The Beginning

Our previous boxer named Connor went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2017.  He was wonderful boy, but contracted lymphoma when he was only 5 years old.

We were so heartbroken, but we decided to give another boxer a home with us.  We did a lot of research into the health of boxers, and chose a few breeders to work with because no one had any puppies for us at that time.  

I would like to say here that breeders sometimes get a bad rap.  We heard a lot of well meaning people tell us things like, "There are so many dogs, just get one from a shelter, adopt a stray, breeders are greedy, puppy mills are awful, etc etc."   We did find that some breeders are callous and indiscriminate as to who their bitches were bred to, and how often.  Tests were not given to ascertain no genetic health conditions were present, just breed and sell, breed and sell at the expense of the integrity of the breed and the health of the parents.  But there ARE good, responsible breeders out there that care.  They will only breed dogs that have passed genetic testing, love the breed, do not over-breed their dogs, and care about their dogs.  Reputable breeders are happy to talk to their potential customers, and willingly will show health records including test results.  Connor came from a well meaning "backyard breeder" who only wanted one litter so their kids could have the experience of having puppies.  Those folks didn't sell the 12 puppies in Connor's litter - they gave them to good homes.  So their heart was in the right place, but at the possible health expense of the entire litter.

So after being on a waiting list with the most reputable breeder we could find, finally after 7 months our puppy was born!  This is my favorite picture of him as a newborn puppy.  It was taken about 1 week after he was born.  Cuteness overload!!

The 8 weeks before we could get him passed slowly.  While we waited we bought him toys and blankets and a little crate and food bowls and a small harness with a leash.  Every week his breeder would send me new pictures of him so we could watch him growing.

We watched as his eyes opened, he became aware there was a world outside of his enclosure, he went outside, he went to the vet for his last checkup before we picked him up, and he rode in the car on his way to us:

And then it was Tanner Time!  He weighed around 11 pounds when we picked him up.  We put his little harness on him and started home.

He chewed on a puppy chew stick on the way home, but for most of the 4 hour ride back, he slept deeply and was totally unconcerned that his life was changing.

When we got home, Tanner took care of his puppy business and went right to sleep on a dog bed with his blanket that first night.  I slept on the floor with him, my husband slept on the couch, and our older dog slept on another dog bed to keep an eye on this new little stranger we had brought home.  We were (and still to this day are) totally in love with him!