| SPIRIT |
State: NY
Age: 14 months?
Weight: 48 lbs
Sex: Female
Neut/UTD: Yes/Yes
Coat color: Fawn
Docked Tail: Yes
Cropped Ears: No
Children under 4: No too rough
Children over 4: Yes
Seperation Anxiety: No
Other Dogs: Yes (better as only dog)
Cats: Unsure
Crate trained: Yes
Housebroken: Mostly
Obedience Trained: No
Leash trained: No
Microchipped: No
Adoption Fee: $300
Age: 14 months?
Weight: 48 lbs
Sex: Female
Neut/UTD: Yes/Yes
Coat color: Fawn
Docked Tail: Yes
Cropped Ears: No
Children under 4: No too rough
Children over 4: Yes
Seperation Anxiety: No
Other Dogs: Yes (better as only dog)
Cats: Unsure
Crate trained: Yes
Housebroken: Mostly
Obedience Trained: No
Leash trained: No
Microchipped: No
Adoption Fee: $300
11/21/06 - Well it is official, Spirit is ready for her new home. She was spay Thursday and has
recovered very well. You wouldn't even know she's recently had surgery and she hasn't touched her
spay incision. Such a good girl. Spirit absolutely adores my children. Her behavior with my 4 year old
has much improved. She now only jumps on him once or twice as soon as he gets up in the morning. I
suppose not seeing him for many hours she just loses control a bit. She has not had any issues with any
people she has met. I do
believe she would do best as an only dog. She gets along with my dogs 95% of the time then there's a
spat. She has never acted aggressively towards my dogs in the fenced yard when they are playing, or
dogs she has met on walks or at the vets office. She tends to get nervous in the house, maybe she feels
closed in? When she arrived here she had some deep puncture wounds on her legs so maybe she has
had some bad experiences. She also does not like the other dogs around her when she is eating (this
stands to reason given her condition when she arrived). I have put my hands in her bowl, taken food
away and even taken a fresh marrow bone away that she was thoroughly enjoying and gotten no
reaction. She is a very even tempered little baby with people.
Spirit only has a few more patches of fur that need to come in. She's looks like a different dog. You
would never know how horrible she looked a few weeks ago. She's happy with any little bit of attention
she receives and isn't overly active for a young dog. She likes to run in the yard or play with her toys
but her energy level isn't as high as most young dogs. She will do fine with a family where she has to be
left alone during the day. She actually likes her crate and isn't at all bothered by being in it. She does a
great little happy dance when we talk to her. She always happy, I swear you would never know this girl
has had a bad day. I'm still amazed that despite all she's been through she's a typical friendly, silly
boxer. I'm hoping her forever home come along soon, this girl deserves to settle in at her forever home
and learn what it is like to have a special family of her own.
11/2/06 - Spirit had a vet appointment on Monday and had a great check up. She weighed in at 48
pounds and is looking great. Her coat is coming in very nicely, just in time for winter! Spirit can be spay
in 2 weeks. She will be ready to go home in mid-November. The doctor deemed her no longer
contagious so she has joined the "general population". She is doing well with all 4 of my dogs and my
children. She gets a little upset if she thinks one of the other dogs is playing too rough with Mimi but
she's doing very nicely.
Housebreaking is coming along well and she is nicely behaved in the crate. Spirit is a typical boxer, she
believes she is a lap dog and likes to lay on us whenever possible. She has no problems with meeting
new people and welcomes everyone with wiggles. Spirit absolutely loves kids and gets over excited
when seeing little ones. This is the reason I think she would be better suited for a home with older kids.
She is NOT aggressive, she jumps on them and tries to play with small children they could get pushed
over or faces scratched. She just needs a little training. Spirit would love to be in her nice cozy new
home for Thanksgiving. She is sweet, loveable, friendly, crate trained and "almost" housebroke. What
more could a person ask for?
10/26/06 - Spirit needs a home with older kids only (8+) until she gets some manners/training. She gets
way too excited and jumps. She is a sweetie though. Other dogs are OK too. She's not allowed with
them yet but tries to play through the gate and ignores them when we walk past them to go outside.
