One of the hardest Boxers for GOBR to place is an older one. Often people apply to our rescue and on their applications deny that they will consider a senior dog. They say that that want to have a younger dog so that they will have more quality time with them.

With a younger dog (with the accompanying training, socializing, and the thorough examination of the insides of your favorite couch) a lot of that time is not quality time. A lot of it is mildly irritating, and even capable of breaking what could be a beautiful relationship.

Raising a Boxer is like having a two year old toddler in your house for about four years.

But a 'finished' Boxer -- all the wonder and none of the fuss -- starting to gray is one of the most incredible things in the world to behold. We worry about people who discount their value and we want to make it plain what they might be missing. We definitely do not want to dissuade you but we want to remind you that your desire of TIME might be borne in a lack of complete understanding of Boxers.

But what about Bonding? One of the volunteers in our Rescue had an older Boxer. She was about 12 and she is pictured here (large image below). She had lived almost all of her life in a single home. She had raised a litter of dogs and two of them, then 11, also remained in the home with her. Sadly, having outlived all possible life expectancies, she had a tumor on her foot that was basically inoperable -- relative to the stress of the surgery itself. She was a fantastic dog and she held the heart of the volunteer in her paws.

The younger dogs were too spry and excitable and wanted, often, to play with their mommy. It was a lot of work for her to play and while she would, the tumor on her foot would often open and bleed. It required her to limp.

The volunteer's husband has a mother who lives in southeastern Ohio. She had recently begun to live by herself and felt a bit insecure in her own house. The volunteer decided that maybe sending Dolly to the husband's mother home might give Dolly respite from the younger dogs and might also serve to soothe the lady's nerves and make her more comfortable with living alone.

So they spent the weekend and went down to the mother-in-law's home.

It was a quick thing. Boxers are not iffy.

The mother and Dolly immediately knew one another as women who had lived life, lived it well, and were looking for the simple, calm complacency of companionship. At the end of the weekend, when the volunteer left, Dolly seemed to barely notice. She stuck to the mother-in-law's side and there she remained.

For almost a year.

People came to the door. Dolly stood, stolidly supportive, behind the lady. She growled in warning and with finality if the caller became too forward.

The lady gardened. So Dolly gardened. They spent many days in the yard enjoying the calmness of a southern Ohio summer.

These two quickly became devoted to one another.

After the year had passed it became apparent that Dolly's tumor was a sign of things more dire. When she went to the Bridge it was both sad and joyful. She had had a long a wonderful life, she had known the love of not one family but two.

She had learned a lot but had managed to teach so much more. Selfishly the volunteer, the husband, and the mother-in-law quietly wished for more but all three knew that what they had been given -- the knowing of Dolly's serenity and charisma -- was Worth.

Beyond the regret of her loss, they knew that the beautiful fawn girl had gone to another place and was free. They each had had held the magic of an older Boxer in their arms and would always carry it in their heart.

Please, please do not let the possibility of a sorrowful loss steal the pleasure and beauty of an older Boxer. Consider fostering or adopting an older dog today.