Boxer Luv Rescue

For over 25 years, Boxer Luv Rescue (BLR) has been working to save the lives of dogs. And thanks to their efforts, over 10,000 have come to find their forever homes. Focusing on the Boxer breed (purebreds and mixes), the foster-based rescue has, on average, 45–50 Boxers at any given time.

“We are, and always have been, an all-volunteer organization,” said Randy Rotondo, volunteer and VP of Operations. “We have a core group of 45 very active, dedicated, and compassionate volunteers who have a love of the breed and who give so much of their personal time to the Boxers going through our program. The dogs come in broken—physically and emotionally, confused and needing serious TLC in their transitions and decompression time. That’s our reward—watching their transformations and being able to see them so happy, healthy, and loved in new homes with awesome adopters. That’s what gives us the drive to do more and continue on. We provide a life-long guarantee to the dogs that come through our program. Life happens, as we like to say, and they will always have a place to come back to should they, unfortunately, need help again.”

Many Boxers end up at BLR due to surrender resulting from a life or family situation—death, relocation, financial trouble, birth. And sometimes the owners weren’t aware of the commitment required to properly care for a dog. They also arrive as strays or from bad living situations. Medical care and screening are paramount at BLR. All dogs are spayed/ neutered and given vaccines:, full labs to check organ function, tick borne diseases, heartworm infection, and Valley Fever are given. They also address any medical issues identified during the intake medical exam process, such as masses (pathology and removal), heart issues (via echocardiograms and Holter monitor studies), orthopedic issues (leg/ligament injuries), and cancers. “The Boxer breed is predisposed to cancer and heart issues, so those are checked thoroughly,” said Rotondo. “Medical intervention is provided when needed.”

A great example of this is the story of Gio—a great senior boy with a family but…as Rotondo says,“Life happens.” Tragedy struck. Gio’s human mom passed away and his dad had to move away for work after being impacted by the Covid crisis and shutdowns. Gio was left behind with family who reached out to BLR for help. After taking him in, thanks to a grant from PACC911 (Phoenix Animal Care Coalition) Critical Care Program, BLR got him through some immediate medical issues—Valley Fever infection and removal of mast cell cancerous tumors. After six months, Gio was adopted by his foster family who couldn’t let him go.

“Gio’s story can be repeated hundreds, if not thousands of times,” said Rotondo. “From the pandemic through to the economic problems families are having today—forced to make difficult decisions that leave loved family pets without medical care as well as loss of family and home.”

BLR is funded primarily by private donations supplemented with some corporate giving and non-profit grants. Donations are always needed and volunteers welcome.

602-530-5671 https://www.boxerluv.org/

Owner of Pawsitive Dog Training, Kennedi Travis is a certified dog trainer with over five years' experience servicing Fountain Hills and the surrouding areas. She has a CPDT-KA certification, Fear Free Certification, is an Educator in Dog Bite Prevention and an AKC CGC evaluator. Kennedi loves all animals, both big and small, and has many pets of her own.

One thing that may make this year’s holiday festivities even more special is making sure our four-legged friends have learned good manners. And now is the perfect time to start practicing polite behaviors.

Utilizing environmental management is a wonderful way to help ensure friends, family, and other guests in our homes are not harassed by our dogs. An example of providing this in your home is to give Fido some space in another room with something to do, such as a chew to enjoy or an enrichment activity to entertain themselves.

Jumping for joy

To prevent rushing or jumping on people when guests arrive, keeping your pet on a leash is another example of environmental management. I would pair this with training and showing your dog what you expect them to do when company is over. Reward your dog with treats and praise when they calm down and sit nicely. Once they are calm, they