WELCOME TO HOME COUNTIES BOXER WELFARE
We are a Boxer rescue charity, established in 1991, committed to helping Boxers in need find loving homes . We initially only covered the Home Counties region, hence the name, but now cover a wider area as demand for our help has expanded. In addition to helping find homes for Boxers in need, we also provide support to Boxer owners to assist them with the on-going care of their Boxer with help, advice and in some cases funding. We have a network of volunteers who foster, home check, transport and fundraise for us.
PLEASE NOTE : Our waiting list remains closed to any new general registrations at this time. If you are interested in a specific dog featured on this site or our Facebook page, please contact the committee member listed in the advert.
WELCOME TO HOME COUNTIES BOXER WELFARE
We are a Boxer rescue charity, established in 1991, committed to helping Boxers in need find loving homes . We initially only covered the Home Counties region, hence the name, but now cover a wider area as demand for our help has expanded. In addition to helping find homes for Boxers in need, we also provide support to Boxer owners to assist them with the on-going care of their Boxer with help, advice and in some cases funding. We have a network of volunteers who foster, home check, transport and fundraise for us.
PLEASE NOTE : Our waiting list remains closed to any new general registrations at this time. If you are interested in a specific dog featured on this site or our Facebook page, please contact the committee member listed in the advert.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO RE-HOME YOUR DOG OR NEED HELP AND ADVICE -
We are here to help, regardless of the pandemic status, so please call one of our Trustees, or complete our on-line form . All details are on our 'Contact Us' tab . We will be happy to talk to you about your current circumstances and the ways in which we can help.
We are here to help, regardless of the pandemic status, so please call one of our Trustees, or complete our on-line form . All details are on our 'Contact Us' tab . We will be happy to talk to you about your current circumstances and the ways in which we can help.
COVID-19 Latest update (September 2021)
We are endeavouring to to carry out home-checks and get back to meeting fellow boxer lovers. Please remember we rely on volunteers to help and not everyone is yet fully active even as the restrictions loosen. At the moment, the dogs we have are going to homes on our waiting list. This will almost certainly change at some point in the future, so please keep an eye on our Facebook page and here on our website, where we will post information about any dogs for whom we do not have a match with people already on our waiting list.
HOW WE WORK
We consist of a small number of people who voluntarily give their time to rehoming those boxers who, through no fault of their own, have to find a new family.
We are also here to help Boxer owners with general advice on the Boxer breed and any problems which may arise and in some cases may help support funding for veterinary treatment. For example, where there is difficulty in rehoming a dog due to age or medical condition, we can offer help with veterinary fees. This is only possible thanks to our Sponsor Scheme supporters. We also aim to promote responsible Boxer ownership and encourage supporters and Boxer lovers to attend our fun dog shows.
All of our dogs must be neutered and we will be arrange this prior to re-homing, or if this is not possible we’ll ask you to arrange for the dog to be neutered by your own vet and HCBW will pay a contribution to the vet direct.
As you can imagine, all of these activities run away with the finances, and as a registered charity we rely solely on your kind donations from membership, sponsorship and adoption.
- We work with the family who need to re-home their Boxer and help support them in that process
- We carry out dog assessments and gather as much information as possible about the dog to be re-homed
- We find suitable matches for the dogs needs through our database of home-checked, Boxer-savvy owners
- Before a potential match is registered on our system they will have carried out a phone interview with us and completed a successful face-to-face meeting and home check at their own home
- We aim to place dogs directly from one home to another, however, sometimes it is necessary to use foster homes or kennels on a temporary basis. We work closely with our fosterers and approved kennels and staff to ensure the dogs needs are met as a priority
- We arrange home checks for any potential homes through our network of volunteer home-checkers
- We work with canine behaviourists and can recommend trainers for dogs with more advanced training needs
- Where required, we arrange and transport dogs in our care for veterinary treatment
- We provide transport for introductions, visits and hand-over for dogs in our care, sometimes this is a meeting point half-way .
- We follow up with a home-check for the newly adopted Boxer after they have settled and to ensure everything is going as expected
- We provide follow up support and rescue back up for the remainder of the dogs life
- We always check and register micro-chips for any dogs that come into our care
We are also here to help Boxer owners with general advice on the Boxer breed and any problems which may arise and in some cases may help support funding for veterinary treatment. For example, where there is difficulty in rehoming a dog due to age or medical condition, we can offer help with veterinary fees. This is only possible thanks to our Sponsor Scheme supporters. We also aim to promote responsible Boxer ownership and encourage supporters and Boxer lovers to attend our fun dog shows.
All of our dogs must be neutered and we will be arrange this prior to re-homing, or if this is not possible we’ll ask you to arrange for the dog to be neutered by your own vet and HCBW will pay a contribution to the vet direct.
As you can imagine, all of these activities run away with the finances, and as a registered charity we rely solely on your kind donations from membership, sponsorship and adoption.
THE BOXER BREED
The Boxer is a descendant of the Bullenbeisser, a German breed which was used to hunt bear, boar and deer in the 19th Century. It is thought that this breed was crossed with the Bulldog and this provided the basis for the present day Boxer.
The Boxer makes a lovely family companion for his intelligence and character, is an excellent guard dog and has proved his worth as a tracking dog and worked in the armed forces as a messenger and as a pack carrier. His clean outline, glossy coat and the nobility of his beautiful head and expression have brought the breed many admirers.
