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White
Boxers are not caused by genetic birth defects. Just as human hair color is
the product of the combined genetics of the human parents so too is the
color of a Boxer's coat a product of the genetics contributed by both the
father and mother. The exclusively white coat is created when both the
mother and father are carriers of the gene that makes up the white coat and
the offspring inherits the white coat gene from both the father and the
mother. In every way the puppy is the same as all of its siblings, with all
the energy, personality, and spirit that make them boxers.
White Boxers are not albinos. Albinos completely lack pigment. This is
evidenced by pink eyes, and a complete lack of color anywhere on the body.
Most white boxers have some spots on their skin (which can be seen due to
their short white coats) and have some markings around their nose and
mouth. Some white boxers have colored markings in their coat (brown spots
around an eye or on the back etc). All white boxers have pigment in their
eyes, this alone rules out albinism as the cause of their whiteness.
According to the American Boxer Club "Approximately twenty-five
percent (and this is an estimation as exact records have not been
maintained) of all Boxer puppies are either white or
almost all white, making white puppies neither 'rare' nor 'unusual.'"
Since the white coat color is recessive, both parents need to be carriers
of the gene that creates white offspring. The boxer breed standard
stipulates that two-thirds of the body be either fawn or brindle in color.
Because of this limitation, white boxers do not meet the breed standard and
are therefore frequently euthanized at birth. Many breeders feel that white
Boxers are inferior to standard colored Boxers and have more health
problems that standard colored boxers
and therefore this genocide is easily dismissed. The American Boxer Club
does not actively discourage this behavior but it does allow white Boxers
to be registered with the AKC on limited privilege.
The problem is that many local breed clubs have not adopted this same
philosophy and still have by-laws calling for the euthanization of any white offspring. It is for
this reason that  there is
much controversy over white Boxers with no end in site. It is a positive
sign though that an increasing number of breeders are electing to place
their non-standard boxers in pet homes rather than destroying them. It is
for the same reason that there is inadequate research to either
substantiate or dissuade the claims that white Boxers are more prone to
problems than standard boxers. The only claims that seem to have merit is
that white Boxers are more likely to sunburn and white Boxers (like many
other breeds with similar loss of pigment problems) are more prone to
deafness in one or both ears. They may also experience blindness. None of
these reasons provides a compelling argument for the necessary destruction
of these animals.
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