|
This page is a work in progress...if you are a volunteer, please send me your submissions:
|
|
|
Sandra
|
Hmmmm...how many years with Florida Boxer Rescue? About 6? Not really sure - seems like my whole life! My duties include answering the toll-free 888 telephone number 7 days a week, performing home visits prior to adoption, CUR runs and transportation of Boxers to and from vets, etc! I check and post voice messages after hours and also work on fundraisers in my area.
In addition to FBR, I help out at Hillsborough County Animal Services. Previously I volunteered at the Humane Society (cleaning cages, washing bowls, exercising dogs, fund raisers) and at Lowery Park Zoo ( I cleaned - with scuba gear on - the manatee area, raked the buffalo pen - they sell the poop so I had to shovel it into wheel barrels (!), cleaned the otter area, and put sunscreen on the pig)!!!
I am a sustaining member of the Junior League of Tampa and have worked on a yearly fundraiser for Hillsborough Community College's Presidential Showcase. I have worked alongside a local animal activist helping him with his rescue efforts as well.
As far as my "Boxer loving history," my first Boxer was named Honey when I was 2 years old and since then, I've been hooked! I also grew up with a Doberman and in college I dogsat for a friend's Schnauzer for a year, but Boxers have been my breed of choice. |
|
Lori
|
Hi, my
name is Lori and I have been involved with FBR since 5/2005. Since I hope to be
able to serve this group for many years to come and help to |
|
Ashlie
|
My life with Boxers started with Jagger. It was love at first Boxer hug. I had a full-time job so knew a puppy was not right for me. I adopted Jagger from Florida Boxer Rescue in 2000 and couldn’t have been happier. We got through dog aggression and separation anxiety together. Next came Jillian, adopted in 2001 (you WILL see a pattern). In 2002, I experienced the tragic event of many Boxer owners; I lost my soulmate, Jagger, to cancer. A wonderful foster mom contacted me about who would be my next family addition. Tulley was adopted in early 2002. By then, I felt that I had to be part of giving back and helping other Boxers so I put in an application to help late one night. By the next afternoon I had my first foster girl. Within a week, the second foster had arrived. Fostering is giving the gift of life and somehow I got just as much in return. So many special Boxers welcomed me into their hearts and trusted me to help them find a forever family worthy of them. During my fostering experience, Desi joined the family in 2003!
Over the years I have filled basically every role from CUR run driver to president. Currently I spend most of my volunteer time working with prospective Boxer adopters in the calling areas of (941) and (239). There is just something so special about Boxers that you can’t help but want to give back to the breed. The "Boxertrio" have been terrific foster siblings and ambassadors, as well as enjoy hobbies such as agility and obedience but mostly they all enjoy being the apple of their mother’s eye…the one great desire of every Boxer.
As for the future, I wish for a world where Boxer rescue would not be necessary due to broken commitments and the overpopulation of pets from backyard breeders and puppy shops. I urge every prospective Boxer owner to research this breed to be sure this is a dog you can commit to for life. Then find your Boxer family member through a responsible breeder or rescue.
"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You
|
|
Hattie
|
I’m Hattie (boxerhattie and bxrmama on the web). My volunteer service to FBR began in 1999. I remember how exciting it was when we received our official non-profit status in 2000. Back then I answered the toll-free phone number, processed applications, checked references, performed home visits and helped organize fundraisers (remember my brilliant clay holiday ornaments?) and PR events. Some of my greatest joys have been maintaining relationships with past adopters who later morph into terrific FBR volunteers themselves (like Jac and Ashlie). I took over the webmaster duties many years ago from a wonderful gentleman (Jerry Mook) and that is currently how I still assist FBR. I am the author of the information found on this website unless otherwise specified. My love affair with this breed began when I was initially introduced in college to my first Boxer, Meno. I have since shared my life with 4 male Boxers (Meno, Samson, Earl & Brutus) and one alpha female (Cutie). Samson is presently my only surviving Boxer. In addition to Samson, I have an adopted Pug (Nellie) and an adopted/formerly stray cat (Jerry). Brutus was an extremely special Boxer and a story about him is on our Tails of Inspiration page (story #2). He is also featured on page 50 of the book, Living With A Boxer and will be featured in a forthcoming book about dogs with extraordinarily unique bonds to their humans. I currently live in NC and spend my time designing and managing the FBR website, pet sitting, and volunteering for the public school system where I live. I am eager to adopt a new Boxer soon, with the intent of enrolling him in classes for therapy dog training and agility.
