. He is a very happy boy and would love to find a forever home for Christmas!

12/15/06 - BoJangles is doing well. He is quite an active and playful boy. He was able to get my 10 year old dog to play with him. He also plays nicely with the cats. He accidentally got loose on one of our walks and came back immediately when I called. He no longer counter surfs or jumps and has developed manners nicely. He loves car rides and visiting places and people. I must say he is a wonderful dog!

12/4/06 - All is well with BoJangles. He is very excited about all the new decorations that are going up around the neighborhood. My tree is up and I am happy to announce he has no interest in it. He does have an interest in two of my life size holiday stuffed animals that I placed out. He carries them around with a proud strut. He is in the process of learning between dog toys and human "toys".
I brought him to a neighbor's house so he could play with their dog. He did wonderfully meeting this dog for the first time. The dog was exhausted in 20 minutes and BoJangles was still ready for more. It would be so nice if someone with another active dog would adopt him so he would have a playmate.

12/01/06 - This boy has stolen my heart. He really wants to please so he is learning the rules really fast.
I can now take any toy from his mouth without him growling. I can remove his food bowl from him while he is eating. He walks nicely on a leash without the gentle leader. He also stopped jumping and counter surfing.

Wow, I can't believe the progress he has made in two weeks. Bojangles would like a family where he can be a active and permanent member. He loves walks, runs, cuddling and car rides. He loves to play and promises to be a good boy around any other animals and kids that are in the house.

11/28/06 - I just spent the last 5 full days/nights with BoJangles and got to know him fairly well. He was very well behaved for the 4 hour car ride to & from Maryland accompanied by two other dogs & a 2 year old in the car. He greeted my family like he knew them forever. There were 4 adults, 3 kids (6, 4, 2 years old) and 4 other dogs. He was great on walks even when other dogs walked by. He was excellent when another dog got loose and ran up to him. He was ok at feeding time as long as someone stood there and watched him. Otherwise, he tried to help the other dogs finish their meals. He knows sit, stay & come. I am still working on “down” and “off”. He is very active and needs a good amount of exercise. Once he was familiar with my mom’s boxer, they played. He didn’t know when to quit playing so he was confined to a bedroom a few times. He didn’t scratch on the door or bark which was great. He played nicely with my 6 year old nephew.

He still needs to learn that it is not ok to jump, counter surf or chase kids who are carrying toys. He also thinks anything in his reach qualifies as a toy even if someone is holding it (this includes shoes). He still has issues with nipping at shoes and ankles but he does TRY to listen to a firm NO. He still needs some training with giving up toys. Sometimes he growls (which seems like a play growl) when you try to get the toy from him. If I hold his collar and yelled NO, I can get the toy away from him. I have not been putting him in a crate because he is so well behaved in the house. Vacuums, squirt bottles, lawn mowers & leaf blowers were created for his entertainment. He will try to grab them & play unless told otherwise. Also, I stopped calling him Bo (Beau) since it rhythms with NO and I think he was getting confused. I now call him this full name BoJangles but he doesn’t know it yet. He loves to be with people and follows me throughout the house. He is very curious and likes to learn. He will make someone a wonderful companion.

11/20/06 -Bo had an exciting weekend. We went to visit my mom and her boxers. He was a true gentleman. Then we all headed up to Connecticut. He was an angel all weekend. He met many new people, kids and other dogs. He is a real gem, I still can't believe someone would give him up. I haven't had to crate him since the day I got him. He is so easy going and adaptable. He is such a happy boy.
I am currently working on correcting two bad habits. The first one is jumping up to say hi to people or look out the window. The second is giving "love nibbles". When he plays he nibbles on your ankles or ears if you are too close to him.

For Thanksgiving he is coming with my family to the beach. It should be fun to see what he thinks of it. Everything seems to be a new adventure for him.

From BAR Director Jean - I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bo Jangles this weekend. What a terrific guy he is!! He is a big love bug and as good as gold. We went to dinner and left 2 dogs uncrated in a strange house and their were no problems at all. This guy is going to make some lucky family a great family pet. His foster mom is very strict with him and he is coming around nicely learning not to jump up and not to nibble.

11/15/06 - Bo has been such a great boy. No accidents, no chewing, no aggression, no problems. He is stronger than me so I walk him I use a gentle leader (he took to it like he is use to wearing one). He just loves life and is very happy. He met many new dogs the past two days and hasn't had any problems. I am happy to say that my first thought of him needing professional trained was wrong. He just needed to learn his place with my family of animals.

11/14/06 - I pick up Bo in Queens NY (thanks for having him Barbara) on Sunday. He was very happy to met me and showed me that he knows how to sit, stay and give kisses. He is extremely strong and needs to be trained on a leash walking. He enjoyed the car but it was apparent that he didn't have many car rides in his life because he was extremely nervous. He is housebroken and fine with cats. He loves to play and has learned very quickly not to play too rough with the cats. He became aggressive when I gave my dog attention. He was placed in a dominant down position and responded to the punishment. I will continue working with him to alleviate his stress when other dogs get attention. He is a very sweet playful boy and learns quickly. With a little training he will be the ideal companion.

Note: Bo Jangles appears to BAR to be a pure Boxer, but he does have a little longer snout. We are seeing more and more frequently longer snouts usually due to poor breeding. Usually people do not go to the expense of docking the tail unless the dog is a purebred. But we cannot be sure or guarantee that he is 100% Boxer.