Oliver
STATE: ME
AGE: 4 YEARS
WEIGHT: 70 LBS
SEX: MALE
NEUT/UTD: YES/YES
COAT COLOR: WHITE
DOCKED TAIL: YES
CROPPED EARS NO
CHILDREN under 4: UNSURE
CHILDREN OVER 4: YES
SEPARATION ANXIETY: SOME
OTHER DOGS: YES (Must have another dog)
CATS: YES
CRATE TRAINED: YES
HOUSE TRAINED: YES
OBEDIENCE TRAINED: UNSURE
LEASH TRAINED: YES
MICROCHIPPED: YES
ADOPTION DONATION: $300 + $20.00 FOR MICROCHIP
PARTIALLY DEAF
(NOTE: Due to my hearing impairment, I will need a home with another dog and someone that is home
more often (ex: at home parent, work at home, work opposite shifts, retired, etc).)
9/2/06 - Oliver continues to be a wonderful and welcome guest at the Riverview. Although I have
returned to work full time, he continues to have an accident-free record! Oliver readily accepts the crate
either during the day or at night, although he is not destructive and has no accidents when he is not crated.
Oliver arrived with reported grass allergies, and irritated feet. As he chooses to walk on the grass as
rarely as possible, his feet are no longer irritated. I think that Oliver would love to live somewhere where
he never had to touch grass! And since he loves to go for leash walks, and walks nicely on a leash, that
would be fine for him. Oliver does like to free-feed, and he has no issues with people or other dogs being
near his food or water dish. Oliver has been sleping with me in bed, and he is a good bed-fellow. He
doesn't hog the bed or the covers, and snuggles up nicely. (He will sleep in the crate if I don't let him up
with me.)
8/29/06 - Oliver welcomed our newest canine "guest" to the Riverview with wagging nub. He warmed up
to her immediately. It takes him a few minutes longer to warm up to new humans, but he does. For a
hearing impaired guy he is a great watchdog in true Boxer fashion. It was reported that Oliver did not ride
well in the car. That may be, but he rides very nicely in my pick-up truck! He spent the day traipsing
around with me running errands, and he seemed to love every minute. We (I mean HE) got some
admiring looks from passing vehicles when we were stopped in traffic due to construction. Well-deserved
looks, as he IS a very handsome boy! And he waited patiently in a well-behaved manner for me when I
had to run in and leave him in charge of the truck. (Oliver even got to come to school with me to help me
set up my new classroom.) He is SUCH a good boy!
8/24/06 - I hope that Oliver won't miss his walks as much as I will! I saw my podiatrist for a follow-up
visit, and learned that he wants me to 'rest' my foot for 6-8 weeks! That means no walking at all (unless it
is from the kitchen to the living room sofa). I am devastated! I LOVE my walks with my boys! I hoped
that maybe he would play 'fetch' as an exercise alternative, but he will chase the thrown object and that is
it. No fetching for him!
Oliver has decided that Beau needs to be subservient to him. I guess those dominance traits that his prior
home had noticed have surfaced here. So while he still has full house priveledges, he has them at different
times than Beau does. I guess that means that his perfect home would have a female in it (or perhaps a
very submissive male).
On another note, he is still not eating much, but is nibbling now and again. His prior home said that he was
a 'free-feeder'. Today while he was munching away, I needed to walk from the kitchen to the living room
(with ice pack in hand) and the shortest route took me right behind him. I had to nudge his butt to get
room to pass, and he was absolutely OK with that--even though he was eating! So we can announce
with assurance that he has no one bit of food agression with people! Another indication of his mellow
manner is his willingness to be touched anywhere. I checked his ears to see if they needed cleaning (they
didn't), and he was also OK with foot and toe-touching. He doesn't need his nails clipped yet, but I'll bet
that he'll be OK with that when he does.
