MugsyBoxer

Pertinent Information
4-5 yr. old Flashy Fawn Male
Shelter Surrender
Cropped Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered in Nassau County, LI, NY
Adoption Donation $175

9/14/04 - I knew Mugsy was going to be a "special" dog from the day I took him in, but he was worth trying to save. He was gorgeous, and we developed quite the bond during his 2 months here. We were taking our time, looking for that "special" home for him. We made some great progress, as my updates indicated, but unfortunately we could not "finish" the job. After today's incident, the direction BAR (and I) had to take was clear. Mugsy got aggressive this morning, for no apparent reason. We had been working on making this boy trust and be as comfortable and loved as could be. That trust was shattered this morning.

I took Muggs to my vet tonight, and we let him go to sleep for the last time. Poor boy, he was very nervous....like he know what was going to happen. I felt bad for him, and the whole time I told him how much I loved him, and that none of this was his fault.

Muggs, I sorry that we couldn't find you that special home for you. It was not meant to be. Rest in peace my special boy, until we meet again, I will miss you.

Goodbye buddy.

8/16/04 - Well, I had another nice weekend with my Muggs, and we continue to see his personality developer. He has become such an affectionate boy, and as you can see from his new pic's, he has filled out beautifully, and is a happy boy.

This weekend my folks came up from Florida for a visit. My dad, who is a bit on the frail side and at 79 does not move around that well and has some trouble keeping his balance, had come downstairs to look for me. I was actually outside in the yard, and my dad apparently came into the large room where Mugsy was, and since the TV was on, and the Yankee game was on, he kinda forgot about looking for me, and just stood near the TV and was watching the game. I came in a few minutes from the yard, to find Mugsy standing along side my dad, licking his arms all over, that body wash I have been telling you about. He was VERY gentle with my dad. I was very proud of Muggs, as he was a total gentleman. Remember, this was the absolute 1st time he met my dad, who came into Mugg's room, unannounced, and he was greeted with love and kisses.

This kind of behavior is something we noticed with Mugsy from day one. He is VERY good at meeting people, and does not feel the need to be protective or anything. We have grown very close, this boy and I. He has responded beautifully to my handling, and I continue to test our relationship. I now can bend down and lift both of his front paws up to me, and he is totally fine with it. He knows I am gonna give him some nice belly rubs and scratches when I do that, and he loves that.

He is definitely ready for his own home, are you ready for this very special, and i have to add, beautiful boxer boy?

8/12/04 - What a nice dog Mugsy has turned into. He is really fitting into his foster home very nicely, but he really deserves his own mommy and daddy. He plays none stop with his squeakies, but they often drift under the treadmill, coffee table, anything that he can't squeeze under, and then foster daddy has to get it for him. VERY annoying :o))) He has become quite obedient. We have clearly established who is top dog (that would be me), and he clearly understands this. Now, as stated earlier in his updates, this was not done with any strong-arm tactics. It was done with patience and a firm and steady hand and voice. If you are a previous dog owner who has gone thru obedience training, I am sure you understand this concept. Mugsy is not a dog for the 1st time dog owner, but if you have experience, this is a very nice addition to your family (again, no small kids). This boy will give you a full body wash if you let him :o)). I often go on the computer in the same room Muggs hangs out, and it is sometimes difficult to type as he starts his kissing routine. He literally lifts my arm up when he starts kissing it. And Muggs has a nice clean smelling mouth, so I never mind the lips to lips kisses. He has never had an accident in the house, and can hold it for more then 8 hrs if need be, no problem. This guy really has a lot to offer, and I am waiting patiently for that "just right" home to come along. Do you think you are that home? Give this boy a chance to make your life complete, he will not disappoint.

