About Us

I live in Calgary, Alberta with my four dogs: Tega, Penner, Vita and Stone, and three groovy black cats: Merlin, Espresso and Isabelle.  I've had the honour of having my dogs be among the top performance boxers and Working Breed dogs in Canada and achieve "firsts" in the breed.  I'm a past-President and past-Obedience Chairperson for the Alberta Boxer Club and am currently a CKC Draft Dog judge.

I had dogs and horses all my life and spent 12 years competing in the hunter/jumper ring.  However, the realities of practicing law made finding the time to keep up with my riding increasingly difficult. In 1997, I decided to quit riding and get a dog.  

Living in the City, I knew that I wanted a medium sized dog with short hair, a dry coat, and who would be a good hiking companion.  Boxers seemed to fit the bill! Frankly, I wasn't that impressed when I first laid eyes on Kira.  She wasn't the big strapping fawn dog with pricked ears that formed the image of a "BOXER" in my mind.  She was small, a black brindle and had natural ears.  As I sat in the breeder's kitchen being educated on her pedigree, Kira sat patiently beside me with her front paw firmly on my thigh, staring at me.  She knew, even if I didn't. Kira officially came into my life in December, 1997 and started my love affair with this magnificent breed.

Tega pulling his cart (above)

I had no intention of doing any performance competition with Kira when I got her.  However, because she was quite noise sensitive and a bit of a "spook", I immediately registered us for obedience classes with the goal to help with her socialization and build her confidence.  A flicker of talent in her novice obedience class eventually turned into a quest for performance achievement that saw us earn all-breed High In Trial, an Obedience Trial Championship, and top CKC obedience honours in 2001, 2003 and 2004.  Kira also was my introduction to Draft Dog work and Pet Therapy. Kira and I were Team Leaders with the Pet Access League Society in Calgary for 5 years where Kira did her most important work of all: provide love and comfort for seniors in a nursing care facility.  I lost Kira unexpectedly in November, 2004 at age 8 due to heart failure.

Tega performing the scent article exercise in the Obedience Utility class

When I was ready for my next performance dog in 2001, I questioned whether or not to stay with the boxer or go to another breed such as a Golden or Terv.  I ultimately decided that I would rather share my life, 365 days of the year, 24/7, with a boxer than any other breed.  After some discussion, Karen Knox from Dorado Boxers in Surrey, BC graciously allowed my wonderful boy, Tega, to join my life.  Tega picked up from what Kira started and continued to make strides in the performance world, including being the first boxer in CKC history to achieve the exclusive Draft Dog Excellent title (2005) and achieving the Versatility Boxer Excellent award from the Alberta Boxer Club (2010).

In May, 2005, my beautiful Pinot arrived from Jacquet Boxers in New Jersey.  Pinot was everything I wanted in a foundation bitch: she had a textbook head and bite, moderate balanced conformation, a solid temperament, tremendous longevity in her pedigree and she was a joy to work.  Despite passing all her health clearances, Pinot died suddenly of heart failure in June, 2009.  I am thankful that her light shone bright for the short time she was with us.

Our favorite vacation spot - the beach!

Although the sudden death of Pinot almost ended my love affair with boxers, a special girl was born in June, 2009 who convinced me that, despite its many heartaches, the boxer breed fits my soul.  My Vita is an absolute joy and I am ever grateful to Cindy Thomas of Cyntech Boxers in Red Deer for making that phone call in August/09.  Most recently, after a decade of waiting for a performance puppy from Tracy Hendrickson (Sunchase Boxers) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, my Stone finally arrived, joining my family in December, 2010.