8/22/06 - Another day, another update.....Other than perhaps being a tad heavier, Oliver hasn't aged a
day since his last photo shoot, so while the posted photos may be more than a year old, they are a good
likeness (and better than any photo this camera-challenged foster mom could take!) Oliver has earned
full-house priveledges here at the Riverview. He and Beau are not to the point where they cuddle up
together, but I have no worries that they will have a physical disagreement, even over food. Oliver has
finally started eating, so I know that he comfortable here. (He is a messy drinker!) Oliver will go into his
crate on command, but prefers the couch, or the loveseat, or my bed... As I return to work full-time next
week, I continue to crate him for short periods of time so that he will be more comfortable and confident
when I do have to be gone all day. He aleady has the early morning bathroom call down pat! The three of
us went for a walk together last evening, and will repeat that today as long as the humidity stays down so
we are all comfortable. For a young guy, he is not frenetically active, which suits me just fine. He's a great
combination of couch-potato and walking companion!
8/20/06 - Oliver is settling in here at the Riverview Boxer-Hostel, but is still stressed enough with his
changes to not have had an appetite yet. At 70 pounds he is a chunky fellow, so no special diet for him!
Oliver has demonstrated that he is fine in a crate, and fine not in a crate. He and Beau have been wagging
nubs at each other through the baby gates. So perhaps tomorrow we will have a face to face meeting on
leash. We went for a walk through the neighborhood, and his leash manners were very impressive--he
didn't pull at all! And he is nicely house-trained, too. Not a single accident or marking incident indoors.
He is reported to be OK with cats. And while mine has temporarily vacated the premises, I can beleive it
because he also seems to not care about my chickens. Oliver does have plenty of hearing--he hears the
phone ring, and heard my pool filter come on yesterday morning when we were still in bed. As my elderly
Beau (and before him my aged Rocky) had lost much of their hearing, I am used to accompanying most
'commands' with a gesture/hand signal. So I don't know if he is hearing them or seeing them, but he is
obeying them. Oliver is a sweetie, and we are happy to have him visiting!
8/19/06 - Oliver has arrived here at the Riverview. He is a three year old white male who weighs about 65
pounds. Oliver has one blue and one brown eye, and a long tongue. With his natural ears he is quite a
distinctive handsome young man! He is an owner surrender who needs a new home because his mom just
had a baby. He is UTD and neutered, and even microchipped. They report that he is great with older
children, gets along great with their female dog and with them, and has no food agression to other dogs or
people. They were just worried about him with the baby because he has no history with infants. Right
now he is very confused, and upset because he is here in my house and his family is gone. He keeps
coming over to me for reassurance, which I am happy to give. I can tell that he is a sweetie. More to
follow after he has had a chance to settle in here.
8/18/06 - Sadly Oliver was surrendered back to rescue after 18 months due to a brand new baby in the
house. More updates soon from his foster Mom.
UPDATE 10/12/05 - Hello! We're a little late again! Sorry... It's hard to believe we've had our boy for
over six months. He's a little spoiled still. He's barking at my feet for attention right now!! Or it could be
the pizza next to me. He just won himself a piece of pepperoni from his dad!!! I think it was his pleeease
eyes!! So cute. Today, he went with me to pick up CJ at the soccer field. He loves rides and he and
Chloe are convinced that they are human teenagers!! I took him alone this time because we are still
working on trying to make him a little more independent. He is more comfortable with Chloe around but
he needs time alone too. After all this time, he has finally realized that we have a cat. When we first got
him, he ignored Luke completely. Now he tries to make friends but the chase torment that the poor thing
had to endure when Chloe was a puppy has made him Boxer intolerant!! I don't know what I'd do every
morning without my cup of coffee, my recliner and my 70 pound lap dog watching the news. I have to
help him up but he fits!! It's kind of endearing. I think he just likes to snuggle.Well, as you can probably
tell, we are doing fine. Hopefully, the one year anniversary update will be on time!
UPDATE 6/1/05 - Hello! Sorry but I think I'm a little late in my three month update. Time flies!! Oliver is
doing better each day. We just had our fence installed a few weeks ago and, man, that boy can run!! I
thought he was just Mommy's cuddly couch potato!! He jumped over Chloe full speed yesterday.
