Austin Boxer Rescue - Who We Are

Austin Boxer Rescue, located in Austin Texas, is a newly formed non-profit organization that branched off from Lone Star Boxer Rescue of Houston. ABR is made up entirely of volunteers who are dedicated to removing dogs from bad situations and placing them into loving permanent homes. We receive dogs from shelters, owners, and dogs found as strays. The dogs in rescue are rehabilitated medically, socialized and are taught basic manners.

Our Volunteers

I am one of the founders of Austin Boxer Rescue. I worked with some really wonderful people saving boxers for Lone Star Boxer Rescue for about a year. We began growing so rapidly in the Austin area that I suggested we begin an organization to help better serve our community. When we got on our feet in December 2005 it became even more apparent that there was a great need for a boxer rescue in this area. ABR take in over 250 dogs per year and places them in wonderful loving homes. Although, I don’t make a dime for myself it’s the dogs that give me my payment. I rehabilitee the sickest of the sick and to see them thrive after a few months then find homes is incredible. No amount of money can bring me the happiness the rescue brings me. We have a very large, passionate and dedicated group of volunteers that work to save all these babies!

This is the most rewarding work I have ever done and that says a lot for me. I am an oncology nurse in “real life” and although I love my patients and my paying job, there is a deep satisfaction I get from helping these dogs. I was born an animal lover and advocate. All I ever wanted as a child was a dog and I used to dream about helping dogs in need. I have really found my calling and I can’t imagine what would have otherwise happened to these dogs if we were not here. In the future I hope to go back to school and get my masters degree in nursing, as well as, work on legislation for spaying and neutering to help decrease the number of unwanted pets in the Texas area.

Rosco and Libi fund raising at The Old Pecan Street Victorian Christmas Festival

I am so excited about Austin's Boxer Rescue and will enjoy doing the work needed for it to be the best! I have been doing fund raising at Old Pecan Street Festivals, Sunset Valley Farmers Market, and First Thursday on South Congress for the past two years

We have been participating in Boxer rescue for about a year now and love it. We are active in the adoption process, home visits, and fostering. We love to foster, especially being able to give a dog that has had little or no stability or love in its life all the love it could possibly need and a fun house to play in. We are the parents of a rescued male boxer, a rescued female boxer-pit bull mix and a Maine coon cat. Due to our watchful eyes and patience, we are proud to say that every boxer that we have fostered and has been adopted has proven to be cat-friendly in its forever home.

We love our work with Austin Boxer Rescue and are very proud to be a part of the organization. We are so excited to see our new organization up and running and having become so successful. Boxers are such wonderful animals that bring so much joy to our lives. It is so exciting every time Austin Boxer Rescue adopts a dog to its forever home! Although it is sad to see them move on from ABR's care, it is wonderful because we are able to help another one in need.

I was actually a cat person most of my life, but oddly enough...I developed an allergy toward cats and haven't owned one in years. My hubby & I decided to get a dog, and after some research, we felt boxers were the breed of choice. We are so happy we did, our 2 year old fawn is the greatest pal. Yes, she's a character and tries to train us to follow her at times :) - but she's the best. This breed is just so smart and full of life. It was falling so in love our boxer that moved me to volunteer for Lonestar Boxer Rescue and now Austin Boxer Rescue. This is a wonderful organization and the volunteers that make it up are incredibly dedicated and talented. I'm happy to help and to be a part of it.

I fell in love with boxers a few years back just because they show all of their emotions, just like humans. You can always know when they are happy, sad, or just down right frustrated with you! They are all around just the coolest animals, they will show you love and care unlike any other animal that I have ever owned.

While volunteering, I have become the proud owner of Ginger, who was a rescued fawn and white female from ABR. Her wonderful personality and complete goofiness never ceases to amaze or put a smile on my face.

As a volunteer, I have also been fortunate enough to foster several wonderful boxers that I hope will find wonderful homes, because they deserve any love and warmth they can find. It's an awesome feeling to know that with just a little bit of effort, you can help these wonderful animals out. And in the long run, you learn just as much about yourself as you do about the animals you are helping!!

