TazzCagney

Tazz and Cagney

10/2003 - This is Tazz's last picture taken
before I put her down because of cancer.

06/1997 - A well-behaved Tazz and Colton
with her 3rd litter.

02/1995 - Tazz out in the backyard

12/2001 - Tazz last Christmas in front of
the fireplace with Colton.

10/1993 - Tazz on my Dad's lap stealing
his heart!

09/1993 - Tazz just after bringing her home
to stay with my parents

03/1995 - Cagney before I purchased him
from the Richardsons.

12/1997 - Cagney living in luxury at my
parent's house in his favorite chair.

03/1998 - Cagney posing out in the back
yard after moving to my parents.

03/1995 - Cagney before I purchased him
from the Richardsons.

06/1997 - Cagney looking at something
interesting in the kitchen

03/1995 - Cagney before I purchased him
from the Richardsons.

she told everyone once around together completely skipping me. Okay, I was already oh pins and needles, and when that happened, I
was so embarrased! To this day I've never known whether she had already made the decision that I wasn't going to make the cut and
intentionally didn't allow me to show my dog, or whether she just made a mistake. As years have passed, it has just made me mad that I
paid my money as did everyone else, so my dog should have been looked at, especially when you are new to the sport just for
experience whether it be for me or for the dog. Also, whenever I see that judge, I always go back to that horrific beginning.

I found Earl Overstreet and asked him to evaluate my doggies. I first showed him Cagney. He immediately said that Cagney was too big
-- bone, width, height, everthing! I wish Cagney were around now so that I could see if he would be any larger than what they are
putting in the show ring these days. They seem so much bigger now a days than in 1996. I decided then that i would just use Cagney
to breed with Tazz. Tazz was so small and fine boned while Cagney complimented her every fault and visa-versa. i showed Earl Tate
(Tazz and Cagney's offspring) and he liked her. He thought that she had real potential. You may read more about Tate on her own
page, but that's what gave me the real encouragement to continue to show Tate and not show Cagney.

Cagney was an awesome dog who took to living indoors very easily. Prior he had lived in a kennel with a lot of area to run, but was on
concrete a lot more than I would have preferred. but each breeder has their own ways I brought Cagney home in 1995 and bred him
almost immediately to Tazz for the 2nd litter; then after that tragedy because Tazz was in very good health the vet said it was okay to
breed her back-to-back, especially since she didn't have to actually take care of a litter. We don't condone breeding on back-to-back
heat cycles normally, that's why I had her checked before breeding again. After breeding Cagney to Tazz the last time (I didn't know it
would be the last time) Cagney became very sluggish and slow. He began gaining weight was not very active. We gave him a blood
check and found that he had a thyroid problem and needed to be on medicine the rest of his life. At this time, my parents were keeping
him when the 3rd litter of puppies came and while they were taking him on a walk, he passed out! My parents were very shocked. My
Dad ran back to get the car, but in the meantime he woke up. They took him to the vet and they didn't find anything unusual. Cagney
after that had occassional "fainting" spells. He was put on a seizure medicine for epilipsy, but that didn't always help. The vet
suspected he had a heart condition causing the problem. I had Cagney neutered and he lived with my parents for two years. As it
turned out, he did indeed have a heart condition and on his daily walk had a heart attack and died at the age of six.

I was definately bothered that there were about 20 of his offspring running around including Tate. My brother had a brindle and one of
my close friends has a beautiful fawn and white, Sampson, that I showed for a while, and another couple had a puppy named Jasmine..
Up until today, my brother's dog and Sampson are fine; Jasmine did die last year in 2004 of a numerous amount of old age issues, not
congenial heart disease.

Of course because Cagney was so beautiful, I wanted to show him. At this time I had
both Cagney and Tate entered in classes teaching us how to show. Cagney could be a
handful at times, but he soon learned what to do. Mr. Richardson had told me to find a
man named Earl Overstreet when I went to a dog show to evaluate both Cagney and
Tate to see if they could cut the mustard. The first show I went to was during the Tarheel
Circuit in Raleigh. Of all places to begin showing, this had to be the worst. There were
well over 100 Boxers entered that weekend. Tate was shown first, and to be honest with
you I don't know how well she did, I really just don't remember. I know that I didn't place.
Cagney was one of about 20 dogs in the class. It had to be run in two sections. If you've
never shown before, here's a quick rundown of what happens - you all go in the ring, line
up and stack your dogs. The judge looks down the line. Each dog is then looked at
individually going up and back, then around the ring and back in place in line. Well I was
at the end of the line, and when it came my turn to be individually stacked and watched,

Cagney

I did not acquire Cagney until after Tazz's
first litter. He was about 2 years old when I
purchased him from Hank Richardson.
The first litter was so successful even
proving to create Tate, my first show
prospect, that when Cagney the most
beautiful boxer I had ever seen was
placed for sale, I jumped at the chance to
purchase him. Basically, Hank Richardson
said he was getting out of the Boxer
business and selling his stock. I can tell
you, I paid more for Cagney than I have
for any other Boxer to date!

The day we picked up Cagney
(nicknamed and call Agnes quite often),
Hank had given him a bath and was
drying him when we picked him up. I was
so exstatic that I was getting an absolutely
gorgeous dog! We loaded Cagney in the
car for what started out to be the first of
many mother/daughter dog trips. We
drove my mother's 1991 Corolla. Cagney
weighed in at the time at about 80
pounds. My mom sat in the backseat with
Cagney from Pittsboro to Charlotte (about
2 hours). Because of the fresh bath and
his size, the windows fogged so it was
hard to for me to see to drive, he shed
ALL OVER the little car that would take my
up until the day they sold that car we
would occasionally find a Cagney hair
lodged somewhere! That was the day that
my mother fell in love. I was a wreck,
worried about what I had done, not
knowing that boxers even as adults have
good, stable attititude. When we got him
home, I let him go in the backyard and he
played like he had always been there!

Tazz
From the VERY
Beginning

Tazz was my foundation bitch. This page is
dedicated to her and her hubby, Cagney.

I brought Tazz home when she was nine weeks old
in September 1993. I purchased her from Mike and
Shelly Sealy, who lived ih a beautiful home in
Waxhaw, NC. They were as we call today, "back
yard breeders." I told you, I didn't know what I was
doing.

At the time, I was building a house, so until I was
able to move into that house, little Tazz stayed with
my parents. My parents during this two-week period
fell in love with little Tazz and actually wanted her
for themselves! It broke my heart -- and my
mother's when I decided I had to have Tazz for
myself.

Tazz was what she was named after. Tazmanian
Devil through and through. She ripped plants out of
their pots, chewed the furniture, and basically went
nuts when we left her. That was when I decided
crates were wonderful things. She learned very
quickly to stay in the crate while I worked. She had
a terrible case of separation anxiety, so the crate
was the only way to go.

Tazz lived a wonderful life. She had 4 litters of
puppies. Her first, second, and third
litters were sired by Cagney, her fourth litter was
sired by Ace (PRO Boxers).

After Tazz 4th and final litter, which is known as the
A-Litter. The A-Litter was by far the best litter
Tazz ever had. I had 3, possibly 4 show prospects
from that litter. After her fourth litter, Tazz was
spayed. She was six years old when she was
spayed, then she lived out her retirement between
our home and my parent's home.

When Tazz was 10 years old, we had a cancerous
cyst removed from her vagina. After this removal it
was apparent that the cancer had already spread.
She panted a lot because of the pain and began to
become incontinent. In November 2004 when Tazz
was 11 years old, we made the decision to end her
pain and begin her eternity with God.