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My basic info
Breed
Boxer
Color
White - with Tan, Yellow or Fawn
Age
Young
Size
Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)
Weight
–
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
My details
Good with dogs
Purebred
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Poor Rufus...People Are Often Cruel
Rufus is a very cute young male boxer (under 1 year) who was seen wandering alongside the road near someone's home. He was skittish and underweight. Knowing that there were no boxers who lived in the neighborhood, they posted a plea to the local humane society's Facebook page which they happen to handle for the shelter. They were hoping that someone would recognize the dog and would safely get him home.
Rufus' family was finally located and by that time he had been hanging around the house for 1 week. What they learned was shocking. Apparently, Rufus was kept outside in a small pen and was hardly ever fed or given water. The owner claims they tried to find Rufus a home for a month, unsuccessfully. That's when he let the dog out of the pen to fend for himself because he didnt want him anymore.
By the time NBR was contacted poor Rufus had been wandering the streets for 3 weeks. Since he was very shy he was hard to catch at first. However, the people who found him made sure he had enough to eat and had water. Since they already have 5 dogs they were not able to keep him, but they did not want to see Rufus go to the shelter. Rufus was scared but very curious, no doubt attracted by the other dogs, and eventually came closer and followed behind them. They learned he was like most boxers in that he loved to play. They started playing with the other dogs and Rufus wanted in on the fun!
He did well with all 5 dogs at their house, showing no aggression at all towards any of them. This included their 10 lb chihuahua who loved to chase him around and playfully bite at his legs, a female boxer that was bigger than him, a boxer/lab mix, a senior lab mix, and a pit/lab mix. The male pit/lab mix did show some dominance over him at first, and Rufus did not challenge him, then everything was fine between them both after that.
After we were contacted for help we immediately agreed to take Rufus into our Rescue program. He was taken to the vet for an exam where he was pronounced in fairly good health. He was covered in ticks and tested positive for Ehrlichia so the doctor prescribed the antibiotic Doxycycline. Luckily he was heartworm negative. He received his inoculations and was given panacur medication for parasites. He is also scheduled to be neutered this week. He weighs 46 pounds. No behavior problems have been noted by anyone who has handled him. When he was on the loose, and he was close enough for someone to pet him, he would stand there and enjoy the attention. They had to pretend they wanted to play first and then he would get closer. They even had him cornered at one time, and he never showed any aggression or tried to lunge at them.
We will be moving Rufus to a temporary foster home in the next several days. We will need to find a foster or permanent home for him within the next two weeks or. sadly, we will need to place him in a boarding facility. Please contact us if you want to help Rufus. I think you will agree that Rufus deserves the very best after all he has been through, and we want to make sure that his life going forward is a happy one.
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