Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue

ABOUT OUR BOXERS:

All of our dogs come to us for various reasons, from owners who can no longer care for the dog, from a concerned citizen who finds a stray, or from shelters. We take them in and give them love, attention, vet care, and proper nutrition. Sometimes we know about their history and sometimes we don't. No matter where the dog came from they can be confused and scared about their situation.

WHAT TO (AND NOT TO) EXPECT FROM A RESCUE:

Dogs are like children, they do not come perfectly trained and obedient. Expecting a dog to be perfect, to know automatically what it is you expect from it, to know everything that pleases and displeases you is not fair to the Boxer.

Dogs require doctors' care, vaccinations and check-ups. They become sick and need medicine. They also need guidance, patience, understanding, attention, love and encouragement. Please make your decision an educated one.

OUR VIEWS AND POLICIES REGARDING ADOPTION:

Our dogs will never be outside dogs. Why get a dog if you don't want it inside with you where you can enjoy it and vice versa? Boxers are very people-oriented dogs. They do not do well when left alone and ignored. Boxers will come up with something to keep themselves entertained if they are bored. That could include barking, digging, or jumping the fence to explore when left outside alone. They are at high risk for heat stroke in the summer and cannot handle the cold winter temps due to their very short, one-layered coat (most dogs have two coats).

Our rescue was not formed to provide someone with the perfect pet, such things don't exist. We were formed for the sole purpose of serving Boxers in need. We are here to find our Boxers the most wonderful homes possible, homes committed to providing for the dog's health, safety, comfort and happiness,a home where the dog will be treated as a true member of the family.

We know each individual dog fairly well and which kind of environment the dog will do best in. We will only place one of our dogs in a home that is both the right match for the dog and is committed to the dog because of its personality. Selecting a dog based on the dog's picture or story alone is a great way to wind up with a mismatch. The cutest dog in the world may not seem so cute when the dog's physical and emotional needs are more than the family can offer, just as the ugliest dog in the world can become the most adorable when the family finds the dog is a great fit. Practice good judgement and look at the dogs' energy levels, quirks, habits, likes and dislikes. This is what you'll be living with.

We would encourage applicants who want to adopt because they know the breed, know the health problems, know the Boxer personality, and because they know that no matter what, this dog needs love and companionship. If you don't know that much about the breed then we urge you to do some research. We have links to Boxer information on our Links page as well as a link on the "About the Boxer" page.

WHY DO WE TAKE SUCH A STRONG POSITION?
We have had instances where people have adopted a dog from us then returned it 2 weeks to 6 months later because they didn't want to invest any time in the dog and never bonded with it (even though the dog bonded with them). We also hear people say, "We knew when we adopted the dog that it had X behavioral problem but we thought it would just go away and it hasn't." Our rescues were dumped at least once before which is how they ended up in our program to begin with. To have someone come to us and adopt a dog then dump the dog again is unforgivable.

Our contract clearly states that an owner may not give away, sell, euthanize or abandon a dog obtained from our rescue. The dog must be returned to us. In our opinion, the only acceptable reasons for returning a dog to rescue are displays of human aggression, an unmanagable in-home dog-aggression issue, the death of the dog's adoptive owner, or if the dog's owner develops an illness or disease which prevents him/her from providing the dog with proper care. Otherwise there is no good reason to give up on and abandon the very dog we entrusted you with. That dog has come to rely on you for its protection and companionship, don't be yet another owner to let that dog down.

If you want a dog that you can give back or only partly commit to, then one of our rescues is not for you and neither is any other dog in our opinion. If you feel that we are being unjust in our position, please spend a day going to different shelters in your area and look at all of those abandoned dogs. They didn't ask to be born. They didn't purposely irritate their owners. They certainly didn't ask to be abandoned to a loud, noisy, scary place to watch people come and go, take a look at them, smile, maybe stick a finger through the cage then walk away. Nor did any of those dogs do anything to deserve death row.

People tend to think that dogs are totally resilient, that they do not have emotions and do not have any other purpose in life than to please their owner. Most people never stop to think about what it must be like to find yourself suddenly ripped away from everything and everyone that is familiar to you. They don't think about what its like for the dog to go from the home they grew up in, to a shelter, then to a rescue and then again to their adoptive home. The dogs have no idea of what will happen next. Nothing and no one is familiar to them. Its confusing, hurtful, scary and unfair. How would you would feel and react if that happened to you? Now that you have an idea of what these dogs go through, can you honestly adopt one with even the possibility in mind that you may turn around later on and give the dog back? If this is something you are willing to subject the dog and your family to then please do not submit an application.

Thanks to CAROLINA BOXER RESCUE for letting us use this message!