Spirit should get her last mange treatment on 10/30 then be ready for her spay & to go HOME! :)
10/19/06 - Spirit went to the vet yesterday and received her second mange treatment. She will get one
more on the 30th and 3 weeks or so after that she should be ready for adoption. Spirit has gained 7
pounds and looks much better then she did when she first got here. Her fur is starting to come back and
her itching
has subsided. She will scratch a bit here and there but it is nothing compared to how she would scratch
until she bled before. It is amazing how far she has come in such a short time. Spirit gets more playful
everyday and it is nice to see her wanting to play with Mimi more now that she is feeling better. Spirit is
pretty calm, especially for her age. Spirit loves every person she meets. Her nub wiggles so quickly and
she gets so excited to meet new people. It's nice to see that she is still so trusting of humans after all she
has gone through. She adores my kids and her only bad habit is when my 4 year old, Nathan, turns his
back to walk away from her she jumps on him. She will not jump on him unless he's walking away and
if he turns around she instantly stops. I swear she is trying to stop him from leaving her. I think this
behavior will resolve itself once she is able to come out of "quarantine". She will respond to a firm
"OFF" so we have been using that to keep her off counters, gates and Nathan! Spirit is a sweetie who
is very eager to please. Better get those applications in or you will miss out on a really great dog!
10/8/06 - I know that everyone who has read Spirit's story and seen her pictures will want regular
updates on her. I will try my best to update often until she's doing better. Spirit is a great girl, she looks
better already and has even put on a bit of weight. She is eating 4 times a day, plus snacks between
feedings. She has gotten to the point where she doesn't inhale her food. She will eat about half of it,
wander around for a few minutes then go back for the rest. She still eats everything she is offered within
about 15 minutes but that is a big change from how quickly she ate before. She has no problems with
me touching her and putting my hands in her food bowl while she is eating. I think that is pretty
impressive. She doesn't like Mimi to go near her while she is eating so Mimi is fed in the crate. I think
that will subside when she realizes she won't ever go hungry again.
I went to the butcher the other day and bought some big fresh beef marrow bones. Spirit laid on the
blanket and chewed her bone like crazy, she really enjoyed it. She is feeling so much better she has
even started to play with Mimi. The last 2 days they have really had a lot of fun. It breaks my heart that
she has to be kept separated. I look forward to her no longer being contagious and being able to
become a true part of a family. Spirit is not housebroke but I think she will pick it up quickly. I am truly
amazed by her friendly demeanor, she loves everyone she has met including my kids (11 & 4 years
old). She has made so much progress in a week that she definitely seems to be on the road to being
healthy again.
10/3/06 Spirit made her way to my favorite veterinarian yesterday. The doctor was impressed by how
good natured and easy she was to examine. Her skin is so warm it feels hot to the touch, I'm sure it is
uncomfortable when we touch her yet she tolerated everything without a single problem.
Her skin scraping was positive for sarcoptic mange. The bad news is sarcoptic mange is contagious so
she is "quarantined" in one room with her puppy. The good news is it is much easier/faster to treat than
demodectic mange. She began treatment yesterday and goes back in 2 weeks for a recheck and
second treatment. Spirit is heartworm negative (big sigh of relief) and is now on heartworm prevention.
She was positive for some parasites and began treatment for that. I expect her to start gaining weigh
nicely now. She is also fully vaccinated and on antibiotics for her skin infections. Hopefully her itching
will subside in a few days. Keep looking for more updates and pictures, this girl is going to look
beautiful in a few weeks.
10/1/06 - Our newest foster girl arrived yesterday thanks to Linda one of our very special volunteers
who made a long trip to save her and her puppy from a shelter. Linda called me to warn me about the
condition this baby was in. I had thought I had seen everything until this sweet girl arrived. She is a
mess, very very thin, almost totally bald with big scabs and open sores all over her body. Despite her
horrible physical condition I was greeted in true boxer fashion with boxer wiggles and some kidney
bean dancing. This girl is proof that it takes a lot to break a boxers spirit.... so her name is Spirit. It's
kind of funny because my daughter asked if we could name the puppy Spirit but after a few minutes it
was realized mom better fit the name.
