~ GUNNER'S  PAGE ~

 

Gunner's first day home. Meeting Missy

Gunner expresses his apparent delight at meeting Missy.

Missy wasn't too sure she cared one way or the other.

 We were grieving the lost one of our one dog, Duke, in January 2005.  Our boxer Missy was broken hearted too.  By February we were thinking that it might be time to get another dog.  We  both wanted a boxer and I really wanted another female.  

Then one day at work a co-worker told me about a couple living in military housing who had a young boxer they were considering selling.

The husband was away at school and the wife was going to college and was gone all day.

So on the day before Valentine's Day we drove up to Watertown to take a look at the puppy. It was love at first sight.  

 

His name was Gunner and he was about 5 months old but he was a male. . . . . too late!  I was already in love with him so male or not he was definitely coming home with us.  

I had originally planned on changing the name of any dog we got to something that would go well with our other dogs name BUT as Gunner was originally owned by a military family here at Fort Drum we just couldn't change his name.  We thought it was appropriate and so we kept it.

Since he has been with us we call him everything from Puppy to Slingshot to Ricochet or Baby, but then we rarely call Missy just Missy either.  She has a dozen "pet" names too.

 Gunner with his Army toys!

Gunner with his toy tank and jeep!

We actually had the toys for our other boxer, Missy.

 

Gunner sleeping on the bed!

 Gunner is boxer #4 for us so we are aware that boxers are either moving (running, jumping, chewing, etc.), eating or sleeping. Once you have a boxer in the house you never get to have the last bite of anything ever again.  

We also know that boxers "NEVER" grow up.  They are puppy-ish for way longer than most dogs.  Some people think they are hyper.  We like to call them ACTIVE (extremely active).

Boxers are clowns and keep you laughing (or crying) most of the time.  

We HAD a rule in our house.......NO dogs on the furniture........RIGHT!

Gunner thinks he OWNS all the furniture.

 

When we got our Missy she was already two years old and she learned very quickly that the only furniture she was allowed on was the ottoman by the living room window.  This became her favorite spot and she rarely had to be told to stay off the furniture.

Well.......Gunner was still a puppy and who can resist holding a puppy (even a rather long gangly one) on your lap while you are sitting on the couch?  Of course this is confusing to a dog.  You can't let him on the couch when you are there and not when you aren't, so after a very short period of time we gave up trying to keep him off the couch and bed and just put a throw over the couch.

 Gunner and Missy watching the snow in February 2005

Missy on her ottoman with Gunner on his own ottoman.

 

Each boxer has his or her own spot by the window

Our big girl and our little boy

 When we bought new furniture a few years ago we had to get a set that had an ottoman for Missy.  For some reason, although we got rid of the old furniture, we kept the old ottoman.  Something must have told us we would eventually have another boxer!

This is their favorite spot in the living room.  Well maybe not Gunner's.  He really like the couch! Missy will occasionally get up on the couch but only when one of us is sitting there.  Unlike our boy who will jump up and sit in our spot when we go out to the kitchen for a drink.  We are not sure if he is thinking, "Ya snooze...ya loose." or if he is just keeping our spot warm for us.

 

In the computer room, Gunner's favorite place is the bed or the old chair.  The chair was originally Duke's and then became Missy's spot because she was overweight and couldn't get up on the bed easily.  After having Gunner around for a couple of months (and being on some low-cal dog food for mature dogs) she has lost enough weight that she can jump up on the bed whenever she wants.  All that running around playing with Gunner has made her healthier.  After we lost Duke, Missy just laid around and didn't play much.  Now she chases Gunner all around both indoors and out, or he chases her.

It can get pretty wild in the house at times and like two kids they usually decide to play "catch-me-if-you-can" while I am on the phone!

 Puppies sleep in such strange positons.......they sure do make you laugh

Gunner in the computer room doggie chair

 

Gunner with his favorite toy.....a squeaky moose

Gunner's favorite SQUEAKY MOOSE

 One thing we have found that is different with this boxer that with any of our others is that he LOVES squeaky toys.

We had an overflowing box full of toys for our boxers.  Gunner just took all the toys out one at a time until he found what he wanted to play with.  All our boxers have liked the toys that squeak BUT Gunner LOVES them.  He keeps trying until he finds the squeaker and then he squeaks it endlessly.  He goes on and on and on and ON!.  

I have had people on the phone ask, "Who keeps squeaking that toy?"  They are surprised when I tell them the dog!

 

Oh dear, I almost forgot to mention . . . . boxers talk.  All of our boxers had been what we call talkers.  They have a way of making noises that sound like that are talking.  Gunner however has the strangest voice for a young dog.  It is really unexplainable except to say it is as if there is a totally different dog inside him.  It has the weirdest sound and he not only talks he sings sometimes.  It isn't really a howl......I wish I could explain it but he "talks" ALL the time!  The first time he did it we both looked at him like he was possessed.

In any case, this is Gunner's page.  The other dogs had a page so this is his. Hopefully I will keep it updated occasionally.  But the word here is "hopefully"!

 Our beautiful boy Gunner April '05

Pretty Boy  - Gunner!

 

 

 
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