Paws in Motion 2010

(Sophie, ready for her 1st Paws in Motion, sporting a fashionable Winnipeg Humane Society bandanna)

On Sunday, June 27, I participated in the Winnipeg Humane Society's annual walk-a-thon called Paws in Motion. Sophie and I walked the longer walk of 3km all around the Assiniboine Park. There was easily over a thousand people there with their own four-legged friends in tow. Everyone got along superbly and had a great morning.

(during the walk)

The event ended up being a huge success for the Winnipeg Humane Society. They claim it was their best year to date.

(after the walk, by the Lyric Theatre in Assiniboine Park, where there was prizes, contests, and live music)

Mother Nature was also on our side with a warm day. The thunderstorm predicted held off until about 1:30pm, a good hour after the event ended.

(there were also many kiosks, selling pet products, or giving out samples, or information on services)

Amongst all the dog, I was shocked and pleased to see another white boxer. Not only another white boxer, but he had an uncanny resemblance to Sophie. So uncanny, in fact, that I had to do a double take to confirm it wasn't Sophie! You be the judge by these photos.

(Sophie (on the left) looking at her male like-alike Bono (on the right))

(Bono, Sophie's twin!)

(currently best photo I have of Sophie's standing physique)

I wish I could've gotten better photos of Sophie and Bono together, but all the wanted to do was box and wouldn't stay still together (go figure!) What do you think? Do you think they look similar?

I manager to raise over $400 for the cause. I'd like to thank all of my supporters: those who pledged money and those who lent me moral support.

The Myth of the White Boxer

When one thinks of the boxer breed, they don't think of a white coloured dog. Boxers, by definition, are muscular, medium-sized, short-haired dogs with a smooth coat in either fawn or brindle with or without white markings. That is the ideal boxer. However, some boxers will have an access of white markings, or even be completely white. Any boxer with white markings covering more than one-third of their body are called a "white" Boxer. This colour marking is not rare. Genetically, when a flashy boxer is breed to another flashy boxer, approximately 20–25% of the litter produced will be considered white. (flashy refers to the amount of white on the body - typically face, chest, legs. It cannot exceed 1/3 of the body's colour or it is outside of the breed standard)

(Flashy boxer with her pups. Notice how 2 of them are also flashy, while one has little/no white, but the 4th is white)

(This boxer is considered a "white boxer, because it has more than 1/3 white covering it's body)

The white boxer is not an albino. Albinos have a complete lack of pigment and their eyes are red. White boxers have an access of white in their coat. Most white boxers will have some colouring to them, either in coloured patches or in light or dark spots. Also, they will have brown-coloured eyes.

(Here's another white boxer pup, with just a little coloured patch around one eye - like the dog from the Little Rascals!)

As for health problems, a white boxer can easily get sunburned easily or have sensitive skin and/or allergies. The extreme piebald gene, which is responsible for white markings in Boxers, is also linked to congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs. It is estimated that about 18% of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears.

In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at birth because they are disqualified from conformation showing by the breed standard, and are prohibited from breeding by every national Boxer club in the world. They can, however, compete in non-conformation events such as obedience and agility, and like their colored counterparts do quite well as service and therapy dogs. Today, most breeders place white puppies in pet homes with spay/neuter agreements. They are the same as any other boxer in personality and make excellent pets.

Always be leery of someone advertising "rare white boxers for sale". Typically this is someone out to make a quick buck, and will try to charge a higher price for this so-called rare colour. Reputable breeders will charge less for non-showing pups or pups with spay/neuter agreements, not more!

My Sophie is pretty much all white. She has a black nose with dark spots around and in her mouth. There are some lighter spots on her ears and some even lighter spots on her belly. She does get sun burnt easily and everything shows up on her, from blemishes, to scraps and cuts, to mosquito bites. One thing I'm very grateful for is that she is not deaf. Her hearing is just fine - excellent in fact when I get cheese from out of the refrigerator!

Agility

Last night, Sophie and I had our very first agility class. We have already been introduced to some agility equipment before in my beginner's obedience class, but this was a real agility class. We worked on clicker training and we were introduced to the bar jump, the tire jump, a wobble board (very short see-saw), and a tunnel. It was all very fun and exciting for the dogs as well as the handlers. Sophie did great once I got her attention but keeping her attention is hard. She liked the equipment, but she was very strung-out over the other dogs, which is normal for her on leash. We'll see what the next few weeks bring.

For those of you who may not know about agility, it is a dog sport in which the handle and dog must work as a team. The course is set up like an obstacle course, complete with jumps, tunnels, see-saws, etc. The handler tells the dog by verbal and non-verbal cues which piece of equipment to go on, jump over, or go through. The dog with the fastest time with no mistakes wins.

why a boxer?

Why did I get a boxer?

That's a great question. Most dog lovers like most dog breeds, if not all. Yet all dog lovers will still have a favorite dog breed(s) or group (such as the toy group, hound group, terrier group). Most of my life I was a big fan of the working class breed, specifically the German Shepherd. From an early age, that was the type of dog I wanted. When I was in grade 5, I finally got my dream - a puppy. We adopted a shepherd/lab mix pup through the Winnipeg Humane Society. Piper lived for almost 15 years and was a wonderful companion.

(a very young Piper)

Since her passing, I always planned on adopting another dog. I prefer to adopt then purchase, so the likelihood of getting a purebreed was low, and I knew I didn't want another shepherd cross. I guess it was out of respect for Piper, not wanting to replace her somehow. I researched many breeds, leaning strongly towards the papillon.

(papillon)

But then I moved back to Winnipeg (I lived in Ontario for a number of years) and volunteered at the Winnipeg Humane Society. There I met a 8 month old boxer puppy with a broken front leg. I instantly fell in love with his personality and his goofy grin. He's name was Paulie and I was put on the list to adopt him even though there were talks of an amputation. I even planned on changing his name to McCoy (aka Bones. I'm a Star Trek fan) Unfortunately, someone else was on the list before me. At least he found a great home. And the good news, last I heard, he didn't have to get his leg amputated!

(Paulie)
Meeting Paulie made me obsessed with boxers. I researched them, learning all I could about this breed. I loved their personality and their beauty. I knew I wanted a boxer in my life.

A few weeks after Paulie was gone, I was still upset with losing the chance to adopt him. Then in came Sophie. I couldn't believe my luck that another young boxer came into the Humane Society so soon! I hadn't planned on getting a white boxer because of the extra health risks (sunburns, allergies, possible deafness, etc) but I could't pass up on the chance for a young boxer and she captured my heart almost immediately.

Since then I've notice I have a new fondness to dogs with pushed in faces and towards bully breeds. I just can't get enough of them. And Sophie is the most perfect dog for me.