Spirit is a young girl, I do believe she is **supposed** to be fawn with a black mask. We suspect she
has mange and possibly secondary skin infections. She will be going to the vet tomorrow to get all her
ailments taken care of. She is so itchy she scratches herself raw, then leaves bloody foot prints across
the floor. It is horrible to see a dog in so much discomfort. She had an Oatmeal/aloe bath as soon as
she arrived yesterday and it seems to have cut down on some of the itching. She's also wearing a
doggie sweater so can scratch without hurting herself. She has been nothing but friendly and wants a
human with her at all times. She is eating well so hopefully she will put on some weight. More updates
to come....
10/5/06 - I would like to explain how Spirit and MiMi came to SCBR and where they come from. I
receive about 75 emails a day asking for help with all kinds of animals. I read one for Spirit and her
pup, their pictures made me want to do something. They were so pitiful, I just couldn't delete this one,
even if they were in KY, I knew we had to do something as a group. I immediately emailed Julie T and
Jill P, Julie to see if they could come in and Jill to see if she would foster. Without hesitation, Julie said if
you can get them here and Jill will take them, let's save them. Jill set up contact with the pound. This is
very rural KY, a pound run by the county. they have no paid employees, only two volunteers that help
with the animals. She said that these two had been there for awhile and really needed out. I found
another kind heart that offered to help us. this past Saturday, she drove 2hrs through thick fog, pulled
them and drove to meet me in Charleston, WV. She told me the pound feeds when they have food,
they have no heat in the winter, all animals lay on the cement floor and the county won't let the
volunteers in on the weekends to feed and water. they currently have 200 dogs alone there. No one
even works there to euthenize, I guess they just let them die. Adoptions are almost nill, remember, this
is a pound, not even a shelter. Somehow the volunteer was able to get someone to let her in last
Saturday to spring the dogs. To say I was shocked when I seen Spirit is an understatement. She is in
the worst shape I have ever seen a dog in. Bless her heart, she is a true Boxer, she had nothing but
kisses for me. there was no information available for these two, the volunteer doesn't even know how
they ended up there. They also received no vaccinations and no medical care. I can't thank Jill and her
family enough for opening their heart and home to these two. They have a long road to recovery but
couldn't be in a better place than Jill's house and SCBR. When all is said and done, medical care for
these two will probably come close to $1,500 and some people say that rescues make money! If you
can help with any of their medical bills, please do, even $5 goes towards helping.
recovered very well. You wouldn't even know she's recently had surgery and she hasn't touched her
spay incision. Such a good girl. Spirit absolutely adores my children. Her behavior with my 4 year old
has much improved. She now only jumps on him once or twice as soon as he gets up in the morning. I
suppose not seeing him for many hours she just loses control a bit. She has not had any issues with any
people she has met. I do
believe she would do best as an only dog. She gets along with my dogs 95% of the time then there's a
spat. She has never acted aggressively towards my dogs in the fenced yard when they are playing, or
dogs she has met on walks or at the vets office. She tends to get nervous in the house, maybe she feels
closed in? When she arrived here she had some deep puncture wounds on her legs so maybe she has
had some bad experiences. She also does not like the other dogs around her when she is eating (this
stands to reason given her condition when she arrived). I have put my hands in her bowl, taken food
away and even taken a fresh marrow bone away that she was thoroughly enjoying and gotten no
reaction. She is a very even tempered little baby with people.
Spirit only has a few more patches of fur that need to come in. She's looks like a different dog. You
would never know how horrible she looked a few weeks ago. She's happy with any little bit of attention
she receives and isn't overly active for a young dog. She likes to run in the yard or play with her toys
but her energy level isn't as high as most young dogs. She will do fine with a family where she has to be
left alone during the day. She actually likes her crate and isn't at all bothered by being in it. She does a
great little happy dance when we talk to her. She always happy, I swear you would never know this girl
has had a bad day. I'm still amazed that despite all she's been through she's a typical friendly, silly
boxer. I'm hoping her forever home come along soon, this girl deserves to settle in at her forever home
and learn what it is like to have a special family of her own.
