Boston Terriers and Boxers

My husband and I have had Boxers for probably 20 of our 30 years of marriage. I had one or two throughout my childhood (unfortunately my mother was one of those people that viewed pets as disposable) and I remembered them with great affection, so when it came time to choose a pet as a married woman, it was a natural choice. I've always preferred large dogs over small ones, Boxers shed lightly when they shed at all (no undercoat) and they're well, beautiful! So, a Boxer it was.

We fast fell in love with the breed. On our first vet visit (always the first order of business when we get a new animal of any sort!) the vet smiled and looked at me and said "Boxers don't live very long you know." Thanks for that. Nice way to start out a relationship with a new puppy. They are prone to cancers and heart problems and we lost our first two Boxers way too early..one at 5 to cancer, and the other around the same age to heart failure. We love our dogs fiercely in this house, and it was devastating each time a loss occurred. We had a doberman named Ellie who at 5 yrs we had to say goodbye (she passed) to. She adored my husband, and it was mutual. She and our Boxer Tater were the best of friends. Her passing left this house feeling like a morgue for weeks until it came to the point I thought it was time to start the swim up out of the funk.

I remembered that my husband said next time we add a dog, 'let's get a little dog'. Sheesh....a 'little dog'...my experience with 'little dogs' has never been positive (the shaking, the barking, etc) so when I read that Boston Terriers were similar to Boxers but smaller, I set out to look for a puppy, and met our Buster. I mean, if they were 'like Boxers', and they certainly looked similar, they were perfect right?? So I brought him home and suddenly there was light at the end of the tunnel. Even our Boxer (who was in a deep depression over the passing of his friend) perked up! I mean, this new little Boston Terrier thing was just so CUTE! And then the unthinkable happened. Two weeks after bringing home our new bundle of joy, our Boxer passed. It was sudden (again with the heart failure), it was devastating. Our new little Boston Terrier puppy would not allow us to sink too deeply into depression however, because he DEMANDED attention, provided laughter, and expected love and praise. We gave it to him in spades and then some. If not for this little boy, I'm not sure that either my husband or I would have made it through that time sane.

About a month or so later, I pulled up my bootstraps and said "Buster needs a buddy". He was a puppy, he was insane, and he needed something that could keep up with him...I could not! He loved toys, but only if I was playing too. Play by himself? Not this one. So, we got him a toy in the form of another Boxer named, well, Buddy!

The rest has been an adventure of love and joy. We have become obsessed with Boston Terriers! I even took up photo manipulation as an art form because of my love for these two breeds! Are Boston Terriers 'just like' Boxers? No, they're not. Not ours anyway. But they compliment one another beautifully! And our Boxer, Buddy?? He just turned 7. The oldest Boxer we've ever had. Happy birthday my big goofy boy.

Have a Boxer that needs a companion? Get a Boston Terrier. Have a Boston Terrier and room for a bigger dog? Boxer. Go get a Boxer. You'll thank me, I promise :)