7/31/04 - I have totally been taken by this foster boy. He is really a very kissy boy, once he gets comfortable with his surroundings. He is comfortable here now.
He is playing with lots of toys here. It is hard to tell which ones are his favorite, each one gets equal time. He loves balls, stuffed animals, squeakies....everything.
He is kissing a lot more now too. When he sees us now, he does a great boxer crab walk, where he bens himself into a "c" and walks sideways. He is very good at that.
Muggs has a very stylish way of showing both dogs and people he wants to play. In his best "hi-ho silver, awaaay" (for those Lone Ranger fans), he gets up high on his hind legs, both his front paws up high in a praying position, and then pounds both front feet down on the ground, over and over again. The other dogs don't want to get to close to him, as he looks kinda rough when he does that. They wait for him to calm down before interacting with him :o))
What is the perfect home for my Mugg man? Well, an adult home with older children, at least 15 yrs old. A family that will respect him, and not try to be physical with him. What I mean by this is he can not be "strong armed" into doing things. He is obedient, and listens well, but he cannot be bullied into listening. The family has to be comfortable with a vocal boy, as Muggs is the kind of dog that plays "loud"...lots of noises coming out of him when he is playing. He is not the kind of dog that I would be comfortable laying on the floor, rough housing with him. That is something I would avoid. In fact, any kind of rough housing should probably be avoided, as I am not sure what kind of past Mugsy has had, but he does not seem comfortable with that kind of activity. He does love to play fetch, and he has a great time entertaining himself tossing toys up in the air and catching them or chasing them down.
Today I spent a few hours in the pool, and Muggs stayed by my side the entire time. He did not want to hop in, or spend anytime on the float, but as long as i was at the edge of the pool, Mugsy stayed on the deck, right by my side keeping me company. And what nice company he is.
Muggs has put on a few pounds, I must say, he looks really great. I will take a few more pics so you can see just how nice this guy looks.
He is getting along with all the dogs, and once each dog got used to him being around, he was quickly accepted as part of the crew.
If you think you would make a good match for this boy, get your app in and mention him by name. He is just waiting here for his perfect forever home.

7/18/04 - What a nice weekend I had with Mugsy. It’s been 3 weeks now since Muggs came here, and I can say we are both totally comfortable with each other. Mugsy's playful personality is now shining in full. He loves to play with all kinds of stuffed animals, balls, etc. He keeps himself quite entertained, and doesn't need you to play with him, although he doesn't mind one bit if you join in. He also is now quite comfortable playing with miss dominatrix, Shotzie girl also. When spending time alone with him, I have noticed he is initiating interaction with me. He gets a bit bouncy, and bends himself into a "C" shape, in true boxer spirit. So I started "messing" with him, pushing him and circling around him. He started getting growly, but his tail was going so I kept playing with him. He got more vocal, and if you did not know better, you might think he was getting nasty. He sounded so tough and intimidating, but now that I feel we understand Mr. Muggs,I know that he is just fine, that is the way he plays. He is a vocal boy. I am not concerned about him any longer. As soon as I stopped roughhousing, and told him, “Mugsy sit”, he did just that. You just need to take time with him and build up that trust. We took almost 3 weeks, but I feel we are there now.
Muggs now does his business in the yard, so there is no reason for him to have to be walked. Not that that was terrible, but I am kinda lazy, and now he just goes out with the clan and does his business.
Muggs is terrific in the crate, you just say "crate" and wham, in he goes, and he settles very quickly. He has also not had one accident in his crate or in the house.
If you have the patience to give Muggs the time to settle, and get comfortable with one another) which admittedly can take a bit longer then most of our dogs that are in rescue, he will be a super companion for you. He is very handsome as you can see, and is obedient, loyal, and loving. What more can I say but, what are you waiting for?

7/15/04 - We have learned that we have a real "city" boy here. Mr. Muggs likes to go for a walk to do his business. I have been fostering for many years, and this is the 1st guy who, when I let him out in the yard, goes right to the gate and waits for me to take him for his walk. He does not want to do his business in the yard. And when we take our walk, he does his business quickly and the rest of the time we just have a great walk.