|
|
Jackie
|
My first experience with Florida Boxer Rescue was in June 2000, when I adopted my beloved Shelby, who has since passed over the Rainbow Bridge. From the moment she came into my life and every moment since, I have been indebted to Florida Boxer Rescue and feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful family and cause. I have shared in the rich experience of fostering some of our Boxers and shed many tears of joy when they went home to their forever families. I currently help process adoption and foster home applications in southern Pinellas County, which includes helping potential adopters find the right Boxer for their family. I am also liaison to Lake Seminole Animal Hospital, where many of our Boxers are vetted when they first join FBR. I also love to help with fundraisers and transport Boxers from point A to B, as often as I can, usually falling in love before reaching point B! I believe in the motto "A woman and her Boxer is a beautiful thing." My happiest moments are spent with my 8 1/2 year old Austin, whom I have raised from a pup and my newest addition, 1 1/2 year old Isabel, who brought so much love and energy back into my life (and Austin's), after the loss of our Shelby. I should probably confess that Isabel is the result of flunking fostering 101. She started out as a foster, but she was mine by the first night!
My goal
for the future is to continue my work with rescue and to help
educate the public about such simple things like heart worm
prevention, vaccines, and the importance of training and learning
the language of our dogs. It is my personal dream to have a place
where rescued Silver Boxers can live out the rest of their lives
being loved, in conjunction with a full time
daycare/training/boarding facility. God bless! Jackie, Austin & Izzy
|
|
Janet
|
Hello, my name is Janet and I am a foster flunkie too! I joined FBR about a year and a half after we adopted Simon in Sept. of 2003 (handsome white boy in picture). I decided I needed to do something more worthwhile with my life. I've worked fulltime, raised three children (all grown) and have a husband. It was time I did something for helpless Boxers. Looking at Simon after I adopted him, I just couldn't believe someone could do this to a Boxer or any animal for that matter. Someone just dropped him off at a Petsmart and walked away. Just left him, no looking back.
I joined FBR as a volunteer in March of 2005 and started out doing CUR runs which I have renamed "Florida Boxer Rescue Limo Service." As time went on I became an area code coordinator in Oct. of 2005. I still do my CUR runs, but am also a liaison for Best Care Animal Hospital where some of our Boxers are vetted. I work with some shelters and animal control facilities in my area too. Fundraising is always fun to do - you meet a lot of people who don't know about the breed or that there was even a rescue organization for Boxer dogs. I also participate in the educational booths at Petsmart. Like Jackie mentioned, we educate on vaccines, heartworm prevention, and the importance of spay and neuter. If this was done more often, there wouldn't be so many unwanted animals everywhere you look. We use these educational opportunities to also discuss reputable breeders and the effects of backyard or casual breeding or purchasing an animal from a pet store.
