Sunday June 1 Nala Went The Way Of All Good Doggies

[bina]

had to put nala down this past sunday since she went in to heart failure with bad coughing and difficulty breathing and add to that her spondilytis started to really act up; the meds we had started her on to slow her tachacardia helped a bit but she was retaining fluids and i didnt have the heart to start playing with digitalis and other stuff which would probably only buy her a week or so of quality living.... she was 12 yrs old, old for a boxer, daughter of an israeli army boxer mother and kibbutz boxer father...

anon was not pleassed that we put her down and didnt leave it to nature but it was a family decision. actually as usual, my youngest daughter took anon's side; he as usual prepared special foods for her, and fed her water with a spoon, and carried her outside to lay in the shade on the grass to watch the chickens and people go by...

she didnt even have the breath to bark or growl at cats or strangers...

my vet came, we walked her out to his pickup, put her on a towel, and gave her euthosol straight in her vein. it was instant. my son had prepared a grave in the olive orchards (where all the dogs are buried if not disposed of otherwise) so we put her in and covered her up with a stone cairn (jackals and such would otherwise dig her up and eat her, and the euthenasia drug would kill them also...)...

kids are sad, foofoo was depressed for about one day, the selfish little lhasa that he is, now he has us to himself, but he really needs a friend to be with in the house during the day...

pic of nala, sweet little boxer

[Patsycat]

So sorry,

RIP,

Nala.

[cophen]

Poor Nala

What does the Israeli Army use boxers for?

[sbk]

I am so sorry to hear it bina, losing a dog (or cat or other beloved pet) is difficult. Be grateful you had her in your life and that she was a happy dog.

[bina]

her mom was shchutzhund trained (couldnt raise a stick or machine gun around her) but used mostly for border patrol/bomb squad stuff... israeli boxers need to have a longer nose since the scrunchy faced dogs dont hack it in the heat... mostly german shepherds/canaans / used although also pit bull amstaff types are used when donated/confiscated....

malinois used now, too... boxers arent commonly used due to the heat here and they dont deal well....

she was just a good house /guard dog... knew when to bark, id'd people that shouldnt be near the house, used a good body block against intruders, had a good working /active personality... did some agility until her shoulder went on her, and gave my youngest the confidence to stay at home alone at night knowing that nala was there.... we never locked our door, and during the more 'active' periods of antifada activity we felt secure with her at home (not a biter but definately discriminated between body types and actions of men, she wsnt taught, its something that dogs here seem to pick up maybe by our reactions and maybe due to different scents and body language among different cultures, in which case she would bark, growl, and bare her teeth until one of us came to see what the problem was... a bit racist i know but sort of neccessary around here....)... with women and children, babies she was the most maternal of dogs... she was awful with small dogs and cats however (cost me some vet bills until we double gated the house to prevent her rushing after various pinchers and poodles) she also ate used tissues, they were a delicacy for her; collecting socks was a hobby of hers also, along with shredding toilet paper.

its wierd to come home to a house with no large bodied dog standing guard... actually quite a few boxers for adoption /sale... but have gone thru two with health problems and the size, and people here are afraid of large dogs in general so hard to find dogsitters etc... so will stick with the lhasa. he bites and barks and guards but is small so people think he is sweet and cute. he is, with us, but not with strangers.... ))

[Mossfinn]

she also ate used tissues, they were a delicacy for her; collecting socks was a hobby of hers also, along with shredding toilet paper.

You sure she wasn't part Chihuahua bina

Otherwise sounds like one helluva Pet to have around, but a good age that is something to be thankful for.

Sorry for your loss.

Moss

[Nienke]

Wow, I only saw this thread now! How could I've missed it?

I'm so sorry for your loss, Bina. Even when one sees it coming, it's still very hard when the final decision comes.

Nienke