WOW!! He's toned up quite a bit in the few weeks since the fence has been in. We had a party this past
weekend and he did great as long as he checked in with his family members every fifteen minutes or so. It
was kind of cute to see him standing on the patio scanning the crowd for the family, then, he would run up
to us, get pet for about 30 seconds and run away to follow after the children's hot dogs and barbeque
chicken. Needless to say, although we asked everyone not to feed them much, they didn't need to eat
dinner that night!! We didn't want overload for the two. I also think Oliver got a piece of cake because he
was pretty hyper(more than usual!),that night. He and Chloe still love each other. She was licking his entire
face tonight. He didn't seem to mind, although the kids told him to get up and walk away because they
told him YUCK! He still does very well with commands and listens especially to me. He loves Frank and
the boys also,but, he's definately a ladies man. I have tried a few times on the weekends to take him out of
the car into the pet store alone without Chloe but he gets a little nervous by this. Poor thing, had an
accident on my foot the last time the Petco employee offered him a bone!! So, the process is slow but
we'll get there. He has no problem when Chloe is with him. She's the brave one, I think, because she's
very social with people and he's more comfortable with her there. So, next time we try that, maybe we'll
try a smaller pet shop if we want him to try it alone. I figure we have to begin small. I want him to
eventually be confident enough to go it alone if he has to and not depend on her. Anyway, he's doing fine
and we still love him. As it is, he was supposed to originally be sleeping in our son's room but now he's so
popular in the family, the kids and I fight over where he will be. In each of the three rooms, he has an
'Oliver area'. A spare bed, a fouton bed and a pink recliner(which I think is his favorite)!! Thanks again to
everyone for Oliver and for everything!!
UPDATE 3/8/05 - Oliver is adjusting well. Our house is very busy since we have two teenage boys and a
flow of friends. All who visit understand that it takes Oliver a bit of time to adjust to someone new. He
used to retreat to our room. These past two weekends, though, he hasn't run off&there were at least five
teenagers at a time. He's getting brave. YEAH!!! On the weekend, we take him to a pet store to get a
bone at least once. We think it's important to keep him socialized outside the home as well. He let a few
kids in Petco in Waterford, CT play with him for a while. He's a little nervous around smaller children but
we think that it's due to no exposure. He hides behind us,but,my sister and my four year old niece take
them out and play with them for about an hour the two days that we both work and he is starting to get
used to her. At first, he stared at her in facination!! My sister said he probably hadn't seen too many
people so small! He gets along well with our one and a half year old girl, Chloe. There were a few times
when he thought she was going to take his rawhide bones so he huddled over them but now they run
around passing them back and forth!! He's realized that she is so goofy that she's never going to be a
threat. He doesn't care for his crate much as he only goes in there twice a week or when we're not home,
is fine when we put him in there but resists my sister when she tries to put him back on Mondays and
Fridays. Thank goodness he's usually out!! We took him for his first obedience lesson last Tuesday
3/1/05(was cancelled today due to weather but will resume next week). The trainer said that the biggest
problem that we may have with him is his quest to be the most dominent member of our home(over both
men&dogs!). He was during the first few weeks a little of what I call "pushy" in that he grumbled(didn't
snarl&wasn't a full growl)at me a few times or stood his ground when I was eating or refused to stop
playing a little too rough with Chloe(he's better with her now;sometimes she's the rough one!)and didn't
want to get off the bed to sleep in his recliner(he's too big to sleep with us&normally sleeps on the futon in
our son's room except during kid sleepovers when it's in use and then he sleeps in a recliner in our
room;it's pink;he looks like an Easter Bunny-I wish I had those ears and a camera!!!)but a firm "no" or a
five minute time out in his crate(he only got two of those!)and he was fine. We haven't had a problem
since those few incidents but he still loves our bed!! He's laying with Frank now snoring watching TV but
it's not quite bed time yet. He growled at the obedience instructor for trying to make his girl Chloe lay
down and stood his ground snarling in front of a fellow great dane student but firm "no's"again brought him
back to his senses. I don't foresee a problem with him at all. We take the kids to obedience class also so
they can hear what she has to say on how to train the dogs as they spend a great deal of time with them
also. He actually, unlike his hyper boucy friend Chloe, knows many of the commands and does them quite
well. Or,it could be that he will do anything for hotdogs and chicken!! Just wait until we stop using food.
