Anyone caring about the Boxer breed will quickly notice an abundance of Boxer rescue organizations. Why are there so many rescues for this breed many wonders? As with most breeds, it has nothing to do with the dog and everything thing to due with the individuals around the dogs. Many determinants can be attributed to the population of Boxers up for adoption as outlined in the following article.

Irresponsible Breeding
As with other popular breeds many Boxer breeders conduct breeding as a matter of making money, as opposed to bettering the breed and love of the breed. The Boxer is a popular target for this practice because potential owners desire them. These breeders typically do not screen potential owners and have no concern about the well being of the puppies. This breeder will sell a Boxer pup to anyone that has the amount of money being asked and the transaction is completely financial based.

This practice leads to many problems for the new owner and the Boxer. One issue that will arise is that the breeder has not educated the owner to the work and training involved in owning this breed. Most likely only a brief, these dogs are great, can you pay me in cash explanation has been provided. In many cases the new owner is overwhelmed by their new family member and thus often times the pup is abandoned.

Breed Misperceptions
Another problem the Boxer has is its looks. The Boxer is a very study, chiseled breed that many would consider a guard dog if nothing else were known about the breed. It is common place for certain individuals to look for a Boxer to protect illegal merchandise and other goods. When discovered the Boxer is not a natural or easily trainable to be an attack dog the Boxer is often discarded or abused. This is sad that such individuals exist in society and we as society allow this to occur.

Lack of Owner Intelligence
Most classify this as a lack of education provided, but with all the news, articles and other means to learning about a dog before buying this is not the issue. It is simply ignorant individuals that most likely can not care for themselves and should not become a parent to a Boxer. These individuals typically do not spend the time to properly train the Boxer or learn about the breed. In addition, these same individuals do not want to foot the vet bill to spay/neuter their pet so they add to the problem by letting the dog breed and have puppies. The sad result in most of these cases is not only the original Boxer being abandoned, but also a litter of mixed puppies.

The only way to prevent this from happening is either by breeders being more responsible in what homes they place their Boxers or legislation to step in. From a legislation standpoint any individual wanting to own a puppy would need to take a basic test and show they are capable of such responsibility. Individuals passing the test would be awarded a certificate that would allow the purchase or rescue of a dog. Most likely anyone not willing to study and learn about a breed is not going to be able to care for the pup. This legislation would then require breeders to also pass a test before being able to breed and require them to only sell or adopt to individuals having a certificate from passing the dog owner test.

Health Issues
The Boxer, like other breeds does have its health concerns. Many Boxer owners have not done research into what diseases the breed is prone to and thus have no plan for paying for a potential illness if it should occur. Although illness is common for many breeds, this is magnified in the Boxer because of the popularity and the number of unethical breeders that sell Boxers to unsuspecting, uneducated owners. The end result in many cases is an owner that is uninformed in choices as to payment for a major illness and the Boxer often being abandoned.

Final Thought
As shown, the Boxer breed itself is not the reason there are so many for adoption. The cause of this is through ignorance, greed and misunderstanding. With determination and an unwilling drive we all look forward to a day when these individuals are stopped and this each and every Boxer is placed in an educated and loving home.



Additional Resources
Discuss Boxer Adoption at Boxer-Dog.org.

View other Boxer Adoption Articles at Boxer-Dog.org.

American Boxer Rescue Assoc.




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