11/18/04 - Follow up...hi lisa!
we had lots to celebrate this week- two months with
the dude, finishing the fence in the backyard, first
romp in the dunes, hitting the 50# mark (can you
believe it) and his first greenie- which he just
looooved. here is a picture from the dunes this
weekend- they had quite a romp and slept well
afterwards! warning: he is heart-stoppingly handsome!!
all the best,
gillian
10/08/04 - Happy Beginnings
Here's Dude! I can't believe how big he is!
The picture on the bottom is of him with Phebe - their 6 year old female.
He's the one with his head toward us - she said he 'spoons' with her when
they sleep. No more little boy and he's only 4 months old!
Here's an update from his forever Mom:
isn't he just GORGEOUS??
he's getting so big, he still tries to fit in Chris's lap, but his
legs dangle off at every direction. The other cute dude-ism I forgot
in the last email is that he likes to watch TV. If we're sitting in
the living room and turn on the TV he walks over right in front, sits down
and cocks his head to the side like he's trying to figure it all out.
Blocking everyone's view at the same time of course.
Anyway, enjoy the pictures...
I'm trying to get one of him and Pheebs standing side by side so you can see
how tall he is, but they never stand still long enough. = )
9/14/04
As you can see, The Dude is all packed and ready to begin his new life -
he's been adopted (by a veterinarian). After 2 surgeries and countless
procedures, Dude has grown up to be healthy, happy and very loving.
We wanted to give you all this final update as our way of saying thank you
for all your good wishes, healing prayers, financial donations and offers of
adoption. Because of you, each one of you, we were not only able to save
this amazing puppy, but we were able to watch him grow and flourish and now,
sadly, we must say good-bye. We know you join us in sending Dude off to his
new life with wishes of love and good health in his future.
08/15/04 - new pics at 11 weeks old...
Update on Tommy (Dude)
Tommy is 11 weeks old today and
weighing in at 18.9 pounds! He’s everything you could possible want in a
puppy – happy, playful, smart and best of all healthy. He’s eating dry food
now (Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance) and is doing great with it. Like
every other puppy, he eliminates about 4 times each day, no straining, no
problems. And best of all, his daily vet visits to have his ‘procedure’
done has been reduced to about every 10 days now. We’re so delighted with
his progress and can’t thank you all enough for your continued support and
good wishes for this bundle of energy.
Now, I’m sure you’re interested in
his physical well being, but let me tell you about this boy. He’s quite the
character and keeps us laughing constantly. He thinks he’s 10 feet tall and
500 pounds – has no problem walking up to the biggest dogs and letting them
know that he’s arrived and he intends to get some playtime in. And in case
the other dog has no desire to play with him he will wiggle his little butt,
play bow, bark, growl and be as annoying as possible until the other dog
recognizes that it is missing the opportunity to play with ‘The Dude’ (as we
affectionately call him).
He already sits when asked, comes
when called (alright, if the mood strikes him he will come when called) and
now that his butt problems are behind him (sorry, I couldn’t resist), he’s
almost housebroken. He’s very independent, not needing to cuddle quite as
much as he used to, but insists on sleeping with me every night. He is a
playing machine, finding a game in almost anything he can get his mouth on –
balls, sneakers, hard bones, and of course his substitute mom, his stuffed
Bear. He’s grown up with a cat in the house, and some of his actions are
very cat like – for instance, he will lay on his back holding a toy with his
front legs and playing with it up-side-down. He will also lay on his back
and play with his toes – very human baby like. He also loves to ride in the
car and will do his best to convince me that every ride should end with us
at the park.
He’s also teething now so hard chew
toys are a must for him and because he’s still quite ‘mouthy’ we do not
believe he should be placed with small children. We do however want very
much for Dude to go to a home with another dog – he has been with adult
boxers since he’s been 2 weeks old and having another, older dog around
gives him the mental and physical stimulation that a young puppy needs.
Well, that’s the latest information
on this boy – and as you can see from his latest pictures, your donations
have made all of this possible. From his first bottle of formula to his big
boy’s harness, without your help, we could not have saved this beautiful
amazing boy. So once again, on behalf of Dude and every other amazing dog
that needs that little something extra to help them over their hurdle in
life, thank you.
7/25/04
Tommy is almost 8 weeks old already
and we wanted to give you the latest news on this boy. The medical news is
good - Tommy has a procedure done by our vet every day and so far, it
appears as though another surgery will not be necessary. He's doing just
fine and hopefully, won't have to continue with these procedures for too
much longer. He continues to grow at a normal boxer puppy rate - he's
already 11 pounds.
