Happy Birthday Archer!!

Today is Archer's 4th birthday!

After we lost our Shepherd, B'Elanna in 2010 we wanted a new puppy.  We looked at various breeds - Marc really likes dogs from the herding category.  So we were really focused on getting an Australian Shepherd.  We researched reputable breeders and met one right before the dog was due to have her puppies.

I was excited but knew in my heart I wanted another Boxer.  And when I heard about a reputable breeder a couple hours from us whose girl just gave birth to 11 puppies, I actually teared up.

Marc told me that he wanted me to get a puppy that would make me the happiest.  So I contacted this breeder and all puppies were spoken for except for 2 white boys and a white girl.

I knew very little about white boxers - whites in the Boxer world can't enter the show ring and reputable breeders are forbidden from breeding them. Even more horribly, in up to very recent history, white Boxers were actually killed after they were born!  But white Boxers are identical to colored ones - except they are more prone to getting sunburned!

The breeder sent me some pics.  Here is "#10" at one day old:

We made arrangements to meet the breeder and the puppies who were at that time 5 weeks old.   We made the trip just tobsee the puppies - with no intention of making a decision.  But it was love at first sight.

#10 as he was called at the time was the husband's favorite pup - but since the breeders wanted to keep a puppy they could later show - they didn't have room to keep him.

So we were under extra scruntinty to be "worthy"!  Fortunately we passed muster and #10 became Archer - after Captain Jonathan Archer in the Star Trek world.

We waited anxiously for him to be old enough to come home.  And then in late September we went and got him.  Chaskotay loved him immediately and literally the night we brought him home they curled up happily together and slept.

Archer is probably the most headstrong and defiant dog we have owned.  He is also incredibly sweet and loving and scarily in tune with our feelings.

He is a wild boy and makes a great running buddy!  He gets along with our cats, loves meeting children, and knows exactly how much he can get away with.

And we love him with all our hearts!!