The Boxer is in the Working group of dogs
They can be medium to large dogs, with the females generally being smaller than the males
They have a short coat which can shed
They generally live an average of 10 years
Some breeds can have a natural Bobtail
Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are popular as family dogs. Their suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard dogs. As puppies, Boxers demonstrate a fascinating combination of mood-mirroring expressions, energetic curiosity, flexible attention spans and charming characteristics. They sometimes appear at dog agility or dog obedience trials and flyball events. These strong and intelligent animals have also been used as service dogs, guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, police dogs in K9 units, and occasionally herding cattle or sheep. The versatility of Boxers was recognised early on by the military, which has used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack carriers, and attack and guard dogs in times of war.
For more information on leading health issues for Boxer's, please visit our Boxer Health page.
The Boxer makes a lovely family companion for his intelligence and character, is an excellent guard dog and has proved his worth as a tracking dog and worked in the armed forces as a messenger and as a pack carrier. His clean outline, glossy coat and the nobility of his beautiful head and expression have brought the breed many admirers.
The Boxer is in the Working group of dogs
They can be medium to large dogs, with the females generally being smaller than the males
They have a short coat which can shed
They generally live an average of 10 years
Some breeds can have a natural Bobtail
Boxers are friendly, lively companions that are popular as family dogs. Their suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard dogs. As puppies, Boxers demonstrate a fascinating combination of mood-mirroring expressions, energetic curiosity, flexible attention spans and charming characteristics. They sometimes appear at dog agility or dog obedience trials and flyball events. These strong and intelligent animals have also been used as service dogs, guide dogs for the blind, therapy dogs, police dogs in K9 units, and occasionally herding cattle or sheep. The versatility of Boxers was recognised early on by the military, which has used them as valuable messenger dogs, pack carriers, and attack and guard dogs in times of war.
For more information on leading health issues for Boxer's, please visit our Boxer Health page.
TRAINING
There are many conflicting training techniques out there at the moment, we are facing a time of change and have learned so much through behavioural studies about our dog companions that has changed the way we train our dogs today based on these new understandings. There are still a lot of old trainers / old training styles out there and these are not the way to go. We would simply suggest to do your research on a good puppy socialisation class in your area to begin with - many vets will run these. Then find a good positive reinforcement trainer that is ABTC, IAABC accredited and members of ICAN, PPGuild, and has a diploma in Canine Behaviour - this way you know you are working with someone who will be teaching you safe techniques. Then when your puppy is old enough maybe look into some fun classes like agility or scent work as examples (although generally Boxers are not the best with scent work due to their short noses)! It's all about having fun. Find something you enjoy doing together, as a family with your dog and every day will be fun!
EXERCISE
The Boxer needs plenty of exercise. They are a very bouncy, energetic breed and can be good at agility.
As an athletic breed, proper exercise and conditioning is important for the continued health and longevity of the Boxer. Care must be taken not to over-exercise young dogs, as this may damage growing bones; however, once mature, Boxers can be excellent jogging or running companions. Because of their brachycephalic head, they do not do well with high heat or humidity, and common sense should prevail when exercising a Boxer in these conditions.
If you are looking for enclosed safe areas to let your Boxer run off lead, there is a great site you can search for spaces in your area: https://www.dogwalkingfields.co.uk
As an athletic breed, proper exercise and conditioning is important for the continued health and longevity of the Boxer. Care must be taken not to over-exercise young dogs, as this may damage growing bones; however, once mature, Boxers can be excellent jogging or running companions. Because of their brachycephalic head, they do not do well with high heat or humidity, and common sense should prevail when exercising a Boxer in these conditions.
If you are looking for enclosed safe areas to let your Boxer run off lead, there is a great site you can search for spaces in your area: https://www.dogwalkingfields.co.uk
FOOD
Food and nutrition plays and important role too and we would suggest doing some research in this area. So many complete dog foods that are available are bad for dogs or not really much good at all, including some of the veterinary recommended ones! The best site for comparison and finding something that works for you and your dog is www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk.
Boxers are very energetic even at old ages. They need plenty of exercise which means their diet should be high in quality calories. The main source of these calories should be lean animal protein, which include lean chicken, turkey, lamb and fish.
Boxers are also prone to dental problems, increasing their susceptibility for bad breath; dry dog food that is large and difficult for them to chew improves the likelihood for plaque removal. Plaque can also be removed by crude fiber in kibble, which has a flexible structure that increases chewing time. Polyphosphates are often coated on the outside of dry dog food, which further reduce plaque buildup by preventing calcium production in saliva. Odor production from the boxer's mouth is likely to be reduced if its teeth and oral cavity are kept in healthy conditions.
Boxers are very energetic even at old ages. They need plenty of exercise which means their diet should be high in quality calories. The main source of these calories should be lean animal protein, which include lean chicken, turkey, lamb and fish.
Boxers are also prone to dental problems, increasing their susceptibility for bad breath; dry dog food that is large and difficult for them to chew improves the likelihood for plaque removal. Plaque can also be removed by crude fiber in kibble, which has a flexible structure that increases chewing time. Polyphosphates are often coated on the outside of dry dog food, which further reduce plaque buildup by preventing calcium production in saliva. Odor production from the boxer's mouth is likely to be reduced if its teeth and oral cavity are kept in healthy conditions.
Please check out our online shop for HCBW merchandise 😄 Your purchase will help our fundraising efforts.
HCBW Dog Frisbee
£7.00
Home Counties Boxer Welfare material and rope dog frisbee, black rope, white material with black logo. We can't guarantee how long they will last with your Boxer unfortunately but they could provide hours, minutes or seconds of fun!
NB: If you buy this item at a show it will cost £5.00 (online to cover the post and packing costs the item is £7.00)
All money raised from sales of merchandise goes towards funding to help pay for vet bills and re-home Boxer dogs.
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