Dark Horse Boxers, Briggs, TX (2026)

06/13/2026

Dark Horse’s What Lies in Wait - “Morrigan”
@1 year old

ARVC1: Neg
DM: Pending
Auscultation: Normal
Echo: Normal; 1.64 flow rate
Hips/Elbows: Pending

🔵Sire: IABCA HnrSR UKC AE AI NN CH AC TTK Putin on the Ritz vom Schuster Haus SWN CGCA CGCU ATT FDC TKA RATI VHMP VHMA VSWB - “Vlad”

🩷Dam: UKC GCH TTK Spirit of Adventure ATT FDC CGC CGCU TKN VHMP - “Ellie”

06/09/2026

Gambit’s 2026 Holter Results Are In!!

One of the most important health tests we perform on our breeding Boxers each year is a 24-hour Holter monitor. While a dog can appear completely healthy during a routine veterinary exam, a Holter allows us to evaluate the heart’s electrical activity continuously over an entire day and night, helping identify abnormal rhythms that could otherwise go unnoticed.

Boxers are a breed with a known predisposition to Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), an inherited heart condition that can cause ventricular arrhythmias, fainting episodes, and in severe cases, sudden cardiac death. Because of this, annual Holter monitoring is considered a critical part of responsible Boxer health testing.

We’re happy to report that Gambit passed her 2026 Holter monitor with excellent results. 🙌🏻🎉🎉🎉

What Were Gambit’s Results?

✅ Total Beats Recorded: 84,052

✅ Ventricular Premature Contractions (PVCs): 1

* Single PVCs: 1
* Pairs: 0
* Runs: 0

✅ Supraventricular Arrhythmias: 0

✅ No sustained abnormal rhythms detected

For those unfamiliar with Holter reports, the number everyone typically looks at first is the PVC count.

PVCs are abnormal beats that originate in the ventricles of the heart. While an occasional isolated PVC can be found even in otherwise healthy dogs, what concerns cardiologists are:

* High numbers of PVCs
* PVC pairs
* Runs of ventricular tachycardia
* Complex ventricular arrhythmias

Gambit’s report showed only a single isolated PVC over more than 84,000 heartbeats recorded in a 24-hour period, with no pairs and no runs.

That’s exactly the type of result breeders hope to see.

Why Do We Test Every Year?

Heart disease can develop over time. A normal Holter at two years of age does not guarantee a dog will remain normal for life.

Annual testing helps us:
✔ Monitor changes as dogs mature

✔ Make informed breeding decisions

✔ Identify potential issues early

✔ Contribute to the long-term health of the breed

Health testing isn’t about proving a dog is perfect—it’s about gathering as much information as possible and using that information responsibly.

What This Means for Gambit:

At 26 months old, Gambit’s Holter results are very reassuring and show no evidence of clinically significant ventricular arrhythmias during this recording period.

Combined with her other health clearances, these results help us make informed decisions about her future in both the show ring and our breeding program. 🩷

06/07/2026

That’s… not a water bowl… 🥴

Creative problem solving, though— I’ll give her that. 🤣

06/06/2026

One of the questions I get asked is why we perform echocardiograms (echos) on our Boxers when they already have a normal cardiac exam.

The answer is simple: a stethoscope can only tell us so much.

Boxers are a breed predisposed to certain inherited heart conditions, including Subaortic Stenosis (SAS), which can sometimes be present even when a dog has no symptoms and no audible murmur. An echocardiogram allows a board-certified veterinary cardiologist to actually visualize the heart, evaluate blood flow, measure cardiac structures, and identify abnormalities that may not be detectable during a routine physical exam.

For breeders, this information is invaluable. Health testing isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about making informed decisions that help preserve and improve the long-term health of the breed. Identifying dogs with normal cardiac structure and function helps reduce risk and provides another piece of the puzzle when planning future generations.

I’m happy to share that Nike, Morrigan, and Heist all had echocardiograms performed this week and each received a normal cardiac evaluation with no evidence of congenital heart disease.

While no health test can guarantee a dog will never develop a health issue, comprehensive screening gives us the best opportunity to make responsible breeding decisions and provides peace of mind for the families who trust us with one of our puppies.

Health testing matters. Not because it’s easy or inexpensive—but because our dogs deserve it, and so does the future of the Boxer breed. 🖤

06/02/2026

🖤 Luna Update 🖤

For everyone following along and eagerly awaiting news, Luna is officially in season!

At this time, we are expecting breeding to take place later this week or early next week, depending on how Mother Nature decides to cooperate. As always, timing is determined by progesterone levels and reproduction rarely works on the exact schedule we’d like it to.

The planned sire will be announced once breeding has officially taken place. Until then, we’re keeping our fingers crossed, watching progesterone closely, and letting biology do its thing.