Things to Consider before Submitting Your Application
ABOUT OUR BOXERS: All of our dogs come to us for various reasons, from owners who can no longer care for the dog, from a concerned citizen who finds a stray, or from shelters. We take them in and give them love, attention, vet care, and proper nutrition. Sometimes we know about their history and sometimes we don't. No matter where the dog came from they can be confused and scared about their situation. WHAT TO (AND NOT TO) EXPECT FROM A RESCUE: Dogs are like children, they do not come perfectly trained and obedient. Expecting a dog to be perfect, to know automatically what it is you expect from it, to know everything that pleases and displeases you is not fair to the Boxer. Dogs require doctors' care, vaccinations and check-ups. They become sick and need medicine. They also need guidance, patience, understanding, attention, love and encouragement. Please make your decision an educated one. OUR VIEWS AND POLICIES REGARDING ADOPTION: Our dogs will never be outside dogs. Why get a dog if you don't want it inside with you where you can enjoy it and vice versa? Boxers are very people-oriented dogs. They do not do well when left alone and ignored. Boxers will come up with something to keep themselves entertained if they are bored. That could include barking, digging, or jumping the fence to explore when left outside alone. They are at high risk for heat stroke in the summer and cannot handle the cold winter temps due to their very short, one-layered coat (most dogs have two coats). Our rescue was not formed to provide someone with the perfect pet, such things don't exist. We were formed for the sole purpose of serving Boxers in need. We are here to find our Boxers the most wonderful homes possible, homes committed to providing for the dog's health, safety, comfort and happiness,a home where the dog will be treated as a true member of the family. We know each individual dog fairly well and which kind of environment the dog will do best in. We will only place one of our dogs in a home that is both the right match for the dog and is committed to the dog because of its personality. Selecting a dog based on the dog's picture or story alone is a great way to wind up with a mismatch. The cutest dog in the world may not seem so cute when the dog's physical and emotional needs are more than the family can offer, just as the ugliest dog in the world can become the most adorable when the family finds the dog is a great fit. Practice good judgement and look at the dogs' energy levels, quirks, habits, likes and dislikes. This is what you'll be living with. We would encourage applicants who want to adopt because they know the breed, know the health problems, know the Boxer personality, and because they know that no matter what, this dog needs love and companionship. If you don't know that much about the breed then we urge you to do some research. We have links to Boxer information on our Links page as well as a link on the "About the Boxer" page. WHY DO WE TAKE SUCH A STRONG POSITION? We have had instances where people have adopted a dog from us then returned it 2 weeks to 6 months later because they didn't want to invest any time in the dog and never bonded with it (even though the dog bonded with them). We also hear people say, "We knew when we adopted the dog that it had X behavioral problem but we thought it would just go away and it hasn't." Our rescues were dumped at least once before which is how they ended up in our program to begin with. To have someone come to us and adopt a dog then dump the dog again is unforgivable. Our contract clearly states that an owner may not give away, sell, euthanize or abandon a dog obtained from our rescue. The dog must be returned to us. In our opinion, the only acceptable reasons for returning a dog to rescue are displays of human aggression, an unmanagable in-home dog-aggression issue, the death of the dog's adoptive owner, or if the dog's owner develops an illness or disease which prevents him/her from providing the dog with proper care. Otherwise there is no good reason to give up on and abandon the very dog we entrusted you with. That dog has come to rely on you for its protection and companionship, don't be yet another owner to let that dog down. If you want a dog that you can give back or only partly commit to, then one of our rescues is not for you and neither is any other dog in our opinion. If you feel that we are being unjust in our position, please spend a day going to different shelters in your area and look at all of those abandoned dogs. They didn't ask to be born. They didn't purposely irritate their owners. They certainly didn't ask to be abandoned to a loud, noisy, scary place to watch people come and go, take a look at them, smile, maybe stick a finger through the cage then walk away. Nor did any of those dogs do anything to deserve death row. People tend to think that dogs are totally resilient, that they do not have emotions and do not have any other purpose in life than to please their owner. Most people never stop to think about what it must be like to find yourself suddenly ripped away from everything and everyone that is familiar to you. They don't think about what its like for the dog to go from the home they grew up in, to a shelter, then to a rescue and then again to their adoptive home. The dogs have no idea of what will happen next. Nothing and no one is familiar to them. Its confusing, hurtful, scary and unfair. How would you would feel and react if that happened to you? Now that you have an idea of what these dogs go through, can you honestly adopt one with even the possibility in mind that you may turn around later on and give the dog back? If this is something you are willing to subject the dog and your family to then please do not submit an application. Thanks to CAROLINA BOXER RESCUE for letting us use this message!
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