Welcome to Amity Hall Boxers!
Amity Hall Boxers was originally started by my father's family in the late
1940s. Some long-time Boxer breeders may remember my grandmother, Marion
Henderson, and my uncle, Merle Henderson. My Uncle Merle started out
as a Junior Handler and went on to become a professional all-breed handler
until he entered the military in the 1960s. I remember as a small
child going to visit my grandmother at her home in Grosse Point, Michigan,
and being smothered in kisses by her beautiful Boxers! My grandmother
stopped showing her Boxers by the early 1970s but I was smitten and
knew that someday, when I had a family of my own, a Boxer would be a part
of my life!
In 1987, when my
son was two years old, I purchased my first Boxer. She was a pet, not a
show dog, but she was a very loved member of our family. My son named her
Chelsea, and she and my son bonded and could not be separated. When my son was a little older, Chelsea slept in bed with him every single night
and was there for him whenever he needed her. When he would get upset, he
would hang his head and then say, "Come on, Chelsea", and she would follow him
faithfully to his room, where he would sit on his bed, hug her, and bury his face and his tears
into her, and she would comfort him.
I decided in the early
1990s I wanted to start showing and breeding well-bred Boxers and follow
in the footsteps of my grandmother. I began talking to breeders and
attending dog shows, and in 1994
I bought a very sweet 10-month-old brindle Boxer girl from Connie Haywood
of Wits End Boxers as my foundation bitch for my breeding program. Her
registered name was Philamalie at Wits End, but we called her Molly. I called my
grandmother on the phone and told her my intentions and asked her
permission to use Amity Hall as my kennel name. Her response was, "I
wouldn't expect you to use any name BUT Amity Hall!"
In 1995, I bred
Molly to Ch. Omega's Solid Gold, who was owned by Jim and Lucille Jackson
in Oakton, Virginia. On August 2nd, Molly gave us five beautiful puppies. One was
a striking flashy fawn boy, who I held in my hands when he was just hours
old, and it was then I told him he was going to be my first show dog. He was born the same month
and year that Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles broke the record for
most consecutive games, so my irresistible little boy was officially named
Amity Hall's Record Braker and we called him Cal. Cal became my heart dog, and he did listen to me
that day, as he went on to grow into a lovely show dog. At 14 months old, in the fall of 1996, he became my first
champion!
In the spring of
1996, Cal was Reserve Winners Dog from the 6 to 9 month fawn puppy class
at the American Boxer Club's National Specialty in Frederick, Maryland! How
exciting! My dream was coming true, and I was so proud to not only be his
owner but his breeder as well! Cal was handled
and finished by Stan Flowers.
Coincidentally, Stan Flowers also handled some of my grandmother's Boxers
in the 1960s! Cal went on to be titled
Ch. Amity Hall's Record Braker, CGC, TT.
That summer of
1996, our beloved Chelsea, who was now nine years old, developed a brain
tumor. One warm July morning she had a seizure that would not stop. It
was time to let her go. Tearfully, I drove to the baseball field and my
son, who was 11 years
old, was told the news. Hurriedly, he walked off the field, leaving
his game to go and say goodbye to his dear friend. It broke my heart to
see my young son laying there on the floor of my vet's office in his baseball
uniform tenderly holding Chelsea, kissing her, loving her, and saying his
tearful goodbyes.
After an hour, we told him it was time, and we lovingly sent Chelsea to
the Rainbow
Bridge, where she was freed from her pain....
Two months later, on
November 29, 1996,
Molly whelped her second litter. She had been bred to another of the Jacksons' dogs, Ch Omega's Hellfire. This litter of six gave
us Anna, Amity Hall's Wild Angel, who my son loved and adored. She
became his dog. Due to complications at birth, Anna was born brain-damaged but she was a very sweet and wonderful girl and the center of my son's
life until she passed away at 10 years of age on February 19, 2007.
The year prior, on
May 7, 2006, and three months shy of his 11th birthday, my beloved Cal passed on to the bridge, taking a large part of
my heart with him. Cal is missed terribly, but I was blessed to have shared my life with him
and will always cherish the memories he left behind.
Since the 1990s, I have also been very involved with Boxer rescue and currently own ywo rescue Boxers who were not easily placeable: Kona, who was severely abused and has fear issues, and Jasmine, who is a deaf white girl with anxiety. They have all done very well in our home and have come a long way, and we are so happy to have them as part of our family!
We also adopted a senior Boxer named Clemi when she was 8 1/2 years old. No one wanted to adopt her because of her age, but we took her in and had 2 1/2 wonderful years with this very special girl.
This has been the story
of my beginnings with the Boxer breed, and I am happy to be able to have
shared it with you. With limited breeding, I have bred 10 AKC Champions as of 2017.
* Ch. Amity Hall's Record Braker, CGC, TT "Cal"
* Am/Can Ch. Amity Hall's Misty Tango, CGC "Misty"
* Ch. Amity Hall's Rock The Casbah, CGC, TT "Cassye"
* Ch. Amity Hall's Rainy Night "Rainy"
* Ch. Raineylane Amity Hall Ambiance, TT "Amee"
* GCh. Amity Hall's All About Me, RN, CGC, TT "CJ"
* Ch. Amity Hall's Jujube, CGC "Jujube"
* Ch. Amity Hall's Razin The Bar "Razer"
* GCh. Amity Hall's Ticket To Vegas "Peanut"
* Ch. Amity Hall's Mariposa "Maria"
Thank you for letting me share! I hope you enjoy
my website and the Boxers I love!
Beth Downey
Amity Hall Boxers |