As a reminder, all updates will be posted as they happen. If there hasn’t been an update posted, there simply aren’t any new developments to share yet.

We know many of you have been patiently waiting for news on this litter, and we truly appreciate the excitement, support, and trust you’ve placed in our program.

Now we wait for the science, the timing, and Mother Nature to agree with each other.

Stay tuned!
Dark Horse Boxers

05/29/2026

My perfect girl with a perfect heart!!

Gambit saw the cardiologist today for her echocardiogram and passed with flying colors.

No issues noted, flow rate of 1.15 🎉🥳

Her Holter has been submitted & I am anxiously awaiting those results. Thyroid panel is tomorrow. 🤞🏻

AKC CH UKC CH NC Venician’s Check the King POA ATT FDC DCAT - “Gambit”

ARVC1: Negative
DM: Clear
Echo: Normal; 1.15 Flow rate
24hr Holter: Pending
Auscultation: Clear
Hips (OFA): Prelim – FAIR
Elbows (OFA): Prelim – NORMAL
Thyroid: Pending

Sire: GCH FarMore’s Justifiable
Dam: GCH Venician’s Summer Breeze
Pedigree: https://boxer.breedarchive.com/animal/view/venicians-check-the-king-3675b599-c497-4361-ab6c-54f5a220f21f

Bred by: Janice Boess-Solas
Owned by: myself & Venician Boxers Jan

05/27/2026

“What is Gambit wearing, and why is she wearing it?”

This is called a 24-hour Holter monitor vest.

The vest holds a portable cardiac monitor in place while electrodes attached to the skin record every heartbeat over a full 24-hour period as the dog goes about normal daily life — sleeping, playing, walking around the house, being a dog.

In Boxers, this test is extremely important because the breed is predisposed to a heart condition called ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy), also known as Boxer Cardiomyopathy.

One of the scary things about ARVC is that many affected dogs appear completely normal:
• No symptoms
• No murmur
• Normal energy levels
• Normal physical exam

…but they can still have dangerous abnormal heart rhythms occurring intermittently throughout the day.

That’s why a standard vet visit or quick ECG often isn’t enough. A Holter monitor allows veterinary cardiologists to evaluate the heart over thousands and thousands of beats across a full day instead of just a few minutes in an office.

And importantly:
A normal Holter one year does not guarantee a Boxer will always remain clear.

ARVC can develop later in life, which is why responsible breeders repeat cardiac screening annually and track long-term trends within their lines instead of treating health testing like a one-time checkbox.

So while Gambit may look a little silly in her “heart monitor sweater,” this is actually a really important part of responsible health testing in the breed.

05/27/2026

I know a lot of people are very excited about the planned litter from Gambit. This is a highly anticipated pairing that we believe has very strong potential for both sport and conformation prospects, and we’ve already had a significant amount of interest surrounding it.

For transparency’s sake, we do want to be upfront that our priority for this litter will be:
• Experienced/proven conformation homes
• Experienced/proven sport homes
• Local Central Texas homes willing to allow us to show their puppy
• Guardian homes with a show/breeding agreement
• Active AKC Junior Handlers looking for a show prospect

Pet homes may absolutely still be considered — and are always important and needed — but the intended focus of this pairing is preservation, structure, workability, and long-term program potential.

At this time, we are expecting this pairing to produce fawn puppies only (no brindle).

Gambit will be completing her remaining health testing this summer and is currently expected to come into season around October/November 2026, which would likely place puppies arriving sometime in January 2027.

As always, all timelines are ultimately subject to change based on Mother Nature and reproduction timing.

If you are seriously interested in this litter, please reach out to us directly through the Dark Horse Boxers page or email us at [email protected] so we can begin discussing what type of home you may be looking to provide.

We truly appreciate all of the excitement and support surrounding this planned litter and cannot wait to share more as things progress! 🥰

05/26/2026

A quick Luna update for everyone following along and excited for upcoming litters 🖤

Luna is officially starting to show physical signs of coming into season, and at this time we are expecting a mid-June breeding. As always, timing with reproduction can shift a bit depending on what Mother Nature decides to do, but things are moving in the right direction.

The stud will be confirmed and publicly announced once breeding has officially taken place. Until then, we won’t be announcing pairings prematurely.

We know there’s a lot of excitement surrounding upcoming litters, and we truly appreciate the interest and enthusiasm more than you know. That said — we are ultimately at the mercy of dog biology, hormones, timing, and nature itself. Unfortunately, there is no way to rush the process or guarantee exact timelines before things happen naturally.

As always, all updates will be posted as they happen. If no breeding update has been posted, there simply are no new updates to share yet.

Thank you all for your patience, understanding, and excitement while we let Mother Nature do her thing 🤍

Dark Horse Boxers

06/13/2026

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06/07/2026

06/06/2026

06/02/2026

05/29/2026

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