My name is Joni and my daughter is the co-founder of ABR. When she got her first boxer I remember being a proud grandma but I had never owned a boxer myself nor have I ever interacted with one. My daughter would tell me about their cancers, blow knees and heart problems and all I could think is why are you getting one of these dogs! Once I got to know the breed I quickly understood the attraction. Although, my home was filled with dogs that were dumped on my property, I saw the appeal of the breed. I have since become a regular foster for ABR and have had 2 boxer babies to call my own. Zeus (posted here) was my first boxer love. He was an old soul and unfortunately he was taken away from me early due to Lymphoma. Our home was not the same after that so we adopted a second boxer, Trooper, aka Tickles, aka Ticks. He was almost dead when he arrived into rescue and today he is so full of life. He brings myself and my 80 year old mother, who lives with me, so much joy. We just can not imagine our lives without a boxer in it.

Additionally, we have had our eyes opened with working so closely with Jenny. We hear all the stories and see all the dogs at first arrival and find ourselves appalled with the way people treat their animals. We have visited shelters in our area and would like to become more active in our community to help as many dogs as we can. I am a school teacher and I hope to help teach the up and coming generations about the crisis many of the animals in our community are going through. I feel it’s the best way to make a change in the future.

I have two boxers, one is CoffeeBean, which I have had since she was 7 weeks old. I also have her sister, but she lives with my son only a few blocks away. That is how I fell in love with the breed; they will be 3 this summer. 2 years ago when CoffeeBean was only 1 year old, I opened the local paper to see the thinnest dog with the saddest eyes I had ever seen. He was boxer as well. I went to my husband and said I will be on the doorstep tomorrow morning when they open to get this dog. He made me want him with all my heart and I could see in his eyes how much he needed a home like I could give him. I was there when the doors opened. He was the only dog that was not inside the shelter; he was just peering into the little dog door looking so scared. I then went to the shelters workers and said I want that dog. The nice man said ok, I will go get him so you can get to know him. I already knew he was coming home. Not a clue what he was like, but knew I wanted that boy. I took him right next door to the vet and had him checked out and made that horrible appointment to get him neutered. He was 2-3 years old... I knew it would be hard on him. I went home with this precious dog, that was so scared and not sure what was happening to him. I do need to say he weighed only 40 pounds. Today he is 75 pounds. He went to the back of my yard, which is a huge yard and all fenced. He sat in the dirt spot and stayed for almost 3-4 days. I went to feed and talk to him, try to get him to come up on the covered patio with me, but he insisted he liked the dirt spot out back. I knew he would come around. Every time I went out back or played with his new sister, he would stare and his little stubby tale would ever so slightly move... as if wanting acceptance. Well, after 3 days I finally convinced him to come to the covered patio, where he found out right away was very nice, with fans, and a nice rug and soft dog beds. That was only a couple more days, then I brought him into the house, and he sat on the couch with me nightly for almost a week.... but usually only about 15 minutes. But the funny thing is he learned to use the dog door within about a week. Where did he go? The couch, of course. So he is the couch potato of our home now. Sometimes he will let someone else sit on the other end... But usually it is his sister and with both being 75 pounds, there is really little room left for us humans. He was so scared of men, and hated baseball caps.... Scared of thunder storms, and you can see where I was very sleepy, in one photo with him, but he was shaking and for almost a year I had to sit in the chair with him every time it thundered.... which I did...Now he doesn't shake in fact if it is bad, he just gets right in the middle of the bed and snores... I don't think anyone else would have ever loved this boy like we do.... maybe but I like to think we were a perfect match. If you ask him, he says so too.