11/2/06 - Spirit had a vet appointment on Monday and had a great check up. She weighed in at 48
pounds and is looking great. Her coat is coming in very nicely, just in time for winter! Spirit can be spay
in 2 weeks. She will be ready to go home in mid-November. The doctor deemed her no longer
contagious so she has joined the "general population". She is doing well with all 4 of my dogs and my
children. She gets a little upset if she thinks one of the other dogs is playing too rough with Mimi but
she's doing very nicely.
Housebreaking is coming along well and she is nicely behaved in the crate. Spirit is a typical boxer, she
believes she is a lap dog and likes to lay on us whenever possible. She has no problems with meeting
new people and welcomes everyone with wiggles. Spirit absolutely loves kids and gets over excited
when seeing little ones. This is the reason I think she would be better suited for a home with older kids.
She is NOT aggressive, she jumps on them and tries to play with small children they could get pushed
over or faces scratched. She just needs a little training. Spirit would love to be in her nice cozy new
home for Thanksgiving. She is sweet, loveable, friendly, crate trained and "almost" housebroke. What
more could a person ask for?
10/26/06 - Spirit needs a home with older kids only (8+) until she gets some manners/training. She gets
way too excited and jumps. She is a sweetie though. Other dogs are OK too. She's not allowed with
them yet but tries to play through the gate and ignores them when we walk past them to go outside.
Spirit should get her last mange treatment on 10/30 then be ready for her spay & to go HOME! :)
10/19/06 - Spirit went to the vet yesterday and received her second mange treatment. She will get one
more on the 30th and 3 weeks or so after that she should be ready for adoption. Spirit has gained 7
pounds and looks much better then she did when she first got here. Her fur is starting to come back and
her itching
has subsided. She will scratch a bit here and there but it is nothing compared to how she would scratch
until she bled before. It is amazing how far she has come in such a short time. Spirit gets more playful
everyday and it is nice to see her wanting to play with Mimi more now that she is feeling better. Spirit is
pretty calm, especially for her age. Spirit loves every person she meets. Her nub wiggles so quickly and
she gets so excited to meet new people. It's nice to see that she is still so trusting of humans after all she
has gone through. She adores my kids and her only bad habit is when my 4 year old, Nathan, turns his
back to walk away from her she jumps on him. She will not jump on him unless he's walking away and
if he turns around she instantly stops. I swear she is trying to stop him from leaving her. I think this
behavior will resolve itself once she is able to come out of "quarantine". She will respond to a firm
"OFF" so we have been using that to keep her off counters, gates and Nathan! Spirit is a sweetie who
is very eager to please. Better get those applications in or you will miss out on a really great dog!
10/8/06 - I know that everyone who has read Spirit's story and seen her pictures will want regular
updates on her. I will try my best to update often until she's doing better. Spirit is a great girl, she looks
better already and has even put on a bit of weight. She is eating 4 times a day, plus snacks between
feedings. She has gotten to the point where she doesn't inhale her food. She will eat about half of it,
wander around for a few minutes then go back for the rest. She still eats everything she is offered within
about 15 minutes but that is a big change from how quickly she ate before. She has no problems with
me touching her and putting my hands in her food bowl while she is eating. I think that is pretty
impressive. She doesn't like Mimi to go near her while she is eating so Mimi is fed in the crate. I think
that will subside when she realizes she won't ever go hungry again.
I went to the butcher the other day and bought some big fresh beef marrow bones. Spirit laid on the
blanket and chewed her bone like crazy, she really enjoyed it. She is feeling so much better she has
even started to play with Mimi. The last 2 days they have really had a lot of fun. It breaks my heart that
she has to be kept separated. I look forward to her no longer being contagious and being able to
become a true part of a family. Spirit is not housebroke but I think she will pick it up quickly. I am truly
amazed by her friendly demeanor, she loves everyone she has met including my kids (11 & 4 years
old). She has made so much progress in a week that she definitely seems to be on the road to being
healthy again.
10/3/06 Spirit made her way to my favorite veterinarian yesterday. The doctor was impressed by how
good natured and easy she was to examine. Her skin is so warm it feels hot to the touch, I'm sure it is
uncomfortable when we touch her yet she tolerated everything without a single problem.