Tommy is one bundle of fat, happy, puppy energy - getting into everything,
putting everything he sees into his mouth, jumping, running (sometimes
backwards if he doesn't get a quick enough start), and doing everything
possible to keep everyone around him entertained. We've just begun to leash
train him and he's letting me know with every step he takes that he hates
the entire idea of not having total freedom all the time. With Tommy's
medical problem, it's been a little difficult to paper train/housebreak him,
but make no mistake about it - this is one smart boy. He figured out the
newspaper on the floor was for him all by himself! Good Boy Tommy! (We
tried the wee-wee pads but he thinks that it's great fun to grab them and
run around like he's flying a kite.)
Tommy is becoming a typical boxer boy - he is very independent, exploring
the entire world around him, checking everything out and figuring out what's
fun to play with and what's boring. He's a tough little guy that will
challenge every new rule and luckily, he's living with 2 adult male boxers
that 'explain' the rules to him without falling for his 'sad' face
(something I'm totally guilty of.) He's also very sweet, especially when
he's tired and loves nothing more then to sleep with me, curling up as close
as he can. He still occasionally will suck on my arm when he gets too wound
up or tired but this happens less and less frequently (our little boy is
growing up.)
The reality is that Tommy is a typical puppy that requires lots and lots of
work. And, the reality is that there is only one Tommy and hundreds of
applications already on file for him. The home we believe would best suit
Tommy is one where Tommy will have the ability to relieve himself often
throughout the day - until his medical problem is completely resolved it is
extremely difficult to get him on a schedule. We also feel that Tommy's new
home should have another dog - Tommy has been socialized since he's been 2
weeks old and we believe that another, older dog will allow Tommy to
continue to learn manners - something he missed out on when he had to be
taken from his mother and his littermates. And the reality is that if
you're reading this, then you've come to our site hopefully to find a loving
companion. So now that you have all of the information, please look at all
of the other wonderful, trained, beautiful dogs that are waiting for a home
and family to call their own. Maybe, just maybe, you can foster a dog that
needs some love right now. Or maybe, just maybe, that special face will
jump off the page and into your heart.
In the meantime, we will continue to update you on Tommy's progress and we'd
like to thank you for the many e-mails of concern you've sent. Without your
continued support, NBR could not have saved Tommy and the other 'Tommy's'
that pass through our lives. It is your support that allows us to give
Tommy the daily medical care he needs to survive and flourish and grow into
a healthy, happy dog. So we thank you for Tommy - he'd thank you himself
but right now he's sleeping upside down with 'Bear'.(his
stuffed animal)
If you can help with the medical care for Tommy
You
can send a check directly to: Northeastern Boxer Rescue
P.O. Box 95 Sunderland MA 01375. (Please mark your payment
"Tommy") or use
makes it easy and secure to
send payments online via credit card.
7/11/04 - Update
An Open Letter to Tommy's
Fan Club
First, we would like to thank each and every one of you that have sent good
wishes, donations, and offers to adopt Baby Tommy. We wanted to give you
this update because we know how much you care and we don't want you to think
we're ignoring the hundreds of e-mails that you've sent inquiring about him.
Tommy is doing very well. As you know, his surgery was a complete success
but he continues to need some procedures that are uncomfortable for him and
very expensive for us. Because of the discomfort, Tommy's vet anesthetizes
him prior to the procedure and then keeps him overnight so that he can
receive pain medication throughout the night. These procedures are to break
down the scar tissue that has been forming where Tommy's original surgery
was, so that as Tommy continues to grow, he will be able to continue to
eliminate his stool just like every other dog. So that's his medical
update.
Tommy is growing so fast, none of us can believe it! He now tips the scale
at 7 pounds 3 ounces - what a chubbo! He is a playing machine, running and
jumping and 'attacking' any and everything in his path - just like any other
puppy. Tommy is in foster with 2 male boxers and he has no idea that he's
the small guy in the house. He plays with the boys all the time and I think
they know that their escape by jumping on the couch will end soon - Tommy's
almost able to pull himself up there. Because Tommy has not had the
advantage of learning puppy manners from his Mom, we are doing everything we
can to socialize Tommy with other, older dogs. We hope that he will learn
proper puppy behavior from the big dogs.
Tommy is weaned but when tired or over stimulated, he will suck on a human
hand, neck or face for comfort. And.... he still sleeps with his teddy bear
- too cute for words!
We will continue to give you updates on Tommy. But please understand that
because of Tommy's medical situation, Tommy is not quite ready to be placed
into his forever home. When his vet feels that Tommy is out of the woods
and that further procedures are not necessary, we will then begin the task
of wading through the mountain of e-mails and applications asking to adopt
him. If you have sent an e-mail and have not received a response, please do
not think that we are ignoring you or that we don't appreciate your concern.
