We are in the midst of summer vacation and more and more dogs are traveling with their families. There are tons of hotels and motels that allow pets which makes traveling with your dog relatively pain free. If you and your dog are hitting the road or taking to the skies, here are a few tips for your summer vacation.

Many airlines allow reservations for small carry on pets ahead of time, but some companies may have a limit to the number of dogs on board. Confirm the policy and book as early as possible. Flying your pet as checked baggage in pressurized cargo is also an option. Many airlines have restrictions for times of the year that are either extremely hot or extremely cold. The most important aspect of cargo travel is for your dog to be familiar and comfortable in their travel crate.

Make sure your pet's crate has extra hooks or latches so the door does not jostle open if bounced around in transit.

Tip baggage handlers well as they're the ones who are mainly responsible for your pet when flying cargo.

Make a travel ID tag for your dog with your destination address and cell phone listed. Key tag ID's from Staples work in a pinch.

Always bring your dog's rabies certificate. When flying a health certificate from your vet will be required.

Bring a photo of your pet in case your pet is lost or stolen. You will be able to take action quickly to get them back.

Traveling with a large bag of dog food can be inconvenient. Shop online before you leave and have the food delivered to your hotel.

Request the first floor at your hotel so you can be closer to the outdoors and avoid disturbing other guests. Ask where the correct exercise area is and ALWAYS pick up after you dog.

Get your hotel to confirm their pet policies in advance of your arrival. Do not rely on what their website says. Call them to confirm.

Research local dog parks or good walking routes near your hotel before you leave. Your hotel concierge can be a good source of this information.

Traveling with your dog can be an enjoyable experience if you plan ahead. Happy trails to you.

This wonderful Boxer mix came to BRLA as Sonic. He was a super sonic older guy with a great personality and unusual look - very small ears and a very long tail. Sonic was adopted by a family and spent more than 7 months enjoying family life, but was sadly returned for being too active for their kids. They had renamed him Brodie.

It took some time for Brodie to be noticed. The day came when mother and daughter Rebecca and Alex Arden came back to BRLA. They are true boxer angels as they never come looking for the perfect young dog, they look for who needs to be rescued the most. They had previously adopted one of our colitis dogs and when she suddenly passed they wanted to help someone else. They both agreed that a senior would be perfect and when they met Brodie and it was love at first sight.

Fourteen year old Alexandria Arden says it best:

"As you can see Mr. Brodie is our loving senior dog. We adopted him in April of 2007. One of his favorite things to do is go on car rides. He loves them so much that he sometimes won't come out of the car when we park. Walks are another of his favorite things. When we walk past another dog, he'll start to bark, squeal and cry. His absolute favorite thing to do is to watch Animal Planet on TV. He goes nuts and sometimes jumps on the TV or goes behind it trying to find the animals. He is truly an active dog for his age and he cracks us up all the time.

Some people are reluctant to adopt senior dogs - trust me age has absolutely nothing to do with it. Senior dogs are just as loyal, loving, and caring. They make excellent companions. Some senior dogs may have arthritis or need special diets, but young dogs have their own challenges too.

Senior dogs do not want to be cooped up in a small kennel for the rest of their lives. They still want to be loved and cared for just as much as the younger dogs. Senior dogs need a warm home with a loving and caring family.

My family and I are very lucky to have such a sweet, affectionate, funny companion who happens to be a senior. Not everyone will adopt a senior so we agreed to adopt one. We knew that by adopting Mr. Brodie, we would be truly saving a life."

BRLA thanks the Arden ladies for such compassion and love for rescued Boxers. They, along with many others see the benefits of adopting a senior BRLA Boxer.

By Candi Mitchell,
BRLA Volunteer Coordinator

Meet our newest volunteer duo, Shannon and Benny Haber. The Haber's found their way to BRLA a few months ago through a friend and fellow Boxer owner. The two of them have been hooked since their very first visit to the kennel.