Her skin scraping was positive for sarcoptic mange. The bad news is sarcoptic mange is contagious so
she is "quarantined" in one room with her puppy. The good news is it is much easier/faster to treat than
demodectic mange. She began treatment yesterday and goes back in 2 weeks for a recheck and
second treatment. Spirit is heartworm negative (big sigh of relief) and is now on heartworm prevention.
She was positive for some parasites and began treatment for that. I expect her to start gaining weigh
nicely now. She is also fully vaccinated and on antibiotics for her skin infections. Hopefully her itching
will subside in a few days. Keep looking for more updates and pictures, this girl is going to look
beautiful in a few weeks.
10/1/06 - Our newest foster girl arrived yesterday thanks to Linda one of our very special volunteers
who made a long trip to save her and her puppy from a shelter. Linda called me to warn me about the
condition this baby was in. I had thought I had seen everything until this sweet girl arrived. She is a
mess, very very thin, almost totally bald with big scabs and open sores all over her body. Despite her
horrible physical condition I was greeted in true boxer fashion with boxer wiggles and some kidney
bean dancing. This girl is proof that it takes a lot to break a boxers spirit.... so her name is Spirit. It's
kind of funny because my daughter asked if we could name the puppy Spirit but after a few minutes it
was realized mom better fit the name.
Spirit is a young girl, I do believe she is **supposed** to be fawn with a black mask. We suspect she
has mange and possibly secondary skin infections. She will be going to the vet tomorrow to get all her
ailments taken care of. She is so itchy she scratches herself raw, then leaves bloody foot prints across
the floor. It is horrible to see a dog in so much discomfort. She had an Oatmeal/aloe bath as soon as
she arrived yesterday and it seems to have cut down on some of the itching. She's also wearing a
doggie sweater so can scratch without hurting herself. She has been nothing but friendly and wants a
human with her at all times. She is eating well so hopefully she will put on some weight. More updates
to come....
10/5/06 - I would like to explain how Spirit and MiMi came to SCBR and where they come from. I
receive about 75 emails a day asking for help with all kinds of animals. I read one for Spirit and her
pup, their pictures made me want to do something. They were so pitiful, I just couldn't delete this one,
even if they were in KY, I knew we had to do something as a group. I immediately emailed Julie T and
Jill P, Julie to see if they could come in and Jill to see if she would foster. Without hesitation, Julie said if
you can get them here and Jill will take them, let's save them. Jill set up contact with the pound. This is
very rural KY, a pound run by the county. they have no paid employees, only two volunteers that help
with the animals. She said that these two had been there for awhile and really needed out. I found
another kind heart that offered to help us. this past Saturday, she drove 2hrs through thick fog, pulled
them and drove to meet me in Charleston, WV. She told me the pound feeds when they have food,
they have no heat in the winter, all animals lay on the cement floor and the county won't let the
volunteers in on the weekends to feed and water. they currently have 200 dogs alone there. No one
even works there to euthenize, I guess they just let them die. Adoptions are almost nill, remember, this
is a pound, not even a shelter. Somehow the volunteer was able to get someone to let her in last
Saturday to spring the dogs. To say I was shocked when I seen Spirit is an understatement. She is in
the worst shape I have ever seen a dog in. Bless her heart, she is a true Boxer, she had nothing but
kisses for me. there was no information available for these two, the volunteer doesn't even know how
they ended up there. They also received no vaccinations and no medical care. I can't thank Jill and her
family enough for opening their heart and home to these two. They have a long road to recovery but
couldn't be in a better place than Jill's house and SCBR. When all is said and done, medical care for
these two will probably come close to $1,500 and some people say that rescues make money! If you
can help with any of their medical bills, please do, even $5 goes towards helping.
| HAVE YOU SPONSORED A BOXER TODAY?? You can make a safe, secure donation through Paypal and make a difference in a dog's life TODAY! Even $5 or $10 helps pay for food and medical care. Click here to donate today! or Mail your donation to: SCBR PO Box 525 Woolwich, ME 04579 |
