Zozilicious

Zozpops, Zozpants, Zozla, Zoppydo. All happy names for the delightful Zozi Boxer dog. Never before has one dog had so many nicknames. 

They go so well with No! Stop! Down! Leave!

Zozi's response to verbal commands depends largely on whether or not she believes there is a tasty treat in your fist. But don't hold on to it for too long, or she might lick you with her teeth. (This isn't as bad as it sounds).

And after all the play is done, the Zed likes nothing better than curl up on your lap on the big leather sofa, and zzzzzz away.

See my dog blog at Surrey Life.

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Water lot of fun

Linking up with Dawn and Badger Boo for 

Photography by Lesley Beeton

Boxer heart health : round 3

By email
Monday 10th June

'Dear Mr ,

Apologies for the very long email trail attached, by way of the history of my concerns.

I am trying to find the right person or group of people to initiate a serious discussion about the prevalence of aortic stenosis in Boxers.

I am not satisfied with the response of the Boxer Breed Council vet advisor, who admits that he is neither a cardiologist nor a geneticist. I have not had a response from the KC health breed survey. Indeed, the links on the KC website to the breed health survey do not open. I have not had a response from the breeder of my puppy.

In short, everyone seems to be saying 'bad luck'.

This is not acceptable. This is not bad luck. This is bad breeding. 

Clearly, the gene for AS is prevalent in the Boxer gene pool. It may even be more prevalent in the south of England, but there is no data to establish this. The gene for AS does not follow Mendelian inheritance, thus, more information needs to be collected on animals affected with, or who have died from AS, as the existing database is woefully incomplete.

I am not a breeder, nor do I show my Boxers. I am lover of the Boxer breed. Only when breeders are compelled to provide information on the incidence of AS in litters, and when the KC collects comprehensive data from owners of AS-affected Boxers and vets who see affected dogs in practice, will the AS gene be bred out of the breed.

To watch a young dog die of AS is heart-breaking. A Boxer unable to run and jump and box and play is pitiful.

I have not included the cardiology report and pedigree here, due to the number of recipients. Please let me know if this would be of any use to you.

I look forward to your response.'

Boxer heart health 1

Boxer heart health 2

Themba's story

Who gives a damn anyway? Update on Boxer heart health

Right. Well. I did get a response from the Boxer Breed Council. But it's pretty much as I expected. The Kennel Club can't force breeders to get Boxers checked for heart defects like aortic stenosis. Some breeders do. And some breeders lie. Some hope it won't happen to them.

And none of that helps us make a decision about which adorable puppy to buy. So you take your chances and hope for the best.

I've taken the decision to go public with the information I have on the pedigrees of my two Boxers (one deceased from aortic stenosis), in the hope that other people will be able to avoid these breeders and pedigrees when choosing a Boxer puppy in the south of England (Surrey/Sussex/Hampshire). 

My approach is not endorsed by the Kennel Club or the the Boxer Breed Council. I have not had a response from the breeder of my 6mo puppy, Zozi. I did get a response from the breeder of the dog (Themba) now deceased, who offered to take the dog back and destroy him. Themba lived a short but happy life with us.

I would welcome feedback from other Boxer dog owners about their experiences with aortic stenosis, particularly in Boxers with the same pedigree as either of my two. Please help to collect data on the incidence of aortic stenosis in Boxer dogs, because only by collecting this information, can we be sure that aortic stenosis is bred out of the Boxer gene pool.

Tyegarth Tololo (Themba b. s29/06/2007 d. 01/09/2012)

WidleyLodge The Hobbitt (Zozi the puppy b. 21/11/2012

You can read Themba's story here.

Boxer heart health

This is the email I have sent to the Boxer Breed Council today. The day we found out that Zozi has moderate aortic stenosis (AS), a congenital heart pathology, caused by a faulty gene in her pedigree. 

"I have just had my 6mo Boxer puppy diagnosed with moderate aortic stenosis. This is particularly distressing as I lost a 5yo dog last year to the same condition.

I checked her pedigree for AS, but as you know the data from heart checks is of little use. A cardiologist checked both parents, who were clear of murmur.

Obviously, the genetic link for AS is present in her pedigree but until comprehensive data are collected on deaths from AS in pedigree Boxers, we will continue to receive devastating news like this.

What is the Breed Council doing about this? There is a public awareness of Boxer heart health, and it is damaging the breed. The momentum to reduce AS in Boxers seems to have stalled.

I intend to publish my own research and conclusions on my blog in order to start an online forum, and would welcome your comments."

You can read Themba's story here.

Here we go again

We have a new puppy. Zozi is her name and she is a fine Boxer puppy to keep Brin company. We refer to them as ‘BriniZozi’ as in ‘Brangelina’.

Zozi is much smaller than either of the ‘boys’ were; she is also very quiet, doesn’t like the cold, the wet or the mud. I hope she will grow out of it, but she could be a Little Missy.

Brin is being the perfect gentleman and doesn’t seem to mind if she nibbles him here and there (yes, even there)!

It’s lovely having a puppy but puppies are such hard work. They eat, poo, wee, play, sleep all day and all night. They jump on the sofa, hide under the bed, steal your scarf, and bark at the postman.

Zozi is working very hard at being a Good Dog Citizen. She sits on command, understands ‘no’ and ‘leave’ and ‘down’, although I have had to be a shouty Mummy from time to time. We have started taking her on short walks, just 10 minutes, to get her used to the collar and walking to heel. She loves going out.

And tomorrow night, we start puppy classes. We’ll see how that goes. The ‘boys’ were asked not to return to puppy class as they were too disruptive. Taking two Boxer puppies to training class at the same time was perhaps a bit ambitious. Zozi should be a doddle!