Budweiser the Boxer

Budweiser the Boxer

Born April 20, 2000



Budweiser was bought from a breeder in North Port, Florida as an anniversary present. He was the last puppy from the litter and the breeder claimed that she was planning on keeping him, but her vacation plans made having a new puppy a bad decision. He took to us immediately (as we did to him) and we took him home that day. She was very professional and made me feel that my decision to buy from a breeder was a good one. I had found some Boxers in the paper for less money but, after dealing with this breeder, never regretted buying a more expensive one.

Jeip named him Budweiser. She chose the name because I drink Budweiser and always seem to call dogs "Bud" or "Buddy". Our friend Charlie said that he looked like a small Clydesdale, so I think the name works well.

There was always a dog in the house when I was growing up and our house did not feel like a "home" without one. Jeip, however, had never been around dogs and was still a little concerned about having an "animal" in the house. Jeip's sister and our two nephews were living with us at the time and they were also new to the whole dog experience. Lets just say it was a learning experience for us all.

I did a lot of research before buying Budweiser and chose a Boxer over a Lab. Jeip is only 90 pounds and I had concerns about her safety. I wanted a dog that was small enough that she could handle but was big and tough enough that he could protect her should she ever need it. The quote "if you want a dog that will lay down his life to protect you, a Boxer is the dog for you," did a lot for selling me on a Boxer. I wish I could remember where I got this quote from, but I'm sure it was from one of those Boxer books I bought that also said they wouldn't get as big as he is. We were living on gator infested water at the time and I needed a dog that was not going to be a big fan of the water (this is why we didn't get a Lab.) I wanted a dog that looked a little tough while Jeip loved the Bulldog on the Red Dog bottles. A Boxer seemed to fit all this criteria perfectly. Now that we've had him for a few years I can tell you that every dog I buy for the rest of my life will be a Boxer.

Budweiser is spolied and poorly trained. I take the blame for this as, instead of training him, I spent that time training Jeip and the family how to take care of him.

He is allergic to fire ants and got bit up pretty bad the day of my siter-in-laws housewarming. I took him to the party and just let him run around. Some friends of ours showed up with their baby and set him on the floor without knowing that the dog was there. The look of panic on their faces was overwhelming as Budweiser saw the baby and took off at a full gallop for him. They realized that he was big enough to tear that baby to pieces without much effort and freaked when Bud reached the baby before them. Instead of eating him, Budweiser sat down next to the baby and spent the whole evening watching over him while the baby pulled and poked at him.

My grandma had a few strokes before she died. She enjoyed playing with Budweiser and we always took him when we went over to visit. After her last stroke she was very slow and frail. Budweiser was still very much a puppy and would jump on everyone he saw. I let him loose inside their house without even thinking about the damage he could have inflicted on my grandmother just with an overly friendly greeting. Instead, he just ran to her at full speed and sat at her feet the entire day while she petted him and fed him ice cubes and diet coke. He had never been this calm with her before (nor had he needed to) but I figure that he could just sense that she could not handle it and became as gentle of a dog as I have ever seen. Since then, I have never worried about him hurting anybody.

Budweiser is 75 pounds of pure muscle. He's strong enough that he has broken two thick leather collars and three chains made to hold 125-150 pound dogs. Understand that he has been of these long leashes since he was a puppy and does not handle them like most dogs. He knows how much room he has and will stop before he reaches the end of his leash and can even get himself untangled most of the time. He is strong enough to do some damage if he ever wanted, yet I have only seen him get mean once.

He got bit up pretty bad by a stray Pit Bull and another dog. Standing in the middle of a dog fight in your underwear at 4:30 in the morning holding your dog as he's bleeding all over you is a horrible feeling and one I hope I never have to relive. These dogs came back a few times and Bud was always scared of them until my wife was involved. She was outside with Bud when those dogs came up into our yard and growled at my wife. Bud stopped being scared and broke his leash to get in between my wife and those dogs. He started barking, growling and frothing at the mouth while showing his teeth to these other dogs to keep them away from Jeip. It was more than a little scary seeing what this "baby" that sleeps in our bed was capable of when it comes to protecting his Momma. I don't worry about anybody hurting Jeip while Budweiser is with her.

Link to Bud's Pictures