Ward, AR 72176
(501) 231-9767
MOST RECENT ADDITIONS:
Stephie, Faye, Dillinger, Sugar, Hera
MOST RECENT UPDATES:
Leila, Butch, Easter
WATCH FOR:
Willow, Chena
SHELTER PAGE ADDITIONS:
Doxie, Min Pin, Schnauzer at Heber Springs
NEW COURTESY POSTS:
Mr. Elvis, Dexter, Bonnie, Charlie the Boxer
FOUND DOGS:
Boxer Mix and Black Lab
LOST DOGS:
(Please See our Lost and Found Page)
BoxAR Rescue Needs Foster Homes!
11/20/2009 10:09 PM
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Once upon a time and not too far away A shelter had a His plea went out to everyone He needs rescue please today! He had someone to take him but that has fallen through His time is up, it’s truly up, So we are begging all of you. And so it goes every day for those of us involved in rescue. The emails pour in and the phones never stop ringing. The cries for help are constant for those that will soon die. Every living creature that relies on a human for their care and safe keeping is at risk of being abandoned, neglected or abused. If people would take their responsibilities seriously there would be no need for those of us in the rescue community, shelters would no longer be needed and the overpopulation of animals would stop. We, as you know, are a Boxer rescue group but we have over the years taken in others that needed our help. There have been several different breeds and even a few mixes that for some reason just touched our heart and we knew we had to help. Such is the case with the Boston Terrier that you will be introduced to. He had a rescue lined up but for some reason it didn’t take place so we took him in and now he is a BoxAr dog. Most all of you have a pretty good knowledge of rescue groups but we have always wondered if anyone truly knows what goes into the rescue and re-homing of these dogs. Some of them can be fairly simple ~ the owner surrender that is very well behaved and healthy can be placed fairly quickly if the right home can be found. Others take more time because of health reasons or maybe it’s a senior dog that nobody is really interested in. Some are fearful and need their confidence built up before they can be sent off to a new home and then there are those that think they own the world. They think they can do whatever they choose and get away with it because nobody ever took the time to teach them what they need to know. These are the ones that take more time, effort and funds. So we have decided to do something different ~ we are going to try and take you all from the very beginning to the end of a dog’s life in rescue and into his forever home. With that in mind we would like to start with…….. The Transformation of Horrible Higgins
“Am I a good dog yet Mom”? “No Higgins, not yet”.
Over the course of the next several weeks ~ or months ~ we will be updating the escapades of our boy Higgins. We hope that you will check back often to see how he is developing. Will he become a 'good dog' or always remain a stinker?
He was named the day that he arrived. My husband had bought a book by the author Jack Higgins which was lying on the table. The sun was hitting the shiny gold cover and the name Higgins just jumped out ~ it was perfect for our boy.
1/23/08 - Our little ‘no name’ arrived. He was a little bigger than he looked in his picture that the shelter sent but was quite cute. Not knowing where he was or what was to happen he was a little apprehensive to leave the safety of the vehicle but he did act friendly. When he was placed on the ground it could be seen that he was oversized, long in the leg and his bite was very undershot. Black is what he appeared to mainly be but there is a lot of brindle in the coat and not a lot of white markings. As he walked around it was becoming obvious that he was a pretty dominant boy that had never been taught any manners and felt that he could do just as he pleased. He was taken to the inside boarding area where he immediately decided he was going to take on everybody that he made eye contact with. This one was going to be a handful!
2/02/08 - 10 days have passed and during that time the initial assessment of this boy has proven to be correct. He doesn't listen, is very self absorbed, wants to take on the world and also is not crate trained. Higgins bounces in his crate so much when the others go out that he manages to pop his crate pan out of the bottom of his crate. It’s always dangling half in and half out. Please don’t ask how he accomplishes this because there is no answer for you. When the door is closed there is a ‘stopper’ at the bottom which is supposed to keep the pan in ~ it doesn’t, not with him. After the fourth or fifth time fixing it I had decided to just take out the pan, put in a nice thick blanket and all would be well. He liked that. He also liked pulling my sweatshirt into his crate that I had laid on top for a minute. I came back in to him all curled up and quite comfy with his thick blanket, my sweatshirt and a belly full of treats that were in both pockets. Today he goes to the vet. Our volunteer, Amber, takes our guys in on Saturdays to get whatever they need done. One of the boxers will go and so will Higgins because he can be crated for the trip. Since he is very fast it’s decided to leave his leash on so that something can be grabbed if he should dart out. Good news ~ he now has his booster, rabies and is heartworm negative ~YAY! Bad news ~ he ate his lead on the trip into town, wanted to fight with the boxer in the vets office and really wasn’t too happy about his shots or pulling of blood. He didn’t bite but he was not their best patient of the day. We will survive him, I truly have faith.
2/15/08 — Almost two more weeks have passed and they have been quite eventful. During the first week he managed to mangle, chew or destroy three crates. That sounds impossible doesn’t it? Especially for a small dog ~ but Higgins is a big dog in disguise. The crate that he kept knocking the pan out of was the first one. He did just fine for a few days and then one morning he decided to reconfigure the whole thing. His nice rectangular crate now had a shape quite similar to the Pentagon. Luckily the door could still be opened without a problem. Have I ever told you all how cute he is when he knows he’s in trouble? From there he went to one a little bigger — maybe if he felt less confined it would help. This was also a wire crate and probably twice as big as the first. It was sturdier, with a nice wood pan that was totally washable in case he had an accident. He had a huge rawhide chew bone, a toy and his breakfast when I went to take care of the others. On returning to Higgins it was seen that his chewy was intact, his breakfast was gone and so were two sides of the wood pan. He is now getting on my nerves. Now it’s time for a plastic crate ~ nobody has ever eaten their way out of one of those. A nibble here and there maybe on the inside of the door but that’s about it, until Higgins.
Kristal thought this was quite comical ~ she thought he just wanted a window. I offered him to her but she declined. So, now we have 3 crates gone ~ a dog that wants a window ~ and a person considering Valium for breakfast. Good news ~ he has not fouled his crate in about a week. He has a softer look to his eye and does not go into the ‘attack mode’ when he sees the other dogs. He goes right out when told and goes directly to his crate (what’s left of it) when told to do so. Bad news ~ the folks that make the Hummer do not make crates. More to come!
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