TRIBUTES: Brutus

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To Everyone at BRLA:

I brought Brutus home in 1989 when he was just 6 weeks old and my oldest daughter had just turned a year old. Life was very hectic those first few months raising two babies and six short months later I found out I was expecting my second daughter.

Like most Boxers, Brutus was extremely hard headed and didn't take direction well and I have to admit, I was an inexperienced handler and was trying to raise two legged babies and maintain a household. Needless to say, he got away with murder. He was never rough or mean with the girls and in fact was very protective of them, corralling them in the front yard, watching over them while they slept and he kept them a safe distance from the fireplace. I never had to worry when Brutus was on duty.

Eventually we moved to the San Bernardino mountains and he was in heaven! He loved the snow and enjoyed the freedom he had living up there. Our property was the perfect place for a dog like him. He learned quickly about skunks and to avoid them at all costs and we only had to deal with that mess one time. He loved going to Lake Gregory to chase the ducks and he even had a "girlfriend" there. Her name was Ginger, she was a standard black Poodle.

My three daughters and I had to move from the mountains in February 1998 and had to leave Brutus with my ex-husband for the time being. Less than a year later, I met my future husband Mark and introduced him to Brutus, who was back living with the girls and me. He wasn't a "dog person" but quickly became one after getting to know Brutus. After all, who could resist a dog who was the perfect couch potato and football buddy? By now Brutus had slowed down some, although most people thought he was much younger than he looked. He was still physically active and had the typical Boxer build, lean and muscular with an enormous head. Mark was off work for a few months shortly after moving into our home in 1999 and he had more time to bond with Brutus and the dog who had always been "my" dog, now became his dog. It was also about this time that I decided we needed another dog. Brutus was now 10 and I wanted the "new" dog to learn his good habits. Secretly I wanted another dog for my own since Brutus had "defected" and was now Mark's dog.

It was about this time I learned about the Boxer Rescue on Good Day LA. This was it, this was the place I was looking for and didn't even know it! That week I sent off my application and was approved for an adoption. I was so excited I could hardly wait to get there. The first Saturday in October 2000, I loaded up the kids and Brutus to go "look" for a perspective addition to the family. Brutus was horrible while we were there and Ursula was doubtful that she could place a dog with us, I assured her that he was different dog at home. She brought out an adorable little brindle girl who was about and year old and 6 weeks post surgery for an injured hip. She was in pretty rough shape but was incredibly lovable. I was worried that Brutus might hurt her so I put him in the car. I decided right then that this little girl was coming home with us, but we had to wait a few more days for her to be "ready" and I was only supposed to be "looking" for a new addition. I also think Urusula was still worried about Brutus accepting her and was still doubtful.

The girls and I named her Bella on the way home that day. One week later I drove back to the Rescue without the kids and Brutus and brought our baby girl home. When she got to the house Brutus was a perfect gentleman and even allowed Bella to take over his bed on the floor. They played together, slept together, ate together and were the perfect companions for the next two years.

After a very tough year of ups and downs, we lost our beloved Brutus on December 27, 2002, he was 13 ½ years old. In December 2001 he was diagnosed with a heart arythmia due to a severe case of prostatitis and spent three days in ICU at the local animal emergency hospital. In September 2002 we found out he had a brain tumor and he was seeing a neurologist in hopes of getting the seizures he was experiencing under control. We knew the tumor was inoperable at his age and our goal was to just make him comfy and hope to keep him with us for just a little while longer. The last few weeks of his life were pretty quiet but the occasional seizure was difficult for us all to deal with. Even Bella knew he wasn't well. She would just lie next to him and lick his face, she wasn't asking him to play anymore and she whined after each seizure he had. I think his illness was as rough on her as it was all of us. On December 27, 2002 the tumor finally got the best of him and we had to have him put to sleep. He put up a valiant fight and through everything , he was a trooper. He never once grumbled about taking any of the five medications he took twice a day. He became more quiet and just wanted to be close and snuggle.

That was the darkest, loneliest week of my life. But I knew what I had to do, we needed another new addition to the family. Over the course of the last two years years Mark and I were regular browsers of the Rescue web page. Always looking to see who is still waiting for a home and who has come along. I sent in a new application that week and by Saturday January 4, 2003 I was on a mission.

Mark and I had been looking at "Buster" on the web page. He was missing one of his eyes due to it being damaged from a firecracker and if he would have us, we were bringing him home that day. So that Saturday morning I loaded the girls and Bella in the car and drove to the rescue. I let Dana know that we were there to hopefully take Buster home with us. While we waited for Buster's arrival (he was running errands with Ursula) the girls pampered some of the dogs that waited out. They watered them and talked to them to keep them company. Finally Ursula and Buster returned and well, let's just say, Buster and Bella didn't get along as famously as I had hoped. In fact, they didn't get along at all. I knew that Bella was still in "mourning" and she had been a bit of a grouch, so I didn't want to push the issue. We looked at another young male, and they were "okay" together but Bella wasn't overly interested. In fact I think she was a little annoyed by his rambuncious behavior (he reminded me of Bella a few years earlier).

Then Joni brought out this gorgeous dark brindle boy, he was very thin but what a face! Joni had already introduced the girls to "Sammy" and they thought he was perfect. Bella seemed to think he was pretty okay too, there was no snarling or snapping on either dog's part. Then Joni dropped the bombshell, "Sammy" was blind. He had been at the Orange County Animal Shelter and was on the verge of being destroyed when Dana found out about him. Dana had picked him up that same morning and they weren't sure what to do with him. There was already one blind dog at the Rescue and this one needed a home fast. The only details they had about Sammy was that he was picked up in early December on the streets and had been in the shelter for almost a month and they thought he could see shadows (he can't). He was adorable, so sweet natured and wanted to just be in someone's lap. Our fate was sealed, he was coming home with us. But he had to have a new name, Sammy just wasn't working for me.

It's about an hour drive from the rescue for us and the whole time the girls and I were debating over names. By the time we got home and showed Mark the "treasure" we had found that day, we had come up with "Sanka" (Dougie Doug's character name in Cool Runnings) or Boxer (Brutus' dad's name). We went with the sentimental choice and his name became Boxer. It's a very fitting name.

Boxer has been with us for just over 4 weeks now and has settled in tremendously well. He has gained 7 pounds (he was only 52 pounds when he came home with us). He is over his kennel cough and worms and he adores Bella. They play incessantly and occasionally have to be separated. They have a great play routine, Bella gets one of the squeaky balls, squeaks it until Boxer finds her and then immediately moves and stops squeaking. They chase each other around the house and the back yard and fight over one of the many nylabones that litter the floor. He gets along perfectly well. Maybe I'm being naive but I thought having a blind dog was going to be more difficult. His favorite thing is to stand in our laps and put his face right next to our's. He is very tall when he stands on his hind legs and not much is out of his reach.

He fits into our lifestyle perfectly and loves being a couch potato. He gets along extremely well and we only remember he's blind when bumps into a wall if he becomes disoriented. When we take the dogs for an evening walk most people don't realize he's blind and are surprised when we tell them.

Thank you again Ursula and everyone at Boxer Rescue for giving us another beautiful addition to our family. We adore him and wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. He has helped us all with the healing process. We needed him as much as he need us.

Mark Rojas and Evelyn Gomez, Alex, Veronica, Amelia, Bella, Boxer and our Beloved Brutus.