Bella & Oscar

Six years ago, my husband and I met Penny in our search for a boxer puppy. That is when Dakota joined our family. Dakota was our first and only “child” for four years. When we moved, we thought she might need a companion since we were leaving behind her playmate, our neighbor’s boxer. We turned to Boxer Buddies for help, and along came Oscar. Oscar and Dakota took to each other right away. He was the wild, white tornado and she just tried to keep him in line. Dakota also acted as Oscar’s ears and he relied on her because of his deafness. Just a little over a year later, we learned that Dakota had lympho-sarcoma, and sadly, we had to let her go. Oscar was in desperate need of a companion and another set of ears to rely on. Immediately, we once again turned to Penny and Boxer Buddies. That is when Emma (Bella) came into the picture. Today, Oscar and Emma are inseparable. Oscar has learned many hand signals including sit, down, go for a ride, time to eat, wait, and his favorite, cookie. Emma has also learned some of the hand signals and although she is about only half of Oscar’s size, she runs the show. Emma has even learned that if Oscar is in her way, sometimes the best way to get past him is to simply go under him.