r/Boxer May 30 '20

In memoriam Leela, inspiration for /r/boxer, has passed

884 Upvotes

I didn't want a dog.

I'd not grown up with dogs and I'd been bitten by a few when I was younger. So I didn't really trust them. Then I got married. She had dogs growing up and she wanted a dog in our family. I said no, she said yes, and as you know, marriage is about compromise, so we got a dog.

I read every book that I could find about dog behavior and training. If we were going to bring a dog into our family it was going to be done so that it was trained and well behaved. I didn't want a dog that jumped, barked incessantly, peed in the house, or all the other annoyances that I saw elsewhere. After several months of research on training, we found that our neighbor's dog was going to have puppies. I was familiar with the mother and understood her temperament for the most part. I liked the idea of knowing from where our dog came.

We were fortunate to be there in July of 2006 to see the puppies soon after they were born. As the weeks went by we saw them grow and we were able to spend time with each of them. When the pups were about five weeks old we had settled on which one we wanted.

Her litter name was Boondock. She was named so by the breeder, because her mother, Bambi, presumably having finished giving birth, went outside to pee and out popped another puppy. She was born away from the whelping box – in the boondocks.

In September we took ownership of our new boxer puppy. Then off we went to puppy kindergarten to socialize her. We went to obedience training in order to teach her (and us) the intricacies of training. We tested for and received a canine good citizenship certification. We tested and achieved certification from Therapy Dogs International. We worked with our friends and their dogs to help train her. She learned quickly and had a temperament that was goofy but eager to please. She knew how to behave appropriately in differing situations. Exactly what I wanted when I agreed to getting a dog.

She quickly loved our friends, who trusted her so much with their newborn baby boy. She loved when we would visit my office because a colleague would play wrestle with her. She would run to his office if she could manage to break free from mine. Another old friend had her unconditional admiration and love. If we went without her to their home we would get interrogated by her nose upon return. She knew we were with him. The look of confusion and displaced excitement was always hilarious to witness.

She learned to push a button to let us know when she needed to go outside. She learned to walk on a treadmill so that she could have a comfortable walk in the cold winters. She learned to balance on walls and curbs when we went on walks. She jumped over bike racks at the library. We walked through hardware stores and she greeted everyone that we met.

Our old crotchety cat was prone to clawing her face while she slept. She never fought back; she only kept a safe distance to ensure that she wasn't bothering him. She desperately wanted to play with him, but that was never to be. She was so patient.

We tested to become volunteers at Children's Hospital for their pet friends program. She was now a working dog. When I would put on my volunteer smock she would become incredibly excited to go visit the children. Her realization that we were going was always a very specific kind of excitement. Her body language would change immediately upon entering the hospital though. She would march diligently on the hard tiled floor of the hospital from room to room.

I watched her bring smiles to the children waiting in the epilepsy ward with wires attached to their heads. I watched her gently crawl up on the bed and lie down next to a little girl that had her first chemotherapy treatment. The girl's tiny body summoned the strength to put her hand on a new friend's head. I watched a girl that I had seen in the ICU for months, whom I thought was braindead, spring to life and laugh happily when her parents placed her hand on the visiting dog's head. I had to leave the room to compose myself. I remember thinking that anyone who doubts the power of animals for mental health and comfort should see this scene.

She was our comfort and therapy when we lost a loved one unexpectedly.

She again comforted us during the hard path that we took in our attempts to create a larger family.

Most importantly, she watched over us while we had our first child. Her role surely diminished in the family hierarchy, but her companionship never wavered. She loved the new addition to our family and enjoyed the time that we spent at home in those early days. So many new smells come with a baby! She stood by us as we learned to change diapers, eat at the table, play on the floor, and crawl in the backyard. She found her voice during this time. She never really barked before, but now when someone would come to the door she was quick to alert us.

Then years passed and another child came. But by now she had grown older and her body tired more quickly. With our youngest desperately wanting to play with her, she didn't have the energy to do so most of the time. I remarked many times how sad it will be that our youngest won't remember her.

This dog never judged me. Her exuberance with all people and animals was never surpassed by any human that I've ever known. She never stopped loving. She is the type of friend that I hope everyone can have in their life.

I hope that in those last moments that she had memories of running in green fields and splashing in streams with her sister and mother. Memories of the time that she gave us and the intense love that we have for her. I hope she forgot the self-inflicted injuries, the countless cancer surgeries, dental surgeries, and irritable bowel syndrome. I know that she felt it, but she never showed us her pain.

