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Sugar
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| Age: Senior (7+) |
Gender: Female |
| Color:Flashy Fawn |
Spayed/Neutered: Yes |
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Description
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IN MEMORIAL: SUGAR ~13 years of age
Came to Mid-MO Boxer Rescue in the Spring of 2000, and left her family and the volunteers who loved her on September 18, 2002. Rest in Peace sweet girl.
We had to put Sugar to sleep today. She really went down hill during the past week and could no longer walk very well. She was having constant seizures, bumping into walls and falling down steps. It was time to let her die with
dignity like the proud, noble dog that she was.
We are all grieving around her, and will probably want another boxer at some point, but we need a little more time. Sugar was such a good dog, I don’t want to jump into another pet that doesn’t measure up. Do keep us in mind if the right one comes along. We might be interested in being foster parents if the need arises. Thanks for matching us up with Sugar. She was a truly great
pet for our family.
......and more.. be sure and see the pictures...
The story begins 3 years ago when my husband and I decided we wanted to be dog owners, but we couldn’t agree on a breed. He really wanted a Doberman, but I didn’t want a dog that might be dangerous to our youngest daughter who was only 2 at the time. We decided that a Boxer with cropped ears and a sleek coat was almost like a Doberman with a friendly face. I contacted Lisa Key at Mid-Missouri Boxer Rescue and she came to meet our family. Lisa had asked if we might be interested in a nine-year-old dog, and I dismissed it as too old…until I met Sugar. After meeting her we decided that a calm, older dog that didn’t jump, chew, dig or bark, and was already house broken was a pretty good idea. Sugar came into our home in May of 2000 and immediately won our hearts. She had perfect manners, and was wonderful with our 3 children. She had come to Rescue from a man who was down on his luck and couldn’t keep her, but he must have been a great pet owner, because she was very well behaved. I told everyone that adopting a senior was the way to go. The first weekend we had Sugar, we took her to the local Pet Parade and she let the kids walk her down main street as if she had been our dog for her whole life. Sugar loved to ride in the car, so we took her everywhere. If she was left behind in the car she would immediately sit in the driver’s seat. I loved hearing people say “It looks like that dog is driving!� She went to our son’s football practices, weekends at my parents, and on our boat while we were water skiing. Boxers aren’t known for being water dogs, but she put up with being on the boat so she could be with us. For Halloween the kids dressed in Scooby Doo costumes which looked remarkably like Sugar… (OK, Scooby is a Great Dane, but he is still brown with pointy ears.) Once Sugar hosted a dog party and invited her 4-legged friends and their 2-legged owners to meet us at a walking trail. We had a dog treat taste contest where we put out 4 different types of treats and watched which kind the dogs ate first. (The Chewy Bonz were first and the Milk Bones were last for every dog.) My parents are well known for welcoming strangers into their home. College students in need of a place to go for holidays, weary travelers and distant family were always invited, but no dogs, until Sugar came along. She won my parents hearts and helped them to change their rules about dog visitors. Now a family dinner usually includes 4-legged guests as well. For an old dog, Sugar could run like the wind if she wanted too. When she was around other dogs, or sometimes just for fun she would race around the yard. Even the younger dogs couldn’t keep up if she really wanted to run. As she got older, any type of physical exertion would lead to a seizure a few minutes later, so we quit encouraging her to get excited. At first the seizures were characterized by staggering around and loss of control of her back legs. She had a seizure at the vet’s office and he diagnosed it as an insulin producing tumor. It was a sad surprise to me that Boxers are a short-lived breed. We tried to control her diet for a while but Sugar continued to go down hill until she could no longer go for walks or car rides or on the boat. Eventually she lost her ability to walk steps and started having very severe seizures. Sugar died last week and we are all grieving for her. She was a noble and dignified lady up until the end. I miss the sound of her collar jingling, the site of her trying to push our sleeping teenager out of bed in the morning, the way her jowls would spread out when she put her face on the floor. Sugar was our constant companion for the last 2 ½ years, and our house sure seems quiet without her.
I am grateful to Boxer Rescue for helping us learn how much we can gain from having a dog in our lives. We will never replace her, but in time we will open our hearts and our home to another great Boxer that needs a family.
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Pictures
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