The Haber's had always wanted to adopt a Boxer as well as a Boston Terrier, but could not do so because they were renting and their landlord was not very approving of the four legged species! About three years ago, Shannon and Benny bought a house and within a week of moving in they made their dream a reality and added Piper, the Boston Terrier and Rudy, the Boxer to their family. Newsflash! Shannon and Benny just added a sweet BRLA senior Boxer, Carlene (now Carly), to the family. This wonderful old gal is loving life with the Habers!

It is not very often that we are lucky enough to have volunteers jump in "feet first" and become such a big part of the day to day operations at the kennel. The Haber's started out by walking the orphans and it soon became very clear to the core volunteer team that Shannon would be a huge asset to our adoption team. Within a few weeks of becoming a volunteer, Shannon was asked and trained to join our adoption team and has done a remarkable job learning the ropes and matching orphans to their new forever homes.

She has proven her dedication to the "Big Boys", as she lovingly calls them, by coming almost every weekend and being the first to arrive and the last to leave. She just can't bring herself to leave for the day until she is sure that every single orphan had been out for a walk. We are not sure where she gets her stamina, but she has been an inspiration to us all.

Shannon's husband Benny comes as often as he can with his busy schedule of being a freelance photographer and EMT. It is on those weekends that Benny is able to help, that Shannon gets to relax just a little and has a much easier time of reaching her goal of making sure each and every "Big Boy" has been walked. The two of them together are a force to be reckoned with!

Getting to know a dogs personality, teaching and reinforcing basic commands and communicating a dogs progress to the adoption team will guaranty success in placing an orphaned boxer into his or her forever home and the Haber's have been instrumental in this process.

Shannon just recently had a birthday and to celebrate she brought her friends and family to the kennel to share her passion of spending the day walking and socializing BRLA Boxers.

We cannot thank Benny and Shannon enough for jumping in "feet first" and never looking back. We are very fortunate that they found their way to us and hope that their story will be an inspiration to you all.

Shannon's Blog on "Big Boys"

Introducing the newest way you can help your pet and help BRLA at the same time. Boxer Rescue LA is now a member of the 1-800-PetMeds Partner Program. Every purchase made from one of our supporters brings 10% donated to BRLA. This is simply brilliant.

1-800-PetMeds® is America's Largest Pet Pharmacy, They deliver prescription and non-prescription pet medications along with health and nutritional supplements for dogs, cats and horses at substantial savings directly to you. They serve millions of satisfied customers nationwide from one location.

1-800-PetMeds® is rapidly changing the way America buys pet medications - by phone, fax, mail and the Internet. They make the purchasing of pet medications as easy, convenient and economical as possible. They have invested in state-of-the-art information systems and infrastructure along with trained Customer Care representatives, and a licensed pharmacy and veterinary staff.

So now you have just about everything you could want or need for your animal companion available online. Buying your pet products through 1-800-Petmeds saves you time and money and provides BRLA desperately needed funding. It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Buying from 1-800-Petmeds and getting BRLA credit is easy, you have a couple of options:

The easiest is to order via the online dedicated BRLA link which will indicate BRLA when you check out.
There is a PetMeds Partner icon on the BRLA homepage .

You can order off the regular 1800petmeds.com website and when you check out indicate BoxerRescueLA

You can call in orders to 1-800-PetMeds (1-800-738- 6337) and use the code BoxerRescueLA

Keep your companion animal healthy and happy using quality products from 1-800-Petmeds. All purchases have a 100% money back guarantee and help BRLA continue to save lives.

Happy shopping!

BRLA successfully placed 28 Boxers in May 2007.

Abigale* Ali, Audrey, Bamboo, Belle, Carlos, Charlie D, Colt, Crash, Darby, Dozer, Eligio, Faylene, Hawk, Hershey, Hollywood, Jonah, Lucy, Mr Vegas, Peppermint Patty, Princess, Rex, Ricky, Rita, Roxie , Rudy, Sam, Toby,

BRLA successfully placed 57 Boxers in June 2007.