LOL!! We took him to the vet a few weeks ago for lyme titer and will be taking him for a booster next
week. They do those in Rhode Island, thank goodness, because, years ago, when they didn't my
St.Bernard got lyme&it was awful so I always insist upon it. It's snowing here so I think we will try and
put Oliver's new plaid coat on so he can go out once more before bed. He looks like Sherlock Holmes
with it on. Chloe has a classy Brown&black coat on and they look like the best dressed couple in town
when they go out!! Too bad you don't have a cutest couple page!! Anyway, feel free to contact us at any
time. Thanks again for all of your time and for Oliver. Adopting him has been one of the best decisions we
have ever made. And, as for him, he wags his tail quite a bit now so hopefully, he's happy too.
2/9/05 Oliver has been adopted!
01/5/05 Oops, I didnt realize how long it's been since our last update!! Oliver is doing great. My
dominant male did decide he is not too fond of Oliver. I think it's the funky blue eye...it probably looks
like he is staring, LOL! My male is a bit touchy anyway. He gets along great with everyone else. The
good part about having to separate him from my big male is that he is very much crate trained now. He
continues to go to work with me where he is loose and greets all my customers and gets pats all day, but
in the evening he has no issues going into and sleeping in his comfy safe crate. I do not know how he
would fare being in a crate while someone was at work, but I'm sure it would be ok at least for a few
hours! Oliver eats well, and has NEVER had an accident in the house or crate. He does play rough with
people sometimes, but that can be easily modified with training. Oliver is just so sweet. Everyone loves
him. He attracts a great deal of attention with his coat and eye coloration. He is so soft and warm and he
loves put himself up in your lap and be patted. He does not do the big slobby kissing like some dogs,
which I prefer they not do! Someone is going to ADORE him..I do!!
11/25/04 Happy Thanksgiving from Oliver! Just a quick update on this little sweetie pie. I just love him to
pieces. He can hear quite a lot, by the way, but sometimes has a hard time figuring out where the sound is
coming from. My guess is that he is deaf in one ear and has 25-50% hearing in the other ear. Still, it does
help quite a bit.
Oliver gets along absolutely fine with everyone, all 6 other boxers, here at my house, and he plays nicely
with everyone. I would say whatever problems he was having in his former home stemmed from the other
dog. I have a very dominant male here of my own and he has never challenged him or started any kind of
problems.
Oliver does go to work with me as he does have some separation anxiety and was not crate trained. He
loves all the people coming and going and loves to get pats. Meeting strangers is not an issue for him . He
is not a big kisser, but will jump up on you for attention, and also when he is playing, so until he is trained
down it would be wise to use caution with extrememly young children. He LOVES kids.
He likes to be near me all the time, pretty typical for a hearing impaired dog. He would do best in a home
where someone was a round all the time or could take him to work everyday, had another dog to play
with and a fenced yard since it is difficult to recall a hearing impaired dog. I do believe Oliver to be crate-
trainable, I DO crate him at night in our bedroom, as he wants to sleep on our bed, and only our dominant
male is allowed to (special privilege LOL). He does fine in the crate all night, no whining or anything, and
sometimes goes in on his own or doesnt come out right away when it's open. Crates can be a real security
blanket for many dogs. More updates soon.
11/15/04 Oliver (formerly Macaroni) arrived at the Last Resort on Sunday night. He was surrendered
back to rescue because he and another dog in the home were unable to get along. Oliver is out loose with
all six of the other boxers (male and female) at my house and there have been absolutely no problems at
all. He loves to play and is very affecionate. Because he is anxious when he cannot see me, he is coming
to work with me during the day along a couple of mine that go everyday. He is friendly and good natured
with everyone who comes in.
He is sleeping in a wire crate in our bedroom at night, and I have been leaving a lamp on so he can see
where we all are. He likes to ride in the car, and is just generally a good boy, so I think the situation at the
former home was between the individual dogs.
Oliver is partially deaf, but can hear loud noises and even will come if called, though I doubt he can
decipher the words. He knows quite a few hand signals too. Oliver needs a home where someone is
around nearly all the time. He likes the companionship of other dogs. We always recommend a fenced
yard for hearing-impaired dogs as they cannot be recalled.
