10 Things You May Note Know About Boxers
Legend says when God was fashioning different breeds
of dog out of clay, he came to his final task and decided
to create the most beautiful dog ever and call it a
Boxer. But this new breed of dog was vain and rushed
to see himself in the mirror before the clay was properly
set and bumped headlong into his own reflection. That
accounts for the flat nose characteristic of the Boxer,
and also proves that God really did accomplish his design
for the world's most beautiful dog! Here are another
ten things you may not already know about Boxer dogs:
* The Boxer Dog Who Cheated Death and Became a Television
Star Instead
In 1985, a white boxer dog called Bomber was snatched
from a vet's surgery by an animal nurse and later appeared
in the UK television series, Oliver Twist. It appears
the dog's previous owners decided to put the dog to
sleep when they learned he didn't quite fit new Kennel
Club standards for his breed! In filming he was made
to look flea bitten, dirty and covered in sores. Bomber
even had a dressing room all to himself and was congratulated
on giving a superb performance. Well done Bomber, and
shame on those who gave up on him!
* A Boxer Dog With His Own Fan Club
A boxer dog called George was used in media advertisements
in the early 1990s and became so well known that he
eventually had a fan club all to himself. George's strange
expressions appeared in ads. for Coleman's Mustard and
eventually the dog became a household name and even
made guest appearances at public functions and schools.
* The Boxer Dog With The Longest T-o-n-g-u-e!
A boxer dog called Brandy featured on Ripley's 'Believe
It Or Not' due to her incredible 17 inch long tongue!
Brandy, from Michigan, USA, was bought from a local
breeder in 1995 and her new owner was assured the dog
would eventually grow into her l-o-n-g t-o-n-g-u-e!
She didn't and on television she was shown performing
antics such as eating from a bowl 13 inches away. Her
owner, John Scheid, says brandy likes sunbathing and
even gets tan lines on her tongue, but says the beautiful
Boxer is fit, happy and healthy, so her unique feature
isn't a problem at all. She even has her own web site
at: http://www.tungdog.com
* Zoe, The Boxer Dog Who Came Back to Life!
Zoe's owner, Cathy Walker, from Manuden, near Bishop’s
Stortford in the UK, has been told by a medium that
she is surrounded by all the pets she has lost. That
certainly seems true of Zoe, a tan and white Boxer bitch
who died several years ago, aged eleven. The Daily Mail
(November 6th 2001) printed an amazing photograph of
the bark of a tree under which Zoe spent her last day,
showing what can only be described as the image of a
boxer dog in the bark. Cathy tells how she is a great
believer in life after death and claims the image of
Zoe has strengthened that belief.
* The White Boxer Dog Who Received Hate Mail
To anyone who loves dogs in general, and Boxer dogs
in particular, Solo was as beautiful as any other of
her breed. To her owner, Joyce Lang, she was more than
just beautiful, she was a constant friend, a much loved
family member. But not everyone thought the same way
and, surprisingly, in 1982, in Burgess Hill in the UK,
an anonymous letter arrived addressed to Solo, saying:
I think you are the ugliest dog I have ever seen. What
sort of human could write such nonsense is beyond most
peopleâ's comprehension, and probably the letter was
intended mainly to upset Joyce, an objective the hateful
writer most definitely achieved. Letters continued to
come saying: Why don't you get your master or mistress
to take you for a face lift?. One even contained a paper
bag which the sender said should be placed over Solo's
head! When local newspapers heard the story the headlines
proclaimed that beauty is always in the eye of the beholder
and in Joyce's and other dog lover's eyes, Solo was
beautiful.
* A Little Boy's Tribute to His Pet Boxer, Lance
This story appeared in 'The Faithful Friend (Writings
About Owning and Loving Pets' and concerned dog owners
in the United States who often loaned their pets to
the military in World War Two. Lance, a Boxer, worked
with Dogs for Defence which eventually became the noted
K09 Corps, and belonged to a family with young children,
one a boy who wrote this letter to Dogs for Defence:
My Boxer, Lance, was in the army since last June. I
have not heard anything about him since I received a
certificate from the Quartermaster General. The number
on it was 11281. I love Lance very much and want to
know if he is doing anything brave. Can you please tell
me where he is and what kind of a job he does? Please
answer soon because I can't wait much longer to know
what has become of him.
* Origins of the Boxer Dog
What we know about the origins of most breeds, including
the Boxer, is largely owed to early sculptures, painting
and drawings. In the Boxer’s case, a carving of a
dog looking much like a Boxer can be seen on a tomb
in Arnstadt where lies Elizabeth of Hohenstein who died
in 1368. Flemish tapestries from the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries show dogs resembling the Boxer engaged in
stag- and boar-hunting.
* German Origins
Boxer dogs became very popular in Munich where the
breed is thought to have originated. But the history
of the breed has not been without controversy. In fact
the first Boxer Club in the UK was closed because of
disagreements over almost everything pertaining to Boxers.
By 1905, however, the most enthusiastic followers of
the German Boxer met to develop a standard for the Boxer
which would be accepted by all. The Munich Boxer Club
drew up the standard which exists largely unchanged
even today.
* Boxer Dogs in America
The first Boxer dog in America was imported in 1903
from Switzerland. The new owner of the dog was New York
Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals, Irving Lehman
who imported many other Boxer dogs. The first Boxer
dog registered with the American Kennel Club was in
1904. The dog was Arnulf Grandenz, bred in America by
James Welch of Illinois.
* Boxer Dogs in Warring Nations
The boxer dog gained rapid popularity soon after the
Second World War ended, ironically more prominently
in countries formerly opposed in war with the Boxer's
most likely native home, Germany. Listen to what Rowland
Johns says in 'Our Friend The Boxer': The re-emergence
of the Boxer breed has added proof that warring nations
do not carry their antagonisms for long into the relations
between them and other nations dogs. Both with the Alsatian
and the Boxer their popularity derives directly from
the contacts made during a state of war. In those two
wars the adoption of both breeds by members of the British
forces provided some personal satisfaction and uplift
of the spirit in long periods of exile from home, family,
and friends.
About the Author
f you hadn't guessed it already, Avril Harper is a Boxer
dog lover, and webmaster of http://www.boxerdog.biz
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