Boxers are highly intelligent, exceedingly loyal, delightful dogs and I adore Pugwash, probably more than any other dog I’ve had, which is just as well, as he’s been the most costly! He is utterly beautiful to look at and everyone comments so and it’s not surprising as his Grandad won Best of Breed at Crufts. Unfortunately although the outside looks like Brad Pitt in dog terms, the inside is a disaster, but it wasn’t until he was three years old that things started to go wrong. There are apparently common health issues with Boxers and Pugwash is a case in point for Breeders placing too much emphasis on looks rather than good genes. If you’re thinking of getting one, there are some things you should know before you do. Get really good insurance cover in place. Question the Breeder about health issues. Heart problems are common, as I found out from the Cardiologist who treats Pugwash, when he told me he sees about three Boxers a week.
Everything started to go wrong when Pugwash was about three and his coat became very thin and dull with lots of dandruff. This was due to a thyroid disorder, which was sorted by daily medication of Saloxine for the rest of his life. He then started fainting which is the scariest thing ever. After a fast run, he would just collapse. For some reason thyroid issues and heart problems in Boxers seem to be linked, so if you have a Boxer please be aware of this. If any dog faints after activity, get it checked for heart problems immediately. So, yes I have a dog who’s as gorgeous as Brad and has cost my Insurers almost as much as he earns, so I have warned you, but that being said Boxers are just the most fun dogs ever!
They are as mad as hatters and I was warned by a friend who had one, that during the first year, I might want to send my puppy back, but after the first year all would be
well. I started to understand what she meant when he was about 12 weeks old. There was no chewing and house training was easy, so in puppy terms you’d think he was a dream, but the only way I can describe him was that he must have had an ASBO in a past life. He was just a thug and a bully to my dear Labrador. Like an unruly inmate in Wormwood Scrubs, he had a bad attitude and I realised why they are called Boxers. The Boxing starts quite early on with getting up on their hind legs and thrusting both front paws forward very hard. A fully grown Boxer can push a man over doing this – believe me it’s very powerful and they will use this for both play and when they are being protective. {The photo here is an early Boxing session – he was about 10 weeks old}. They love playing all the time, with other dogs, with other people, with anything at all, but they are exceedingly boisterous and they play rough. Other dogs often object to being charged at, even when it’s a friendly charge and for some reason people find a dog leaping up in front of them with all four feet three feet off the ground a little disconcerting, understandably! They don’t know it’s just a Boxers way of saying “hi”. You do have to watch them around small children because they’ll just be bowled over like nine pins.
What many people don’t know is that Boxers were bred for hunting and they are extremely good at it. They are very fast dogs and they need lots of exercise off the lead. Walking a Boxer is a bit like walking a Stallion and they do need to run free, hunt and play and if you don’t have a lifestyle that allows this, a Boxer is probably not the right choice for you. If you can take up the challenge of one of these amazing dogs and find a breeder who breeds for good health and great looks, I would certainly say it’s worth it. If you can handle the thuggish behaviour and overpower it with love, you will have a friend who makes you laugh more than you have since you can remember, who will become your shadow, adore you, protect you, depend on you and be the best thing you ever did.
Fiona Mackenzie-Spence’s work is often a little bizarre, certainly wacky and unusual, in that she’s not looking for perfection from the photographer’s point of view, but from the eye of an artist. “I use the camera and technology as my media in which to create my images, but I don’t call myself a photographer, because I know far too little about the technicalities of photography and cameras – it’s on my to do list”!
Although photography has always been something of a hobby, the introduction of Fine Art into Fiona’s life began in the early 1980’s when she was involved romantically with a student at Maidenhead College of Art & Design. The result was a four year relationship and a great deal of time spent with him on London outings in the Cork Street Galleries and The Tate ...
To Order Email Fiona Mackenzie-Spence at cameratechart@gmail.com
