I
was quite surprised when I entered the house.
She was absolutely beautiful and before I could catch my breath she ran
toward me and began to kiss me. I really wasn’t embarrassed just in shock
because I didn’t even know her.
Suddenly, I heard a voice. “Oh, say hello to Lola. She’s very affectionate, loving and is
attracted to you”. I looked at her and
started to stroke her back. It felt so
strong and she stood there looking at me with such gorgeous eyes that I
immediately fell in love with her.
When
I first got to know Lola my granddaughter was nine years old and my grandson
was six years old. They both adored Lola
and she was much larger than the children but it didn’t make any difference
because Lola loved to roll on the floor with them and they would sit on her and
even cuddle with her. Lola, despite her
large size of about 50 pounds and 25 inches high, only licked their cheeks and
they hugged her. It has always been a
complete love affair with them.
Now,
Lola is ten years old which is equal to 70 in a dog’s life and her pace is much
slower. So our family decided she might
feel a little lonely and got her a one year old boyfriend, Charlie, another
Boxer. Yes, they have fallen for each
other and have become great pals.
Charlie brings Lola a special companionship that really inspires Lola. As a matter of fact, they enjoy playing
together. They each have a crate next to each other and when it’s bedtime or
they are tired each will go into their crate without being told to do so. When I visit them, I sense a wonderful
bonding that exists between them and the children.
I always loved dogs and as a child I once had
one. But it was much smaller and I
always thought a large dog would be overwhelming. Meeting Lola and Charlie, I quickly came to
realize I was mistaken. Yes, Lola and
Charlie were once owned by other families and were adopted from a rescue
center. I became so fascinated with them
that I decided to research the origin of the Boxer.
John
Wagner’s book, The Boxer,** contains one of the most detailed histories of this
breed’s development. He explains that
this breed began in Munich, Germany during the last century. Other authors have reported that as far back
as the Assyrians, more than 2000 B.C., a strain of dogs with a powerful build
were used in war. Centuries later, the
type of dog was named Molassian from a city in what is now Albania. These dogs spread across the continent and
became the ancestors of the German Bullenbeisser, a heavy dog like the Mastiff
characteristically with a bulldog face.
These dogs because of their agility and strength traditionally were used
in hunting. Breeding this type of face
provided the Boxer to have a better grasp of its prey. They are strong and intelligent and very
devoted as service dogs, as guides for the blind, for therapy, in police K9
units and occasionally for herding cattle or sheep. Most of all, Boxers are friendly, lively
companions that are very popular with families Lola
and Charlie could be my favorite pets anytime.
**Wagner, John P. The Boxer, Orange Judd Publishing Co., Inc. New York (1947)
