Boxer Dog Art & the Rescued Dog that Inspires It

Q: Can you tell us what it was like to adopt your Boxer from the rescue? Did he have any health issues or behavioral issues? What steps did you have to take to help him adjust? And how is he doing now? 

A: Rony came to us only a month before I was slated for a hospital stay for a total hip replacement, so we were lucky that he came without many issues. He had already spent 6 or so months being fostered by Marta Nettelfield of BRC, and she did a great job with him, and also with providing me with information and advice on how to manage him.

He had mild separation anxiety if we were away from home (which was never for long as I work from home and my husband is retired) for the first couple of weeks. It expressed itself mostly when he was crated, but by the time I was in the hospital, he could reliably and safely be left loose in the house, which was a big relief to all of us.

Luckily for us, he has had no notable health concerns other than needing some dental work in the first year or so. 

Rony is the calmest and lowest energy Boxer I have ever owned, which makes him perfect for our stage of life and lifestyle. After I lost my previous littermate brothers in their teens, both within one year, I was in a quandary.

I couldn’t imagine my life without a Boxer in it, but I felt I just didn’t have another puppy in me, especially a Boxer puppy. Then I realized I didn’t have to leave the breed that I have loved all my life, I just needed to go to adult rescue and all would be well. 

BRC does its best to match the right dog with the appropriate owner. They are all about making a good fit for both dog and owner, not just moving the dog along to whoever wants it. 

One of the things that has amused/amazed me about Rony is that despite having come from southern California to the Canadian prairies, where it can get to forty below and winter is five months long, he is actually more cold-hardy than my previous Prairie-born Boxers were. That said, there are still many days when walks aren’t an option, and he does own an extensive wardrobe of coats and footwear for the winter days when a brief outing is in the cards.

A: I think I was born with three loves: dogs, horses, and art. I don’t remember a time when my life hasn’t been shaped by them. I drew constantly as a child and teen, and took my university degree with a Fine Arts major. 

After that, I continued to work on my own and to read and learn about various media. I spent a number of years working in stained glass, both window pieces and glass mosaic. I had always taken my own reference photos for artwork, but didn’t really know what I was doing with my camera. 

When I got my first digital DSLR camera a dozen or so years ago, I was able to spend a lot more time figuring out the photography end of things without it costing a lot in film processing.

I got so I could take a decent photo, but I wanted to go farther with my images, which meant learning Photoshop. By the time I had acquired some Photoshop skills, the original photographs were just the raw materials for totally new images. My new motto was “reality is only a starting point”.  

My current work consists of photo-based images, either one-of-a-kind mixed media pieces which combine “real-life” art media with photo images, or the digital collages that are featured on my website. These can take a lot of time and effort to create, but the bonus is that once an image is completed, it can be reproduced in a variety of formats and sizes and at an accessible price, so they can be purchased and enjoyed by anyone that wants one. 

A: All the animals in my photo collages are from my own photos of either my own dogs or of dogs I have met and photographed. This is partly for copyright reasons, but mostly because the contact and immediacy of working from my own photos adds meaning to the process for me. 

A: I currently work in photo based mixed media and digitally altered photography.

Rescues that use capable foster homes with breed experience are going to be best for giving an accurate appraisal of the dog in their care, and of making a good match between dog and new owner. 

A good rescue will require a lot of information from the applicant, and will also want to do a home visit to be sure that all is as stated on your application. There will also be a charge. They will have put a lot of time, effort, and dollars into vet assessments and care, and need to charge in order to keep the rescue afloat and able to continue their work on behalf of dogs in need. 

One of the hardest things once you have your “new” dog, is to have the self-discipline to give them the time and space they need to adapt to their new life. Our natural tendency is to make a big fuss, smother them with attention and generally flood them with all the experiences and love we feel they have missed out on. This can be totally overwhelming to the dog who has no idea who you are, where it is, and what is going to happen. 

I have done volunteer photography for the local SPCA and have seen a number of dogs “bounced” back to the shelter within weeks because the new owners didn’t give the dog a fair chance to adapt. 

BRC promotes the Two-Week Shutdown system of introducing a new dog to your household. While it can be hard to follow this when we are so excited about our new friend, it is only fair to the dog to allow them this time of limited interaction so that they can make the best possible adjustment to their new environment. This is even more critical when the adoptee is coming into a home that already has resident pets.

metal prints, wood prints and even posters. 

These Boxer dog works of art are also available as greeting cards and phone cases. 

to Boxer Rescue Canada, to promote Boxer dog rescue. 

See the full collection at Judy's Boxer Dog Artwork Site.