09/17/2026
UPDATE: She found her furever family!
**Posting for a friend this is not a Mae Boerboel offspring (The breeder has been informed)**
Meet Nixie ❤️
Nixie is a beautiful South African Mastiff (Boerboel), born December 30, 2025. She will be 9 months old on September 30. She is a big, strong, muscular girl with excellent structure and comes from very large, well-bred parents. I would estimate her current weight to be around 120–130 lbs, although we have not weighed her recently.
Nixie is fully up to date on all vaccinations and is microchipped. Her microchip has not yet been registered (just realized that), so the new owner will need to complete that registration. She has not yet been spayed.
This is an incredibly difficult decision for our family. Nixie is a very good dog, and we truly love her. Unfortunately, we have reached the point where we believe finding her a new home is the safest and most responsible thing for everyone.
Nixie was raised in our home with our twin boys, who are 15, and our 19-year-old daughter. She has been well socialized and has had plenty of exposure to people coming and going, including our children's friends and, more recently, numerous workers in and out of our home during fire remediation.
Temperament-wise, Nixie is a little more cautious and sensitive than the typical Boerboel. Boerboels are generally known for being calm, confident, and observant. Nixie is also very observant, but she can be more reserved with strangers and may bark when she is unsure about a person, unfamiliar object, or sudden noise. She has always been somewhat sensitive to noise and can startle easily, so she tends to watch and carefully assess new things before deciding they are safe.
We believe her alert barking and in unfamiliar situations can continue to improve with consistent training, patience, and a calm, structured environment. She is affectionate with her people and very bonded to her family.
Nixie absolutely loves attention and belly rubs. She will happily drop down like a big bag of flour when she wants affection or is ready to relax.
The biggest challenge is our other dogs. When Nixie was younger, our older dogs would give her appropriate corrections when she pushed boundaries, and she generally accepted them. As she has matured, she has become more dominant and no longer will back down when corrected. At the same time, our smaller dogs have become increasingly less tolerant of her, and are less likely to warn her before nipping at her.
As Nixie has gotten larger and stronger, however, the interactions have increasingly escalated into fights, particularly with our Olde English Bulldog and Frenchie. Nixie has not been the instigator in the situations we have witnessed, but when another dog growls at, challenges, or attacks her, she will stand up for herself rather than back down.
The dynamic has become increasingly tense, and we no longer feel that our current household is a safe or appropriate environment for Nixie. At her size, even trying to safely separate the dogs has become a serious concern for us. We worry about the safety of all of our dogs as well as our family members who may have to intervene.
We believe Nixie would be happiest in a home where she does not have to constantly navigate conflict with other dogs. She may do well as an only dog, with an easygoing compatible dog after proper introductions, or potentially with another young submissive dog that genuinely enjoys playing. We would want any introduction to be handled thoughtfully and carefully.
Nixie is extremely curious, likes to know what is going on around her, and has a difficult time simply settling in one place and relaxing when there is something interesting happening. She loves to explore and stay busy. She has taught herself how to open screen and sliding glass doors when she wants to come back inside. With exercise, structure, and some guidance, however, she does settle down and relax.
She recently stayed with us on a farm while we were displaced from our home, and she absolutely loved it. She did not wander and stayed close to the property, but she loved exploring near the house, watching everything around her, and keeping an eye on the property. She seemed very happy having space to explore and a job to observe her surroundings. She especially loves finding a shady spot under a deck and settling into the dirt.
A few things about Nixie:
• Born December 30, 2025
• Approximately 120–130 lbs by our estimate
• Fully up to date on vaccinations
• Microchipped — new owner will need to register the chip
• Not yet spayed
• Crate trained
• Knows “sit” and basic commands
• Very curious and loves exploring
• Affectionate and loves belly rubs
• Very bonded to her people
• More cautious and sensitive than the typical confident Boerboel temperament
• May bark or startle when unsure of a person, unfamiliar object, or sudden noise
• Well socialized and accustomed to people coming and going
• Loves being outside and observing her surroundings
• Naturally attentive to her surroundings and enjoys watching/guarding the property
• Has not been around cats, so we cannot say how she would do with them
• Still occasionally has an accident in the house, but we are actively working on this. She used to p*e when excited, but has seemed to outgrow this as well.
• Does very well with potty training when she is taken out before coming inside and will p*e on command
• Loves getting on the couch, so a home that does not allow furniture access will need to continue working on that training
• Can have difficulty settling herself when there is activity around her, but does very well relaxing after exercise and structure
• Very playful and would enjoy a home that can give her appropriate outlets for her curiosity and energy
Nixie is still a puppy in a very large body. She has curiosity, strength, sensitivity, and a strong personality, but she is also affectionate, playful, deeply bonded to her people, and very much still learning.
She needs someone who understands large guardian breeds and is willing to continue her training, build her confidence, and give her the structure, patience, engagement, exercise, and individual attention she needs.
We are not looking to simply give Nixie away to the first person who asks. We want to find the right home for her.
Our hope is that she can go somewhere with room to move, ideally a property or an active family who will let her be part of their lives. Most importantly, we want her somewhere she can be loved and enjoy being a dog without constantly being attacked or having to defend herself from the other dogs.
This is heartbreaking for us. We love Nixie and want nothing more than to find her a home where she can thrive, feel secure, and become the amazing adult dog we know she can be.
Location: Spokane, Washington
