Growing up, I had no inkling of what AKC or purebred dogs were all about. I lived in a
somewhat rural area of Minnesota where we got our pets by stopping along the roadside and
picking one up. My first introduction to purebred dogs was in the form of a glass which had a
fox terrier on one side and a boxer on the other. At nine years old, I knew from that tiny picture
that I had to have one of those dogs (the boxer, of course!)
I was married and living in Colorado Springs, CO before I even saw one of these magnificent
animals. I begged my husband for months to let me have one. He was rather reluctant since his
aunt had a boxer that drooled uncontrollably, so he tried to pacify me with Norwegian Elkhounds!!
Now, they are wonderful dogs but not even close to boxers. I finally won out and purchased an
unregistered white female--Ivory. She is the epitome of Boxerdom. She helped me raise my
three children and endeared even the most die-hard dog haters to her. My parents do not like
dogs and Ivory was the only one in our family (my sisters all have multiple toy dogs) who does not have to be crated and is personally greeted by my parents on visits.
I am devastated to report that Ivory lost the battle against her slowly degrading body and left this existence in July 2001. However, her legacy lives on...my parents greet & play with all my dogs since Ivory!
It was from this humble beginning that I became obsessed with the boxer dog. For years, Ivory
was enough, then I started to read every book I could get my hands on. I joined dog, then boxer,
clubs. I wanted to SHOW!! Now it is not easy getting established boxer breeders/show people
to talk to you when they find out you have a white, much less when you planned on calling yourself
Ivory Boxers. It hasn't been easy, but I have found many good people to help me along the way like Mary Jackson (Marjack Boxers) of Virginia, Skip & Linda Abel (Storybook Boxers) of Minnesota and Perry and Sandi Combest (Rochil Boxers) of Texas.
I am past Secretary of
Northwoods Boxer Club . I am proud to say that NBC is the leading Boxer Rescue organization in our area.
All of this because of a little white boxer puppy.
The origins of my "kennel" name.
I knew I needed a new name, something unique that would identify dogs of my breeding, so I started to research other names. I live in rural Minnesota, approximately 100 miles due west of the Twin Cities metro area in Kandiyohi County (pronounced: candy -- YO -- high). Kandiyohi County is rich in Native American history (predominantly Sioux), some of it not so pleasant. In front of the county courthouse is a huge golden statute of a Native American holding fish in one hand and a spear in the other. The word KANDIYOHI means "where the buffalo fish come" in Sioux. Pretty neat, huh?
To You Ivory!!
March 1989 - July 2001
KANDIYOHI ~ What does that mean?