He is getting along with all the dogs. He has even played a bit with my little dominant shotzie girl. He is not quite sure how to play with her, as she does like to play rough. He is fine when the playing is running around and playing chase, but when the playing involves a little rough housing on her part, he kinda freezes and isn't sure what to do.

We are learning that Muggs is a vocal boy. I have had a few fosters like this, they get kinda growly, and if you are not sure about the dog, you might think he is being a bit aggressive. We are going slowly with him, but each time we get to spend extended time together, I "push" a bit with him to see his reaction. So far, i am pleased with what i see. I want to make sure I understand what this boy is about. I am building up trust with this boy, and I now feel that he does trust that I love him and would not hurt him. Any family to be considered for this boy will need the patience to go slow and build up trust with him. This will be very important.

Mugsy is now playing with different squeaky toys and and stuffed animals. He likes to bring them into his crate, and when he does, he does not give it back easily. Again, you need to go slowly, not just try to grab something back from him. As you can see, Muggs, though i believe is a really nice dog, really needs to go to an experienced home. He does deserve that much. Adults to love and care for him. He will return that love with devoted companionship, and lots, and I do mean lots of kisses.

Muggs has met several new people who came over the last couple of weeks, and he is absolutely fine with them. He does not get protective at all. When we take walks and encounter people or other dogs, Muggs just stays focused on his walk.

He continues to eat well, and is slowly putting on some weight.

If you feel that you might be the right family for this boy (adult home with older children and dog savvy), please let us know. He is waiting right here for you.

6/27/04 - What a nice day I had with my Mugsy boy. It was such a beautiful day, we went on several long walk. This guy walks like a true gentleman. No pulling at all. He had on a regular cloth collar, not a choker, so needless to say I was VERY impressed. He does his business very early in the walk, and the rest of the time we just had a nice time walking together. He is not currently a big sniffer, so we did do a lot of straight walking. Very nice.

He is eating very nicely; today he ate 6 cups split up in 2 feedings. He is still pretty lethargic, and doesn’t have a lot of bounce in his step yet. He has at least started wagging his tail a bit.

His eyes are a bit red, so I called the vet and started giving him some antibiotic drops for his eyes. He still looks pretty sad, but I think that will improve as he becomes more comfortable and loved here.

We did not do any more introductions with the other dogs he has not yet met, we want to go slow and wait for him to start feeling and looking better. I think by next weekend, he will look and feel like a new dog.

It is very easy to love this dog. Because we do not know much about him, families with older children or an adult home will be the better situation for him.Keep your eyes on this boy; his better days are definitely ahead of him. Will they be shared with you?

6/26/04 - Today we picked up Mugsy from one of our favorite shelters. Mugsy is a very handsome boy, who, based on his mask and teeth, we are estimating at 4-5 yrs old. Mugsy was an owner surrender to the shelter. The reasons are a bit vague, but it seems that the owners were not sure of his behavior and chose not to keep him any longer. I, of course am confused, how do you have a dog for so many yrs and not be sure of his behavior? Since the information is so sketchy, we are going to treat Mugsy as a stray, and go very slowly with him.

Mugsy seems to be very sad, his eyes just have no sparkle or life in them. He is obviously confused, having lived with a family and now he is among strangers. No boxer wiggle I am so used to seeing.

He ate very well, 3 1/2 cups of Nutro, with vanilla yogurt and American cheese and turkey slices in it.

He woofed it down. Maybe this was his 1st meal of the day.

As you can see from his pics, he is a very handsome docked and cropped fawn boxer boy, a bit on the thin side (don't meet to many heavy boxers coming out of the shelter :o(... He has met a couple of my pugs and my big boxer boy without incident. I'll do the rest of the intro's in a day or so. Don't want to do too much in the 1st day.

He has met a few people today, and really did not pay much attention to them. As I said, he seems to be in a bit of a funk. He went in his crate easily, and settled down without a peep.

So, for a 1st day Mugsy has been a wonderful guest. Keep you eyes on further updates on this very handsome boxer boy.