I also have a little fuzzy chow-collie mix was a dog that was to be put down at the vets. Her mom died and the vets tried for 2 months to get this dog a home. The night before they were to put her down (at 10 pm I may add), the little vet tech called and begged me to ask around to find her a home; she was to be put down at 9 am the next morning. Less than 12 hours away. So after calling a couple people, with no good leads, I called her and told her I would take her and find her a home. Well, I did it is my home.... She is a bit grumpy at time, and has cataracts, but she eats like a horse and has fit in pretty well.... She does however think she is a boxer, so we will not tell anyone differently... ok?

We began our journey looking for a playmate for our 2 yr old White German Shepard (also a rescue) and through much research on different breeds and recommendations from the vet, we decided Boxers were the breed for our family. During our search for the perfect one, I came across many rescue sites and read many of the stories behind the animals that were so unbelievably sad and depressing that we decided to become part of a group that strives to provide new lives for many of the dogs "left behind". Of the many fosters we've had, some have had heartworms, one with no hair on his body, and others who simply needed to part of a family. We now have two boxers, one of which was a foster who we could not let go, and usually a foster that live with us. We have also rescued birds from fallen nests and taken care of them until their last days with us. We are so proud to be part of this FAMILY and hope to be an example to our children and others to help those "left behind" and see them become members of families who will love them till the end.

When I first started volunteering for ABR, I told myself that all I could give was assistance with the website. Being a single parent of two rambunctious young ladies, an elderly dachshund and a grumpy cat, I thought that adding another furry friend to the family would be more that I could handle. Needless to say, when Jenn wanted me to meet a new addition to the rescue she said would be a “perfect fit” for us, I was reluctant to do so.

When my daughters and I arrived at Jenn’s place, we felt an instant connection with Journey and the previous reservations I had began to melt away almost entirely. However, I felt the need to sleep on it and we headed back to our car – my daughters looking especially glum and disappointed. Moments later, we were surprised to see Journey hop the fence and practically crawl her way into my car window. Being a person who can appreciate perseverance, that pretty much sealed the deal.

Journey was always meant to be in our family. She’s extremely tolerant of the girls’ rough and tumble ways and has become comfortable with the fact that we now foster dogs on a regular basis. She is proud to have been a gracious hostess to: Cuco, George Foreman, Carly, Tink, Russ, Amigo, Elsie and Bo, and has agreed to do so for many more to come!

I met my first boxer, Sarah, while in college - she politely sat in front of my chair and looked up patiently while I pondered why she was staring at me. Suddenly, a huge tongue calmly crossed my face from chin to forehead. It was love at first lick and I knew I'd some day live with one of these things called 'boxer.' It took a few years, but destiny finally led me to my babies - Lucy, Oscar, and Plato. I met Jen, the President of ABR, during my first volunteer event for Lone Star Boxer Rescue, from which I was fortunate enough to adopt Oscar. I adopted Plato after fostering his litter when they were rescued from a puppy mill - who could resist those ears! Lucy - well, Lucy's my girl whose been here every step of the way- the first boxer who entered my home and taught me why they are all so beautiful. Thanks, Lucy, for making me feel like you chose me, when we all know now that you just smelled that pizza I had eaten. Volunteering with ABR has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I've fallen in love with every boxer that has shared my home, regardless of whether it has been for months or weeks. Now that I work on the website, following Jessica's bemoaned retirement, I feel even more blessed by the opportunity to help, in some way, all of these wonderful babies find new, happy lives. Thanks to all!

My husband and I found out about Austin Boxer Rescue from a group of boxer owners we used to meet up with at the dog park for playdates. We've now been involved with this wonderful organization for over two years. Both my husband and I are huge softies when it come to animals and have always had animals in our home. We got our first boxer after putting down our english mastiff, which was a sad experience and only our little Rowdy could have brought us through it! We've fostered many dogs over the past few years and love being able to find them good homes, although it's always a little sad to see them go! This is a wonderful breed, and an extraordinary group of people who volunteer their time for them. They have so much love to give and we love being a part of the process that finds all of them forever homes!

