Available for adoption thru New York Boxer Rescue

1/16/02 - Jake and his checkup of January 7th are described as follows by his foster home:

Jake's check up went well. Everyone at the vet's fell in love with him. As far as his eyes, overall they are "healthy"--no cataracts or glaucoma or injuries could be found. His pupils, however, are totally dilated. She feels that perhaps the loss of sight is more of a "central" problem--damage to the brain caused by the seizures. One of the ophthalmic vets from Cornell will be holding an eye clinic in February, and she suggested a consult with him at that time. Then, if anything can be done, we will go from there.

Jake is coming out of his shell more and more every day. He is getting more confident with his surroundings, and will play with the younger dogs, and me. I had him for a walk the other day, and once we hit the pavement, he increased his pace to a kind of a "trot", and actually seemed to be smiling as we jogged down the road! We have his crate set up along with two others, but he has moved into Precious' crate (must like the fluffy pillow), and he will also check out the other crate, but avoids his own. He sleeps in his "new" crate, but prefers not to have the door closed.

He's taken to following me from room to room, and is even beginning to get up on the loveseat by himself when invited. We have had to move things back on the end tables and such, because he has started to explore his surroundings more, and is actually quite "nosey"--he will 'nose' around and knock items onto the floor so that he can move them around and sniff every inch. He seems quite food-oriented, and will sniff the air attentively and follow me around the kitchen while I am cooking, but he likes to 'get to know' any food offered him before he will taste it.

I have seen no evidence of seizures, and the housebreaking is going along well. He negotiates the stairs off the deck like a pro, and knows his way back when he wants to come in. He walks wonderfully on a leash, and as long as I don't let him bump into anything, you would never know he was blind. When in familiar territory, he doesn't even sniff the ground--he will walk with his head up and trust me not to let him run into anything (which I have gotten much better at). He seems to like routine, and expects to be fed when he first comes in. My son and his family stopped by last night, and he even barked when the other dogs went nuts over a car in the driveway. Overall, he's very quiet, though.

Some of the blood work that he's had done in the past indicate a low T4 level, and when I expressed my concern about this to the vet, she told me that we could do a complete blood panel and thyroid test, but if he isn't exhibiting any aberrant behavior or seizures at the moment, we may want to hold off and let him get more settled first.

Although we both work outside of the home, and he seems to do fine on his own, I would like to see him in a home where there's someone there at all times. Left alone, he pretty much stays in his crate, and although far from being overweight (actually, he could use a few more pounds, in my opinion. He weighs 58 lbs., but he's large and doesn't have a lot of muscle mass) I feel he could use more exercise, and he's more apt to move around when people are present.

12/26/01 - Jake is a 5 year old white male with a brindle patch over his left eye. Poor Jake, however, has not has not been afforded all the opportunities a dog of his character deserves. He was purchased as a puppy by a young bachelor who spent a lot of time with him and enjoyed his companionship. When Jake was 3 the young man got married and his priorities changed. The owner spent less and less time with Jake, and Jake spent more and more time chained in the yard to his dog house.

Last year things became less favorable for Jake. His owner began building a new house and Jake spent 6 months boarded at his vet's. When the new house was completed, Jake was no longer allowed in the house. He spent all day outside, and at night he was taken straight to the basement. In July, Jake wandered into the neighbor's yard and got into their trash. A few days later, Jake started having seizures. His owner took him to the vet, who put Jake on medication to control the seizures. Unfortunately the owner did not properly administer the meds and Jake's situation worsened. Frustrated, Jake's owner stopped administering the meds all together. At the end of August, Jake had his worst seizure of all. The owner refused to take Jake to the vets, and a few days later, Jake lost his vision.

At this point the owner called the vet and wanted to either place Jake in a new home, or euthanize him. Even though the vet loved the dog, it was not possible for them to provide him with a new home. Finally the owner contacted NBR. Hearing Jake's tale, we knew we could not turn our backs on this poor dog. He is now safely fostered in a rescue home, and doing wonderfully.

Jake's foster home wrote this about him; "Jake is a total sweetheart, very quiet and unassuming. He appreciates attention but doesn't beg for it. He enjoys lying on the furniture with his humans, and sleeping in the bed if there is room, but will sleep just about anywhere as long as you don't lock him up. He gets along great with the five other dogs here, and even plays with them. Although they normally all play very rough, they tend to be more gentle when they play with him. He is slowly getting used to his new surroundings, and learns very fast. He's super smart and loving, and so adaptable, it's amazing. I know that there is that special someone out there that can give Jake the love he misses and deserves. He would do best in a home where there is someone around all the time to keep him safe and reassure him. Locking him in the crate, although he doesn't complain, is too stressful for him, and housebreaking will be a cinch once put on a regular schedule. He loves to get treats, and is grateful for hugs. He is fine with small children and all dogs, but has not been tested with cats. He currently isn't taking any seizure medication, and hasn't had a seizure in over three months. He will be going in to see the vet for a checkup on January 7th, and we will see if we can determine the cause of his blindness and whether or not it is correctable."

We are now trying to raise funds to take Jake to an eye specialist. We do not know if his blindness is correctable, but we feel it necessary to explore all available options. If you are able to make any contributions towards his medical care it would be greatly appreciated. If you can help, use PAYPAL, or mail checks to the address below. We truly appreciate any contribution, and thank you very much for any support you give to Jake. We will post updates on Jake's progress as soon as they become available to us.

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Northeastern Boxer Rescue
P.O. Box 40614
Rochester, NY 14604

If you think you have the ideal home for this dog, please fill out an online application email the contact person below. Include your full name, city and state and this dog's name in the subject line of your message.

Available for adoption through Vermont Boxer Rescue

Available for adoption through
Vermont Boxer Rescue