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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 Gunner was 4 years old, a friend of mine was looking for another obedience dog, as her dog was suffering from epilepsy. I gave Gunner to her, but a few months later he was shot while in his own back yard. We think it was a neighbor who liked to tease Gunner.

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 is very sensitive with her feet, and has a hard time heeling because of this. So she is the #1 Couch Potato now at 11 yrs of age, and loves her job!

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. He 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! Now, 7 years later, he is a true momma's boy, and is 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!
When he came home he started his obedience training, and could've competed in Novice if I'd had the time to get to training classes. But right now my job prevented this, so he is also a couch potato.
He has been bred a few times and is consistantly proving to pass on some wonderful qualities, including solid toplines, shoulders, movement, head and color. He has two champions to date, with a couple others in the ring and pointed. He was not advertised or campaigned, so did not get the attention that his close cousins got. But I did not buy him to breed him to death, so he will remain my hidden treasure. :)

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. She came home again in February, this time carrying pups. She has 2 Champions from her first litter, and 4 promising pups from her 2nd & 3rd litters. I am hoping she will become a Dam of Merit.

I have been "in Boxers" for 20 years now, having bred a total of 8 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.

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.