We're just a little overwhelmed not only with Tommy but with the many other
wonderful, loving dogs that are in our care and are still waiting for loving
homes. We know that many of you have your hearts set on bringing Tommy into
your families. But please go back to the pages of our other dogs - they
need you too! In the meantime, Tommy is safe, healthy and about as happy as
one spoiled boxer boy can be.
7/06/04 - Update
Tommy is not out of the woods yet... His foster mom
had to rush him to emergency as he is still having trouble
eliminating. He had to be anesthetized and a procedure performed on
his rectum. The poor little guy is having a rough time.
And his vet specialist wants Tommy to have
this same procedure each week for the next few weeks. Each procedure
requires anesthesia and will cost ~ $600 each.
We're not giving up on the 'Dude', as his foster mom
loving refers to him. We'll keep you updated.
6/27/04
Well, it's been one week since Tommy
has come into rescue and he's doing great! First his medical update -
Tommy's surgeon saw him today and said that he is healing perfectly. From
all indications, Tommy will probably not have any problem with incontinence
- but we will have to wait a little while longer to be absolutely certain.
He's growing like a weed - last week, at 2 1/2 weeks old he was 2 pounds.
Today, at 3 1/2 weeks he's a whopping 3 pounds 11 ounces! No problem with
this boy's appetite - he sucks those bottles down in record time.
Tommy's development is exactly on target for a 3 1/2 week old puppy. His
ears have opened, he's now walking - albeit like a drunken sailor - and he
loves to play with his foster brothers and sister. This puppy has no
problem walking right up to 3 adult boxers and 'getting it on' with them.
He bites them in the face, crawls all over them, growls and barks at them
when they don't give him every ounce of their attention. He has the typical
puppy need to be close to other living things but when no one is available,
he happily plays with his stuffed cow - his friend and sleeping partner.
Tommy is a wonderful example of what your donations can do. This puppy's
life was in serious jeopardy - the surgeon said today that Tommy would not
have lived out this week had he not had his surgery - his poor little body
was poisoning itself. But because you care, because you've become part of
the NBR family, Tommy has the chance to grow into a beautiful boxer boy and
find a loving home to share. Tommy, and all the other 'Tommy's' that come
into our care depend on you and once again, you're not letting them down.
The top picture on the left is Tommy with his foster parent Piper.
6/19/04 -
Tommy
Ok ... Everybody sigh and say "Ahhhhhh".
Now get it out of your system and know that this little guy didn't have a
good start on life, and isn't out of the woods yet. Tommy was born without a
normal anal opening and required surgery to correct the problem.
It will take our special group of foster parents to feed this little guy
around the clock, administer his medication, and be his substitute mom.
NBR received a call from a family asking if we could intervene and help give
Tommy a chance. The puppy was nursing but he was not pooping and was in
distress. This family's vet said that the puppy would need medical care
beyond his office, and would need to be seen at an expensive specialty
hospital. We were told that the only option was to have Tommy euthanized
because the family could not afford his care. We did not hesitate to offer
our help.
We had Tommy transported to an emergency surgical veterinary hospital, where
he underwent an Analplasty. This procedure provided Tommy with an anal
opening. What's yet to be determined is if Tommy will eliminate normally.
There is a slight chance of fecal incontinence, but we are hopeful that all
will go well. Tommy was the first born, the biggest pup in the litter, and
has proven to be a real charmer.
We will keep you updated and let you know when Tommy is ready for his very
special home. Please keep him in your thoughts.
If you can help with the medical care for Tommy
You
can send a check directly to: Northeastern Boxer Rescue
P.O. Box 95 Sunderland MA 01375. (Please mark your payment
"Tommy") or use
makes it easy and secure to
send payments online via credit card.
Taking an easy dog from
someone who has to move and rehoming him is not a huge challenge. The
challenge is transporting and caring for dogs like Tommy, Griffin, Dora, Champ, Deuce, Kenzy, etc.. The challenge is finding the funds to help
the dogs in need of medical care.
That¹s where YOU come in.
We need donations to cover the medical bills for these dogs. Remember we
get no public or private funding. We rely on adoption fees and your
donations to cover our expenses.
All the money goes to the dogs!
If you are interested in adopting this dog, please fill out an
online application first. Then e-mail the contacts below. Be sure to include your full name, city,
state, and area code in the subject line of your message.
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(click pictures to enlarge)
Tommy (on Right) at 5 months old!!!
Tommy 7/10/04 at
7 pounds
Tommy 7/10/04 at
7 pounds
Transport:
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At 15 weeks:
At 11 weeks:
Foster Day 1
From the hospital:
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