In
the late 1800s, in the midst of the Boxer's development as a
breed, Meta von der Passae was born. Meta turned
out to be an important foundation bitch for the Boxer breed,
and nearly every Boxer today can be traced back to her.
One
of Meta's legacies to the Boxer breed is the all-white Boxer.
While Meta herself was brindle-and-white, Meta's mother, Blanka
, was all white. Almost 200 years later, approximately 25 percent
of all Boxer puppies are born white or nearly white, also known
as checked. However, the breed standard drafted by the American
Boxer Club (ABC) states unequivocally: "The [allowed] colors
are fawn and brindle,...White markings should be of such distribution
as to enhance the dog's appearance, but may not exceed one-third
of the entire coat." It also says that Boxers " with
a total of white makings exceeding one-third of the entire coat"
shall be disqualified in the show ring. This means that nearly
one-quarter of all the Boxers born have a distinctive genetic
trait that breeders find undesirable.
Why
does the Boxer breed standard discriminate against a white coat?
According to the ABC , several anomalies are associated with
white coloring in the Boxer breed. "Some of the white pups,
with little or no pigment in their skin, must be kept out of
the sun because they sunburn," state Robert Conrad, D.V.M.,
Ph.D., and Ann Gilbert in an article on the subject of white
Boxers Called, "Coat Colors in Boxers and the American Boxer
Club," approved and distributed by the ABC. "[Also],
a certain percentage of white boxers puppies are deaf in either
one or both ears. " The authors further state that some
white Boxers are born blind.
Because
of these color-linked health problems, white Boxers are considered
undesirable as breeding animals and even sometimes as pets. For
this reason, a number of breeders believe it is best to humanely
euthanize white puppies at birth. Other breeders, though, sell
white puppies as pets with a stipulation that they must be spayed
or neutered and that they cannot be registered with the American
Kennel Club.
A white
Boxer may never be seen in the conformation show ring, although
it's not uncommon to see these Boxers as companion dogs. As stated
by Dr. Conrad and Gilbert, " There
should be no embarrassment for those loving and owning
a white or check Boxer."
-Audrey Pavia
-Boxers tm. Popular Dog Series. Volume 11 (From the editors
of Dog Fancy Magazine)