Ali Apple, Baker, Bella, Bo, Bradley, Chicanito, Clover, Cowgirl, Dooley, Duquesa, Emma Lee, Flash, Fred, Fury, Gabriel, Harley, Hootie, Hulk, Jade, Jake, Jenna, Joey, Larkin, Linus, Lisa, Lola, Lola, Lucinda, Mamma, Max , Maxwell, McKenzie, Mickey, Mino, Minu, Missy, Oscar, Paco/Chato, Parker, Pebbles, Raggs, Ricky,Roxy Bear, Ryder,Sandy, Sanford, Shakira, Snuffles, Sonya, Sparky, Stavros, Tiger, Tinkerbell, Travis, Waylon, William

We are taking submissions for the BRLA 2008 Rescue Dog Calendar. Make your BRLA boxer a star!!

The 2007 BRLA Rescue Dog Calendar was a big hit and we expect the 2008 to be just as fabulous. Send a photo along with a sentence or two about your BRLA Boxer- their adoption date and why they are special to you.

You can email high resolution images to the link below.( The better the quality of your photo (resolution) the larger it can appear in the calendar)

Or you can mail a hard copy photograph (not returable) to:
BRLA Calendar
c/o Production Line Design
2554 Lincoln Blvd # 792
Venice, CA 90921

All photos must be submitted by September 10.

The calendars will be available in early November for your holiday shopping!

Make you Boxer a star!

EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION

Upcoming
Boxer Rescue LA
Events

Come out and meet the BRLA volunteers and some of our available dogs at one of these upcoming events.

Pet Appreciation Day
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007
11am - 6pm
Live Oak Park, Dorsey Field
Manhattan Beach

Let's Blog

NEWSFLASH!
Ralph's is requiring that all Community Contributors register their club cards AGAIN. If you do not sign up directly with Ralph's, BRLA does not receive proceeds. They will require participants to register each year. We apologize for the inconvenience.


If you are not aware of this program, it's fantastic as it allows you to donate funds to BRLA without spending a dime. When you shop at Ralph's and use your club card, Ralph's donates a percentage of your purchases to BRLA. Everyone needs to grocery shop and you might as well shop at Ralphs so your purchases not only feed your family but it helps feed BRLA boxers.

So please sign up or sign up AGAIN. It's easy:

1. Log on to RALPHS.COM

2. Click on "Community Contribution"

3. Click on "Participant" - BRLA NPO - 80701

4. Follow the easy steps to enroll! - Be sure to complete all the information

5. Sit back and watch your grocery shopping earn money for BRLA


SIGN UP

MONTHLY MIRACLE MAKERS

With great appreciation we recognize these individuals who are BRLA monthly donors. Every month their reocurring donation arrives at BRLA to support our boxers in waiting. Thank you!

Robyn Davis
Tracy Goodman
Sonia Johnson
Christine Olson
Christine Schaeffer
Lara Clinton
Lauren Carr
Linda Kirkham
Aram and Kourosh Kaveh
Christi Olsen
Claudia Toledo
CM Quickle
Connie Vohden
Diana King
Erika Alegar
Exxon Maldonado
Glenn Tannous
Greg Gibson
James A. Bryan
Janes & Filana Ragan
Kimberly Bauer
Lori Koch
Maria Calon & Jeffery Klein
Mary Shea
Mindy Carrington
Norma Stang
Paige Cunningham
Phil & Judy Armstrong
Ronald & Kathy Carlson
Sally Cormier
Taylor N. Wright
Tiffany Cohen
Tom & Alyse Plotkin
Virginia Burton
Wolfgang DeGirogia
Becky Howery
Dean Marolla
Geannie Acheson
George & Sharry Taylorson
Gergory Morris
Gillian Bonner Caine
Jane & Jim Clinkenbeard
Jeff Hill
Judy Mortens
Juliet Curtis
Kai Lauritzen
Lillian Sedlak
Lyda Corey
Michele Edelman
Michelle Donaghy
Michelle Janczewski
Petra Jones
Robert Rien
Sandra Treherne
Shana Kaplan
Sherry & Mike Grant



BECOME A MONTHLY MIRACLE

Boxer Rescue LA