While Jackie handles Southern Pinellas County, I handle Northern Pinellas and Pasco Counties, including call backs, home visits etc... As I stated earlier I am a foster flunkie! Skylar came to us via Quail Hollow Animal Hospital, which is another animal hospital that vets many of our Boxers. I was just to be a temporary foster home, but three days later, I called the prez and told her the check and contract were in the mail!! Skylar is my fawn girl in the picture. She was adopted in July of 2005.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ~Janet, Simon, and Skylar
|
|
Renee
|
I have been with FBR for almost 4 years. I became aware of them when I had to put my first Boxer Nina to sleep due to a brain tumor. She was everything to me and I was lost without her. I would pull up the FBR website and look at the dogs for adoption for comfort and cry. One late night I decided to put an application in to volunteer. I did not think I was ready for another Boxer yet, but wanted to help. Ashlie came to do my home visit with Jake, a big beautiful Boxer boy. I fell in love. I adopted him 2 days later and renamed him Hunter. I started to do home visits in Sarasota and then came the plea for foster homes. I drove to Tampa to pick up a scared, heartworm positive, TINY female from Hillsborough Animal Services. I named her Nala and I proudly say with my very first foster I flunked and adopted her! My apartment would not allow large dogs anymore and I could not afford to buy a home in Sarasota. I transferred in my company and moved to Tampa so I could buy a house for Hunter and Nala. Ironically, I moved next door to Quail Hollow where a lot of our dogs are vetted. As a volunteer I have done call backs for different area codes, CUR runs, home visits, awareness booths and currently assign the foster dogs their ID numbers. I also continue to foster. I have not flunked anymore but have come close a couple of times. Fostering is truly rewarding. I work 6 to 7 day weeks but find time for all my dogs. My fosters are better with me than in a crate at a vet’s, shelter or boarding facility, Your heart will never be empty because there is always a Boxer that needs your love and will immediately love you without condition. You DO save a life when you foster. My hope is that people learn to love and respect animals as they do us. No human loves you without condition or forgives you as easily as a dog does. My Nina taught me things that no human could have ever taught me. She is the reason I volunteer and all the dogs after her are the reason I always find more time, money and space.
|
|
Gwendolyn
|
My name is Gwendolyn and I have been volunteering with Florida Boxer Rescue since 2003. I started off cleaning the kennels in Deland, then CUR runs, and moved into home visits, application processing, returning (407) telephone calls and emails, as well as (407) Owner Surrenders and working with Orange & Osceola County Animal Services.
I had first heard of Florida Boxer Rescue when I was looking for a Boxer; I was amazed there was such a need. I then, along with my boyfriend, adopted Pogo in August of 2000 from Anita in Titusville. She really amazed me with all that she did for all these dogs. After my first Boxer, Kd, died (shared custody with ex-husband), we decided Pogo needed a permanent friend. It was June 2003 when we adopted Princess; she was about 6 years old at the time. After that is when I got into volunteering. Princess lost her life to liver cancer July 2007.
I went to Deland to clean the kennels one day and saw Nori. I have never seen anything like her, all the fur! I went up to Deland on many Sundays while she was there and spent a lot of time with her. Anita knew before I did that Nori would be my dog. Sure enough, October 14, 2005, I took her home. She has been a challenge, to say the least. However, it has been very rewarding training her. She knew nothing when I got her so we started with the beginner class, then intermediate and advanced. Nori then passed her Canine Good Citizenship test earlier this year. In November, she received her certification to be a Therapy Dog.
I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t volunteer for Florida Boxer Rescue. It can be time consuming and frustrating, but it is still very rewarding. When I place a Boxer in a forever home, it is worth it!
|
|
Michelle & Bryan
|
My love of Boxers began when I was a kid. Shadow was our first boy, a family pet. He was with us for seven years, but unfortunately died of cancer my freshman year of college in 2000. It was in 2004 that I was at a dog park in Tallahassee (without a dog mind you), just to enjoy it, when I saw two Boxer puppies with a nice looking couple. I immediately went over gushing about how I had had Boxers my whole life, and how much I loved them, and they told me that one was for sale. Well, the rest is history. I brought her home that day, and named her Maggie. Having a puppy in college definitely wasn't easy, but we managed. Shortly after that, I graduated and moved to Tampa. Finding a job was hard, so I decided to volunteer to get me out of the house and doing something. That's when I applied to be a volunteer with FBR. Sandra (not Sandy) came to my then VERY small apartment in South Tampa and cleared us to be volunteers. My boyfriend Bryan and I then started fostering immediately. We got through 5 before we became "flunkies" on the 6th one, Kyler. Due to very rare medical conditions, and a little aggression issue, I decided that Kyler would stay with me forever, so he could be properly looked after. Although we are not currently fostering, we do try to get involved as much as we can, and hope to foster again one day. Working with this group and the dogs, has been one of the most rewarding times in my life; although, of course there is always a little sadness mixed in. I am truly in love with "my little angels" as I call them, and can hardly imagine my life without them. No matter what life throws at me, there is NEVER a time when I don't get a smile on my face when I see wiggly stubby butts, and get lots of Boxer kisses.
|
|
|
|
