Dod I’m Telling You I’m Not A Dog My Mom Said I’m A Baby Shirt
The Boxer’s ancestors, the war dogs of the Assyrian empire, go back as far as 2,500 B.C. But what we think of today as a Boxer can be traced to Germany of the late 1800s and early 20th century. The breed is thought to have been bred down by German dog fanciers from a larger, heavier German breed called the Bullenbeisser (“bull biter”).In medieval times the Bullenbeisser was Germany’s premier big-game hunter, used by noblemen to run down, catch, and hold such formidable opponents as bear, bison, and wild boar on vast ducal estates. By the early 1800s, the political situation in the German states was changing. German nobles were out of favor. Their estates were broken up, and the cherished tradition of lavishly appointed boar hunts came to an end. By 1865, the mighty Bullenbeisser was out of a jobThrough judicious crosses to a smaller, mastiff-type breed from England, the obsolete big-game hunter gained a new lease on life. By the late 1800s, the modern Boxer—a sleeker, more elegant dog—had come into focus. (The English name Boxer refers to the way the breed spars, like a prizefighter, with their front paws when playing or defending themselves.Over the years, Boxers have done many jobs: athlete, cattle dog, police dog, war dog (in both world wars), watchdog, protection dog, and guide dog for the blind. The AKC registered its first Boxer in 1904, but the breed’s U.S. heyday began in the 1950s, when a Westminster-winning Boxer named Bang Away became a national celebrity. Since that time, Boxers have reigned as one of America’s top 10 most popular breeds.
Dod I’m Telling You I’m Not A Dog My Mom Said I’m A Baby Shirt
A Stronger BondBettmann Archive/Getty ImagesBalto became a hero for delivering medicine to sick children in Alaska.In the Americas, dogs have been working alongside humans for thousands of years. Native peoples used dogs as guards and hunting companions. George Washington plotted Revolutionary War battles with his hunting dog Sweetlips by his side. In the early 1800s, explorers Lewis and Clark journeyed across America’s western wilderness with a big black dog named Seaman.As the centuries have passed, the bond between dogs and people has gotten stronger and stronger. And it all began tens of thousands of years ago, with a family of wolves howling across a dangerous, frozen land.How America Went DOG CrazyToday, dogs are more than pets. They’re members of the family.ArticleStockPhoto/Getty Images