Boxers are a family tradition for me: I've had them most of my life and almost everyone in my family has at least one. In January '06 I lost my beloved twelve year old boxer, Atticus. A friend found the ABR website and within a few days I had a new little girl, Gemma Rose (named in honor of UT's recent National Championship!). I was so grateful to ABR for the work they were doing with these sweet animals that I soon started volunteering. In August 2007 I met an ABR dog who changed my life. He'd been owner surrendered to TLAC and was heartworm positive. When I met him he was scared to be touched, wouldn't make eye contact, and was pathetically skinny. The sad, confused look in his eyes haunted me and I just knew that I had to bring him home and foster him while he underwent heartworm treatment. Within a couple days, his personality started to change and I re-named him to Lazarus because it was if he was back from the dead! Sadly, we soon learned that Lazarus's heartworms were so advanced that he wouldn't recover; I was told he would probably die within a week or two. Blessedly, he did not. He lived over five months and died in January '08. In those five months he became a very happy, loving dog. He learned to give and accept affection, to play with toys, to enjoy car rides, and to love life as a dog should. He died feeling loved, cherished, and safe. I am so grateful to Lazzie for showing me just how little it takes to make a difference.

Mother Teresa once said, "If you can't feed the whole world, just feed one person". That's how I feel about my work with ABR; I'm just trying to make a difference, one sweet dog at a time. I truly believe that rescue dogs understand what you've done for them and, for that reason, are the most loyal and grateful pets you'll ever know.

My husband and I have been volunteers for ABR for about a year now. We have always loved animals...as a child I wanted to be a vet and save all animals and he wanted to have a cat farm. Even though that's not what transpired we fell in love with the boxer breed when we got our first boxer Maggie two years ago. We soon figured out once you go boxer you never go back and soon after got our second boxer Sadie. I learned about ABR after we got Sadie and now have a totally different view on breeding and adopting. I got both my girls through breeders and although there are good breeders there are just as many that are not doing it for the integrity of the breed. I realized how important it is to spay and neuter your animals and adopt through a rescue because of the over population of dogs. I have been doing a little bit of everything with ABR...fostering, fundraising, working adoption days, helping at the rescue location, etc. I most enjoy fostering. I've had the privilege of fostering three amazing male boxers...Ripley, Domino, and my current foster Tressel. I keep in touch with my fosters on a regular basis and it brings me such joy to see them so happy in their new homes. The dogs that come through our rescue are some of the most amazing animals I've ever encountered. They actually bring me more joy then I do them. It's a privilege to get to know each and everyone of them and help them to find their forever home. I look forward to many more successful years as a volunteer for ABR. This is where we make a difference.

I've had boxers since I was 8 years old and can't imagine finding a breed more playful, smart and loyal, with a youthful exuberance from puppy to senior. I've found boxers have enriched my family life and create fun memories. My boxer now is a boy, Sam, who travels with me and goes to various events, where he has the attitude of "put me in coach" whenever there is an opportunity for fun. I've only been associated with the Austin Boxer Rescue for a short time, but feel fortunate to have met such a dedicated and hardworking group of people. Being able to help boxers find forever homes is a very special experience and I'm proud to be a volunteer with Austin Boxer Rescue.

I am a new volunteer for Austin Boxer Rescue and I am responsible for the new looking website. I am trying to help organize and keep track of all the dogs, applicants, fosters, and volunteers. I am relatively new to Austin and was looking for a way to get involved in the area. I grew up in backwoods Canada (and I mean out in the middle of no where......ask me I will tell you..) and I have always been around dogs. I am most familiar with hunting dogs and I have had my cocker spaniel Barkley for 11 years.

I decided that Barkley needed a girlfriend and since he likes "long legs" we decided he needed a boxer so I found Austin Boxer Rescue on the website. We went to an Adoption Day early this year and we saw Heidi and we knew she was the girl for us. Heidi has fit in perfectly as she is a sleepyhead just like me and Barkley. (Ok, maybe she is more for me than him...but he was consulted on the decision)

I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of Austin Boxer Rescue. We have a great network of people and dog lovers are the best. I am truly excited to be bringing my work skills and passion together. I will do whatever I can to help these dogs and this organization.