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Jovilea's History

"Jovilea" is a name I coined while taking Latin in High School. Roughly translated, it means "Happy Fields". It is pronounced "Jo-vih-lee-ah".

I got my first Boxer when I was in High School. His name was Timberline's Bounty Hunter, aka "Gunner". I had been competing in Obedience with my Boston Terrier Sunny, but due to Sunny's health problems, his show days were coming to an end. My mom worked with Karen Fesler of Timberline Boxers, so when they had a litter born in 1986, we went to see them. Out of 8 puppies, 7 of them were boys. There was one boy who really stood out, and he would have been a 'keeper' except he was a Chryptorchid, meaning that neither of his testicles were descending like they should have. Of all the boys, he was the only one with this problem, but their misfortune became my blessing, as that allowed me to get him for my next obedience dog.

I had always admired the Boxer breed from the first time I saw one, but having Gunner was a totally new experience! He was very intellegent and took to his obedience lessons with ease. When he earned his Companion Dog degree, he did so with very high scores in the Novice B class, defeating some top-notch dogs. He missed earning a DogWorld award by 1/2 a point. When I had to move back home, I gave Gunner to a friend of mine was looking for another obedience dog, as her dog was suffering from epilepsy. However a few months later he was shot while in his own back yard. We think it was a neighbor who liked to tease him.

In 1988, I co-bred a litter with Earl Overstreet, EWO Boxers. This was a repeat of a breeding that produced Ch. EWO's Crystal, DOM/POM and EWO's Reba, POM. Out of this litter was one plain fawn girl, who Earl allowed me to keep. She became Jovilea's Something Special, CDX, OA, TT, CGC. "Sarah" was almost 13 when she died, and had two legs towards her Utility Dog title. You can read more about my adventures with Sarah on her page HERE.

Sarah was bred to Gunner's littermate, Ch. Timberline's Diamond Jubilee, and produced a single flashy boy, Woody, Jovilea's Classic Dimension, CDX, NA, CGC. Woody was a handsome boy, but suffered from severe Hypothyroidism. He finally passed away at age 9, due to complications from the medications he'd been on. You can read Woody's story HERE.

When Woody became so sick, I spayed Sarah because I did not want to pass on a inherited problem.

I went back to Earl to get a new start, and came home with EWO's Sunshine of Jovilea. "Molly" truly is the sunshine in my life. She is the embodiment of the ideal Boxer temperament. Unfortunately, though promising as a puppy, she did not fill out as an adult, and always had a poor appetite, although she has been the healthiest of all my dogs, never getting sick. At two years of age she still had not come into season, and when I had her spayed, her ovaries were very immature. My vet doubts she would have come in. We do not know why this was, but I didn't care, as I couldn't love her more. I trained her thru Utility in obedience, but she was very sensitive with her feet, and had a hard time heeling because of this. So she was the #1 Couch Potato until I lost her a few months before her 14th birthday.

Once again I found myself back at the drawing board, so this time I decided that I wanted to get a nice flashy fawn male. When ScenicVu's Mountain Breaker became available, I fell in love. Rhett was exactly what I'd been looking for. I purchased him sight-unseen at two years of age. When he came home he was very aloof and dignified. Getting on the couch or bed was a horrifying idea! But it wasn't long before he became a true momma's boy, and was the first to jump up and cuddle with me. :) I handled him to a couple point wins, then he went out with Jack Brown and finished his Championship in short order. I was thrilled to have my first Champion!

Rhett was been bred a few times and consistantly proved to pass on some wonderful qualities, including solid toplines, shoulders, movement, head and color. He has two champions to date, but was never advertised or campaigned, so did not get the attention that his close cousins got. However I did not buy him to breed him to death, and I have a limited amount of frozen semen on him. :)

When I decided to get another female, I'd already had my eye on one in particular, but she was not available! Since I couldn't steal her (though I threatened to), I was able to get a daughter of hers. "Rosie" caught my eye at birth with her gorgeous head. As she grew she continued to fulfill the promise that we first saw. She started her show career in the puppy classes, earning a 4th in the ABC Futurity and ending with a Grand Prize Sweeps. She came home to grow up and went back out in Dec. '02, quickly picking up her first major. However after having a litter, she never tucked back up, so was not shown again. She produced two champions for me, and I currently have her great-grandaughter and double great-grandson to carry on.

I have been "in Boxers" for 25 years now, having bred a total of 13 litters. My goal has always been quality, with a focus on great heads, movement, and smooth bodies with substance. Temperament and health are also important, as my dogs are family pets first and foremost.
As you look thru my pages, you'll see many of the pups I have bred, but most share their lives with other families. I am a very small operation, and have a self-imposed limit on the number of dogs I keep, so that they all get adequate love and attention. I do not have a kennel, and all my dogs are house pets.
Although I like to line breed, I judiciously incorporate outside lines to introduce certain qualities that I desire. Although it has been slow going, I am begining to get the results that I have been working towards. This has not been easy as so many modern day Boxers no longer resemble the compact, medium sized breed the standard calls for.

I hope to continue breeding and showing, and that the Jovilea name will someday be recognized for producing quality, healthy, sound Boxers. This is my goal.