STATE: ME
AGE: 4 YEARS
WEIGHT: 70 LBS
SEX: MALE
NEUT/UTD: YES/YES
COAT COLOR: WHITE
DOCKED TAIL: YES
CROPPED EARS NO
CHILDREN under 4: UNSURE
CHILDREN OVER 4: YES
SEPARATION ANXIETY: SOME
OTHER DOGS: YES (Must have another dog)
CATS: YES
CRATE TRAINED: YES
HOUSE TRAINED: YES
OBEDIENCE TRAINED: UNSURE
LEASH TRAINED: YES
MICROCHIPPED: YES
ADOPTION DONATION: $300 + $20.00 FOR MICROCHIP
PARTIALLY DEAF
(NOTE: Due to my hearing impairment, I will need a home with another dog and someone that is home
more often (ex: at home parent, work at home, work opposite shifts, retired, etc).)
9/2/06 - Oliver continues to be a wonderful and welcome guest at the Riverview. Although I have
returned to work full time, he continues to have an accident-free record! Oliver readily accepts the crate
either during the day or at night, although he is not destructive and has no accidents when he is not crated.
Oliver arrived with reported grass allergies, and irritated feet. As he chooses to walk on the grass as
rarely as possible, his feet are no longer irritated. I think that Oliver would love to live somewhere where
he never had to touch grass! And since he loves to go for leash walks, and walks nicely on a leash, that
would be fine for him. Oliver does like to free-feed, and he has no issues with people or other dogs being
near his food or water dish. Oliver has been sleping with me in bed, and he is a good bed-fellow. He
doesn't hog the bed or the covers, and snuggles up nicely. (He will sleep in the crate if I don't let him up
with me.)
8/29/06 - Oliver welcomed our newest canine "guest" to the Riverview with wagging nub. He warmed up
to her immediately. It takes him a few minutes longer to warm up to new humans, but he does. For a
hearing impaired guy he is a great watchdog in true Boxer fashion. It was reported that Oliver did not ride
well in the car. That may be, but he rides very nicely in my pick-up truck! He spent the day traipsing
around with me running errands, and he seemed to love every minute. We (I mean HE) got some
admiring looks from passing vehicles when we were stopped in traffic due to construction. Well-deserved
looks, as he IS a very handsome boy! And he waited patiently in a well-behaved manner for me when I
had to run in and leave him in charge of the truck. (Oliver even got to come to school with me to help me
set up my new classroom.) He is SUCH a good boy!
8/24/06 - I hope that Oliver won't miss his walks as much as I will! I saw my podiatrist for a follow-up
visit, and learned that he wants me to 'rest' my foot for 6-8 weeks! That means no walking at all (unless it
is from the kitchen to the living room sofa). I am devastated! I LOVE my walks with my boys! I hoped
that maybe he would play 'fetch' as an exercise alternative, but he will chase the thrown object and that is
it. No fetching for him!
Oliver has decided that Beau needs to be subservient to him. I guess those dominance traits that his prior
home had noticed have surfaced here. So while he still has full house priveledges, he has them at different
times than Beau does. I guess that means that his perfect home would have a female in it (or perhaps a
very submissive male).
On another note, he is still not eating much, but is nibbling now and again. His prior home said that he was
a 'free-feeder'. Today while he was munching away, I needed to walk from the kitchen to the living room
(with ice pack in hand) and the shortest route took me right behind him. I had to nudge his butt to get
room to pass, and he was absolutely OK with that--even though he was eating! So we can announce
with assurance that he has no one bit of food agression with people! Another indication of his mellow
manner is his willingness to be touched anywhere. I checked his ears to see if they needed cleaning (they
didn't), and he was also OK with foot and toe-touching. He doesn't need his nails clipped yet, but I'll bet
that he'll be OK with that when he does.
