Boerboel
Nate introduced me to a beautiful breed of dog the other day. It is called a Boerboel, and it is a type of mastiff. The males can grow to be 150-200 pounds, but they don’t have a lot of the health problems many big dogs have because it is a newer breed, not so inbred yet.
I was reading online to see if there were any rescue groups around here. I can’t afford to get a dog yet, nor do I have the room at my house (big house, tiny yard), but I like to know these things. I found this listing on Petfinder.com:
I’d like to introduce you to Lucy, a 2 year old spayed female African Boerboel/Mastiff mix that I rescued from the Manhattan Shelter. She was surrendered there by her previous family because they said she was too big. I know….did they NOT understand the term “mastiff”?? Sometimes I just bang my head against the wall in utter frustration. Feel free to join me. ANYWAY, despite what they said about her size, Lucy is actually fairly typical female Boerboel size at 95-100 pounds, although she needs to develop some muscle mass to fill her out more. Lucy is currently being fostered by a trainer that I use in west of Albany, NY. Not only is she loving and affectionate to people that she knows, she is very well mannered, in their home, knowing all her basic commands including Sit, Down, Stay, Paw and Come. She also heals well on a leash and does great in the car. Lucy is 100% housebroken. She sleeps each night on a dog bed in their bedroom. Lucy is fine with dog savvy cats. She is a dominant female so would do best as an only dog or with a large submissive male. Lucy is not good with small dogs so will need a home without them. Lucy is very true to the Boerboel breed characteristics (please read thoroughly about them.) She is protective of her home and devoted to her family. Because of that, she needs a home that is not high traffic with strange people coming and going, and she needs a strong leader to manage her natural instincts. She would do best with a home that has a fenced in backyard so that she can play and exercise freely while staying safe. We have not yet had the opportunity to interact Lucy with children, so at this point we feel children over 10 are the best match. I would like to place Lucy into a home with mastiff experience, as she is not for the first time mastiff owner. If you would like to make Lucy a member of your family and home, then please visit our website and fill out an application, making it to my attention (Nanette.) Lucy is spayed, has been updated on her vaccinations and heartworm tested (neg) as well as microchipped.
It’s animal snobs like this who just piss me off. Yes, the original family should have done more research, but maybe they knew how big the dog was going to get, they just overestimated their ability to care for a dog that size. Maybe they got laid off and had to move from a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs to a small apartment in the city, to save on their commute. It’s not always ignorance.
I just get frustrated with these animal shelter people. They are always mean, whether you’re surrendering an animal or adopting one. They assume they know everything there is to know about everything. Ugh.
At least it wasn’t one of those notices in the voice of the dog. “Hi, I’m Lucy!!” I hate those.
Hey this isn’t about dogs. Do you like bread pudding?
HEY write more please!
Just speaking up here, as a Boerboel owner myself I can say don’t believe all the hype about them not having health problems. That is a myth started by breeders. Any “good” breeder and owners will tell you different. They have as many health problems as any other breed. Check the Yahoo groups.
Also, they are not the kind of dog for a first time owner, they are very powerfull and can be very dominant. If not handled correctly they can be dangerous and a real handfull.
Also they are not a new breed, they have been around for hundreds of years, they almost died out as a breed but there was revival in the 80’s to bring them back, the mans name was John Blackwell.
On to the breeder, they are far from “snobs” I deal with rescue orgs allot and can tell you they are one of the better ones. They make a good point, you get a mastiff and then get rid of it because it’s to big. Come on now, it’s common sense that the dog will be big. Sadly the dog will end up paying the price for someone not doing the proper research on the breed. Nothing more nothing less. To many people get a dog because they “Want It” and give no thought to what they are getting into and or over estimating there abilities or under estimating the dog. Again the one who gets hurt is the dog. No need for it.
I’m in the process of adopting this dog.
I love breed pudding.!
I’m glad to hear that someone who knows a lot about the breed is going to adopt this dog; it sounds like you’re going to give her a good home.
I’m sure there are breeders and people working in shelters who aren’t snobby, but I haven’t found one yet. From the petfinder post, it seemed like she was jumping to conclusions about the family’s situation, but maybe s/he knew more than they were letting on. I simply raised the possibility of more things going on than just not researching the breed or dog type. Dogs and cats are getting surrendered every day because the family can’t afford to feed it any more. It’s not that they couldn’t when they originally adopted the animal, it’s that they’ve lost their job and their home. It’s a shame, but in this day and age, everyone is relearning the definition of “sacrifice”. Now, admittedly, I probably let previous interactions with shelter employees cloud my interpretation of her post. I just think everyone needs to be a little more forgiving these days.
Also, yes, I like bread pudding. And I’m not sure if I’m going to be writing here anymore.