“The bond with a Boxer is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be.”
The morning is pleasant, cool and sunny. It is 66°. Outside is calling. I’m thinking it is time to clean the deck furniture, to start the day outside with my morning coffee, the paper and my dogs. I love the look of the backyard this time of year, early summer. The trees are laden with bright green leaves. They dance in the breeze.
My deck is high off the ground like a treehouse. I sit at the table under the umbrella and watch the dogs romp in the backyard. Nala is prone to a zoomie or two before she collapses on the grass. Henry mostly walks the yard. After a bit, both of them usually join me on the deck. They lie down. I just sit.
By the time this time of year came round, I was done with school. The days were too pretty to sit inside all day penned at a desk. I longed to be free. We got out fairly early in June. The last big hurtle was end of year tests. I always did well. The last day of school was a half day, a wasted day. We sat around until we got our report cards. The grades were hand written on the cards. On the back my mother had signed each term that she had seen the grades. On the bottom was promoted to grade and then a line for the number. I don’t know anyone who was not promoted, but who knows.
When I was five, my aunt gave us Duke, our first dog, our boxer, as a present. He was the runt of his litter who came from a breeder in our town. He had been bought then returned because the first owner did not know what to expect. Boxers are unique dogs. They stay puppies until they are about three. They love to play. Nala still carries her stuffed elf around the house. They are smart dogs. They are also stubborn and sassy. Boxers are wonderfully protective. When Shauna, my first boxer, was at my mother’s house, the man from a siding company came to show her house siding colors. Shauna immediately got up and stood beside my mother. The man wanted to know if he was safe. The only problem with boxers is they don’t have long lives. Gracie lived to be twelve, the oldest so far of any of my dogs. Duke died when I was a sophomore in college. My mother was with him. It was, up to then, the worst day of my life.
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June 8, 2026 at 5:35 pm
We had a boxer, Brandy, in the early ’60s.
June 8, 2026 at 5:41 pm
Peter,
Did you enjoy having a boxer? Because of Duke, I wanted no other breed, but I got Henry because I had no money. My vet bills for Gracie were huge.
June 8, 2026 at 5:56 pm
Yes, we all loved him. I tried to attach a photo to this post, but it doesn’t work. He was gone too soon. Even now, I don’t want to think about that. Our dog now is Ellie, a cockapoo. I can’t believe just how much I love this dog. She has all the characteristics of the typical crazy, mischievous, loving, sometimes annoying cockapoo depicted on Facebook, etc. We got her as a puppy during the COVID lockdown months, and due to our isolation at that time, the dog rarely met other people or dogs. Huge vet bills, oh yes. A neighbour has a German Shepherd which needs an operation. He is looking at £12,000 for that procedure.
June 8, 2026 at 9:21 pm
Every female Boxer I ever met thought she was the mother to any new puppy that came on the scene and guarded them jealously.
June 10, 2026 at 3:00 am
That is a very moving and true poem.
June 8, 2026 at 6:16 pm
Peter,
I haven’t ever had a small dog, and I do love the description of your Ellie. They sound like many of the reasons I love boxers. I had a bill of close to $20,000 for my boxer Maggie. She had cardiomyopathy and was in emergency care for w while. She had 3 cardiologists. She was the most laid back dog I had. She would sit on the couch beside me, put her paw on my shoulder and watch TV with me.
I have loved all my boxers, but I think Gracie was my favorite. She was the best dog with only one bad habit: she was an escapee. Once she even jumped over my 6 ft fence in the backyard to chase my neighbor’s dog. My neighbor was an idiot. A wolf on Cape Cod?
June 8, 2026 at 9:15 pm
Best Friend
***
The joy explodes from off the couch
My bitter day assuaged
Though I am torn with worldly pain
My puppy’s heart is gay
And like the Savior of our souls
Wicks off the mantle coarse
My dog loves me as He who came
With all its heart and force
But as the passing days wheel on
And to the earth returned
The collar and the bowl remain
And lesson hard is learned
It’s for ourselves alone we mourn
For we are left behind
Until the ones that left us here
Return in Glorious kind
June 8, 2026 at 9:29 pm
Beto,
When I first got Nala, she and Henry had the worst fight. That was when my finger was almost bitten off. They have had 3 fights since then but none in over a year. Now they sleep beside each other and Henry licks Nala. She sleeps on my lap. She is no lap dog at 63 pounds. She hasn’t ever seen a puppy but I suspect she may be enamored
June 8, 2026 at 9:31 pm
Beto,
I have always hoped that if there is a heaven, all my dogs and cats will be waiting for me. Boxers have only an 8-10 year life span. Two of mine died at 8. I still miss them all.