8/22/06 - Another day, another update.....Other than perhaps being a tad heavier, Oliver hasn't aged a
day since his last photo shoot, so while the posted photos may be more than a year old, they are a good
likeness (and better than any photo this camera-challenged foster mom could take!) Oliver has earned
full-house priveledges here at the Riverview. He and Beau are not to the point where they cuddle up
together, but I have no worries that they will have a physical disagreement, even over food. Oliver has
finally started eating, so I know that he comfortable here. (He is a messy drinker!) Oliver will go into his
crate on command, but prefers the couch, or the loveseat, or my bed... As I return to work full-time next
week, I continue to crate him for short periods of time so that he will be more comfortable and confident
when I do have to be gone all day. He aleady has the early morning bathroom call down pat! The three of
us went for a walk together last evening, and will repeat that today as long as the humidity stays down so
we are all comfortable. For a young guy, he is not frenetically active, which suits me just fine. He's a great
combination of couch-potato and walking companion!
8/20/06 - Oliver is settling in here at the Riverview Boxer-Hostel, but is still stressed enough with his
changes to not have had an appetite yet. At 70 pounds he is a chunky fellow, so no special diet for him!
Oliver has demonstrated that he is fine in a crate, and fine not in a crate. He and Beau have been wagging
nubs at each other through the baby gates. So perhaps tomorrow we will have a face to face meeting on
leash. We went for a walk through the neighborhood, and his leash manners were very impressive--he
didn't pull at all! And he is nicely house-trained, too. Not a single accident or marking incident indoors.
He is reported to be OK with cats. And while mine has temporarily vacated the premises, I can beleive it
because he also seems to not care about my chickens. Oliver does have plenty of hearing--he hears the
phone ring, and heard my pool filter come on yesterday morning when we were still in bed. As my elderly
Beau (and before him my aged Rocky) had lost much of their hearing, I am used to accompanying most
'commands' with a gesture/hand signal. So I don't know if he is hearing them or seeing them, but he is
obeying them. Oliver is a sweetie, and we are happy to have him visiting!
8/19/06 - Oliver has arrived here at the Riverview. He is a three year old white male who weighs about 65
pounds. Oliver has one blue and one brown eye, and a long tongue. With his natural ears he is quite a
distinctive handsome young man! He is an owner surrender who needs a new home because his mom just
had a baby. He is UTD and neutered, and even microchipped. They report that he is great with older
children, gets along great with their female dog and with them, and has no food agression to other dogs or
people. They were just worried about him with the baby because he has no history with infants. Right
now he is very confused, and upset because he is here in my house and his family is gone. He keeps
coming over to me for reassurance, which I am happy to give. I can tell that he is a sweetie. More to
follow after he has had a chance to settle in here.
8/18/06 - Sadly Oliver was surrendered back to rescue after 18 months due to a brand new baby in the
house. More updates soon from his foster Mom.
UPDATE 10/12/05 - Hello! We're a little late again! Sorry... It's hard to believe we've had our boy for
over six months. He's a little spoiled still. He's barking at my feet for attention right now!! Or it could be
the pizza next to me. He just won himself a piece of pepperoni from his dad!!! I think it was his pleeease
eyes!! So cute. Today, he went with me to pick up CJ at the soccer field. He loves rides and he and
Chloe are convinced that they are human teenagers!! I took him alone this time because we are still
working on trying to make him a little more independent. He is more comfortable with Chloe around but
he needs time alone too. After all this time, he has finally realized that we have a cat. When we first got
him, he ignored Luke completely. Now he tries to make friends but the chase torment that the poor thing
had to endure when Chloe was a puppy has made him Boxer intolerant!! I don't know what I'd do every
morning without my cup of coffee, my recliner and my 70 pound lap dog watching the news. I have to
help him up but he fits!! It's kind of endearing. I think he just likes to snuggle.Well, as you can probably
tell, we are doing fine. Hopefully, the one year anniversary update will be on time!
UPDATE 6/1/05 - Hello! Sorry but I think I'm a little late in my three month update. Time flies!! Oliver is
doing better each day. We just had our fence installed a few weeks ago and, man, that boy can run!! I
thought he was just Mommy's cuddly couch potato!! He jumped over Chloe full speed yesterday.
