The ancestors of the dog we know as the Boxer were bred to run down wild boar, to fight bulls, and even to tangle with bears. Today, the Boxer's powerful build may give the impression of ferocity to the uninformed, but over the intervening centuries, these dogs learned to be faithful guardians to their human families and to be especially gentle and careful with children. Still, whenever two or more Boxers are together, it's likely that, just for the sheer fun of putting their magnificent bodies to work, they'll play in ways that suggest that they remember the work their forebears did. Ferocious as their play may look to humans, however, Boxers carefully limit themselves.

In the following pictures, you'll see some pretty raucous play, the kind in which Emily and Toby regularly engage. Violent as some of these scenes may seem, my Boxers have never hurt each other, nor even become angry with each other. The Boxer is a remarkable dog.