Lucky the Boxer
by Boxer Rescue Ontario 

It's hard to know how to begin this story. It started, as it often does, with a phone call from a concerned citizen about a boxer in need. "Tell us about him", we said. The caller said, "I found him running stray and I wondered if you could help. He's not in very good condition." We knew little about him but we knew we had to help. "A boxer needs us," we said and we made immediate plans to take him into foster care. After all, most of our volunteers have been involved in rescue for some time and we thought we'd seen it all: the abused, the abandoned, the neglected, the sickly. In rescue, you see the worst mankind has to offer his best friend along with the best. We knew we could deal with whatever came to us. But no words could have adequately prepared us for what we found when we met him.

He had no name, no identification, no one looking for him. When we arrived to meet him, even our seasoned rescue veterans couldn't stop the tears. We can't adequately describe his condition so we've included some pictures. But be warned: these pictures are disturbing.

We and our vets feel his condition was not brought about because of is stray period but rather he has been penned and deliberately left to starve. It is only by chance or great good luck that he escaped or was released and able to make his sad way to us. The pressure sores on his frail little body indicate he's spent most of his life lying on a concrete floor. And the extent of his emaciation indicates a life-long lack of proper nutrition.

We called him Lucky and we hope his new name will open the door to a new and wonderful life. Lucky has a very long road to recovery ahead of him. But his true boxer spirit shines in those sweet eyes. His spirit is strong and he?s a fighter. Lucky will not "go gently into that good night", not if Boxer Rescue Ontario has anything to say about it!

Sept. 14, 2003 - Well what a difference a week makes! Lucky has been with us for just over a week and we're already seeing some positive changes. He still has a long way to go but he is slowly beginning to put on weight, the swelling in his feet is going down (swelling of the extremities is not uncommon in these sorts of cases) and his sores are beginning to heal. And the best part? Lucky's personality is shining through more and more each day. Lucky will now greet new people with tail wags and a full slurpy kiss, right on your mouth if you'll let him! What a difference from the sad and bereft creature who first came to us. Lucky is gaining strength day by day and is now able to go up and down stairs, an impossibility for him when he first arrived due to his limited strength. We hope to have updated pictures soon but for now you can rest assured that little Lucky is making progress. We will continue to update our website so you can follow Lucky's progress.

We would like to express a huge vote of thanks to Medi-Cal (www.medi-cal.ca). Medi-Cal produces a line of excellent - and in some cases highly specialized - pet foods which are available exclusively from veterinarians. Upon hearing Lucky's story the wonderfully caring folks of Medi-cal immediately offered to donate all the specialized food Lucky needs to complete his rehabilitation period. Thank you Medi-Cal!

Sept. 30, 2003 - What an incredible three weeks it's been for lucky Lucky! He continues to amaze us with his wonderful personality and strength of heart. We can only speculate on what Lucky's life was like before BRO but we can tell you that he is slowly learning that other dogs are not going to hurt him and he's beginning to enjoy a rousing game of tag up and down the stairs. He has gained almost 15 pounds since he's been with us and he is really starting to look great. Because of Lucky's new-found strength, he is starting to learn his leash manners and loves to go for walks. He greets everyone he meets with a boxer wiggle and a slurpy kiss, especially children. We are going to run some further tests on him next week and are hoping for good news. Lucky's foster mom say "Thanks to everyone who has helped Lucky on his way to recovery. I know if he could he would give everyone a big kiss."

Keeping sending those healing boxer vibes Lucky's way and we will continue to update everyone on his progress!