WOW!! He's toned up quite a bit in the few weeks since the fence has been in. We had a party this past
weekend and he did great as long as he checked in with his family members every fifteen minutes or so. It
was kind of cute to see him standing on the patio scanning the crowd for the family, then, he would run up
to us, get pet for about 30 seconds and run away to follow after the children's hot dogs and barbeque
chicken. Needless to say, although we asked everyone not to feed them much, they didn't need to eat
dinner that night!! We didn't want overload for the two. I also think Oliver got a piece of cake because he
was pretty hyper(more than usual!),that night. He and Chloe still love each other. She was licking his entire
face tonight. He didn't seem to mind, although the kids told him to get up and walk away because they
told him YUCK! He still does very well with commands and listens especially to me. He loves Frank and
the boys also,but, he's definately a ladies man. I have tried a few times on the weekends to take him out of
the car into the pet store alone without Chloe but he gets a little nervous by this. Poor thing, had an
accident on my foot the last time the Petco employee offered him a bone!! So, the process is slow but
we'll get there. He has no problem when Chloe is with him. She's the brave one, I think, because she's
very social with people and he's more comfortable with her there. So, next time we try that, maybe we'll
try a smaller pet shop if we want him to try it alone. I figure we have to begin small. I want him to
eventually be confident enough to go it alone if he has to and not depend on her. Anyway, he's doing fine
and we still love him. As it is, he was supposed to originally be sleeping in our son's room but now he's so
popular in the family, the kids and I fight over where he will be. In each of the three rooms, he has an
'Oliver area'. A spare bed, a fouton bed and a pink recliner(which I think is his favorite)!! Thanks again to
everyone for Oliver and for everything!!
UPDATE 3/8/05 - Oliver is adjusting well. Our house is very busy since we have two teenage boys and a
flow of friends. All who visit understand that it takes Oliver a bit of time to adjust to someone new. He
used to retreat to our room. These past two weekends, though, he hasn't run off&there were at least five
teenagers at a time. He's getting brave. YEAH!!! On the weekend, we take him to a pet store to get a
bone at least once. We think it's important to keep him socialized outside the home as well. He let a few
kids in Petco in Waterford, CT play with him for a while. He's a little nervous around smaller children but
we think that it's due to no exposure. He hides behind us,but,my sister and my four year old niece take
them out and play with them for about an hour the two days that we both work and he is starting to get
used to her. At first, he stared at her in facination!! My sister said he probably hadn't seen too many
people so small! He gets along well with our one and a half year old girl, Chloe. There were a few times
when he thought she was going to take his rawhide bones so he huddled over them but now they run
around passing them back and forth!! He's realized that she is so goofy that she's never going to be a
threat. He doesn't care for his crate much as he only goes in there twice a week or when we're not home,
is fine when we put him in there but resists my sister when she tries to put him back on Mondays and
Fridays. Thank goodness he's usually out!! We took him for his first obedience lesson last Tuesday
3/1/05(was cancelled today due to weather but will resume next week). The trainer said that the biggest
problem that we may have with him is his quest to be the most dominent member of our home(over both
men&dogs!). He was during the first few weeks a little of what I call "pushy" in that he grumbled(didn't
snarl&wasn't a full growl)at me a few times or stood his ground when I was eating or refused to stop
playing a little too rough with Chloe(he's better with her now;sometimes she's the rough one!)and didn't
want to get off the bed to sleep in his recliner(he's too big to sleep with us&normally sleeps on the futon in
our son's room except during kid sleepovers when it's in use and then he sleeps in a recliner in our
room;it's pink;he looks like an Easter Bunny-I wish I had those ears and a camera!!!)but a firm "no" or a
five minute time out in his crate(he only got two of those!)and he was fine. We haven't had a problem
since those few incidents but he still loves our bed!! He's laying with Frank now snoring watching TV but
it's not quite bed time yet. He growled at the obedience instructor for trying to make his girl Chloe lay
down and stood his ground snarling in front of a fellow great dane student but firm "no's"again brought him
back to his senses. I don't foresee a problem with him at all. We take the kids to obedience class also so
they can hear what she has to say on how to train the dogs as they spend a great deal of time with them
also. He actually, unlike his hyper boucy friend Chloe, knows many of the commands and does them quite
well. Or,it could be that he will do anything for hotdogs and chicken!! Just wait until we stop using food.