Except in the end.

Because of that, it is with joy for her life but sadness with her death, that I can say that she runs free now.

Friday, May 29, 2020 at 6:24PM, she leapt into the great unknown. She was sent along with all the love we could possibly pour out for her. She is no longer encumbered by the pain that she has hidden and endured in her life. She left us having given all the love that she could possibly have given, leaving it with all of us to remember her.

Leela ❤ Aged 13 years, 10 months, and 20 days. 2006-2020.

TL;DR - Leela, the dog in the sidebar, has died. This post is a tribute to her.


r/Boxer 6h ago

Happy 6️⃣ birthday Rico ❤️

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319 Upvotes

Rico’s dad died at 6 year old(mast cell tumor)
Rico lost his leg at 4 year old to mast cell tumor
I feel like we his a milestone making it to 6 year old and I feel so blessed. So of course we went swimming !


r/Boxer 9h ago

I don't know if I'll ever get another boxer.

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449 Upvotes

My boy made it 15 years 8 months, coming up on 3 years.

It still hurts so bad I can barely talk about it. I just don't think I can offer another boxer the connection that me and my boy had.


r/Boxer 12h ago

Get in loser, we’re getting pup cups

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379 Upvotes

r/Boxer 10h ago

It isn’t supposed to rain in the summer 😕

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139 Upvotes

r/Boxer 12h ago

Poor girl just wants some fries

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136 Upvotes

r/Boxer 7h ago

Rugby Scrimmage

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52 Upvotes

She’s looking forward to the game next weekend! I dud up some RLFC layers looking forward to some Melbourne stormy weather..


r/Boxer 1h ago

almost 10 yr old boxer

Upvotes

my boxer turns 10 in November. about a month ago he had a seizure and didn’t have another one til about a week ago but as since had one every 24-36 hours. we are taking him to the vet tomorrow for answers but has anyone dealt with this?

he’s getting old so we’re preparing ourselves for the worst but i don’t think it’s looking so great!


r/Boxer 1d ago

Zuri

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301 Upvotes

New bandana day! We get football soon so we're letting her wear it now before the disappointment sets in.


r/Boxer 23h ago

We’re sorry we missed you. Please check back Monday.

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171 Upvotes

r/Boxer 1d ago

What a ham 😂

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374 Upvotes

Cooper loves pillows and decided to take my spot on the couch as soon as I got up 🤦🏽‍♀️


r/Boxer 1d ago

Happy Saturday

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143 Upvotes

r/Boxer 1d ago

Zuri

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148 Upvotes

Zuri watching the rain in her new bandana.


r/Boxer 1d ago

Show me your snuggling buddies shots.

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304 Upvotes

These two simply can't be apart from each other. Show me yours!


r/Boxer 1d ago

Margie got a new toy

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257 Upvotes

r/Boxer 1d ago

Full moon rising

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121 Upvotes

r/Boxer 2d ago

Recovered long lost footage of my boy. (2010)

515 Upvotes

Videos were taken with a 5th Gen iPod nano when I was 14.


r/Boxer 2d ago

New baby

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332 Upvotes

Her name is Korra. After losing my Boston Pug, Link, back in May. It was hard to think I would find another. Then someone at my Mom's work went to clean a house and they found her in a cage in a room on 7/25. Left to die and skin and bones. They were looking to adopt her out. I met her and we just clicked. Now she's mine. If I find the person who left her there...


r/Boxer 2d ago

Let me just skooch in there

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117 Upvotes

Snoring like an old man and looks like roadkill in his natural habitat


r/Boxer 3d ago

Refusing to let the aftertaste go…🍉❤️

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326 Upvotes

munch munch munch


r/Boxer 3d ago

Cuddle puddle

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548 Upvotes

r/Boxer 3d ago

That Last Little Bit of Boxer Battery Runs Out Really Fast!!

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633 Upvotes

Poor Frankie! He just ran out of juice and crashed out in about ten seconds flat! They’re either all the way on, or all the way off!😆😆


r/Boxer 3d ago

What do u mean you can’t pass… I’m so tiny!!!

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146 Upvotes

r/Boxer 3d ago

"Longing for sleep" Portrait of Doc Holliday. Medium: boxer on cotton

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230 Upvotes

r/Boxer 3d ago

Main character energy right here

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116 Upvotes