LOL!! We took him to the vet a few weeks ago for lyme titer and will be taking him for a booster next
week. They do those in Rhode Island, thank goodness, because, years ago, when they didn't my
St.Bernard got lyme&it was awful so I always insist upon it. It's snowing here so I think we will try and
put Oliver's new plaid coat on so he can go out once more before bed. He looks like Sherlock Holmes
with it on. Chloe has a classy Brown&black coat on and they look like the best dressed couple in town
when they go out!! Too bad you don't have a cutest couple page!! Anyway, feel free to contact us at any
time. Thanks again for all of your time and for Oliver. Adopting him has been one of the best decisions we
have ever made. And, as for him, he wags his tail quite a bit now so hopefully, he's happy too.
2/9/05 Oliver has been adopted!
01/5/05 Oops, I didnt realize how long it's been since our last update!! Oliver is doing great. My
dominant male did decide he is not too fond of Oliver. I think it's the funky blue eye...it probably looks
like he is staring, LOL! My male is a bit touchy anyway. He gets along great with everyone else. The
good part about having to separate him from my big male is that he is very much crate trained now. He
continues to go to work with me where he is loose and greets all my customers and gets pats all day, but
in the evening he has no issues going into and sleeping in his comfy safe crate. I do not know how he
would fare being in a crate while someone was at work, but I'm sure it would be ok at least for a few
hours! Oliver eats well, and has NEVER had an accident in the house or crate. He does play rough with
people sometimes, but that can be easily modified with training. Oliver is just so sweet. Everyone loves
him. He attracts a great deal of attention with his coat and eye coloration. He is so soft and warm and he
loves put himself up in your lap and be patted. He does not do the big slobby kissing like some dogs,
which I prefer they not do! Someone is going to ADORE him..I do!!
11/25/04 Happy Thanksgiving from Oliver! Just a quick update on this little sweetie pie. I just love him to
pieces. He can hear quite a lot, by the way, but sometimes has a hard time figuring out where the sound is
coming from. My guess is that he is deaf in one ear and has 25-50% hearing in the other ear. Still, it does
help quite a bit.
Oliver gets along absolutely fine with everyone, all 6 other boxers, here at my house, and he plays nicely
with everyone. I would say whatever problems he was having in his former home stemmed from the other
dog. I have a very dominant male here of my own and he has never challenged him or started any kind of
problems.
Oliver does go to work with me as he does have some separation anxiety and was not crate trained. He
loves all the people coming and going and loves to get pats. Meeting strangers is not an issue for him . He
is not a big kisser, but will jump up on you for attention, and also when he is playing, so until he is trained
down it would be wise to use caution with extrememly young children. He LOVES kids.
He likes to be near me all the time, pretty typical for a hearing impaired dog. He would do best in a home
where someone was a round all the time or could take him to work everyday, had another dog to play
with and a fenced yard since it is difficult to recall a hearing impaired dog. I do believe Oliver to be crate-
trainable, I DO crate him at night in our bedroom, as he wants to sleep on our bed, and only our dominant
male is allowed to (special privilege LOL). He does fine in the crate all night, no whining or anything, and
sometimes goes in on his own or doesnt come out right away when it's open. Crates can be a real security
blanket for many dogs. More updates soon.
11/15/04 Oliver (formerly Macaroni) arrived at the Last Resort on Sunday night. He was surrendered
back to rescue because he and another dog in the home were unable to get along. Oliver is out loose with
all six of the other boxers (male and female) at my house and there have been absolutely no problems at
all. He loves to play and is very affecionate. Because he is anxious when he cannot see me, he is coming
to work with me during the day along a couple of mine that go everyday. He is friendly and good natured
with everyone who comes in.
He is sleeping in a wire crate in our bedroom at night, and I have been leaving a lamp on so he can see
where we all are. He likes to ride in the car, and is just generally a good boy, so I think the situation at the
former home was between the individual dogs.
Oliver is partially deaf, but can hear loud noises and even will come if called, though I doubt he can
decipher the words. He knows quite a few hand signals too. Oliver needs a home where someone is
around nearly all the time. He likes the companionship of other dogs. We always recommend a fenced
yard for hearing-impaired dogs as they cannot be recalled.
| One blue eye, one brown! |
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| THESE PICTURES ARE FROM 11/05 |