Jax's first hike.

We love hiking and spent the majority of weekends last fall and winter exploring different places around the state (there are some very beautiful places in AR).  We hadn't been on a hike since we lost Asia.  It was certainly one of her very favorite things to do and I am happy that she was able to spend so much time hiking with us during her last months.  We had planned for a two-day backpacking trip for the end of our hiking season, and had even bought supplies.  The trip never happened because we had no interest in going without Asia.  Instead the gear got put in the back of the attic, out of sight, out of mind.  I didn't think I would ever want to hike again without my faithful trail partner. 

Early Sunday morning we decided to take Dixie and Jax to Pinnacle Mountain.  It was a tough hike for our first one in so many months.  It's less than 2 miles round trip, but the mountain is steep, and the trail (which after the halfway point is just boulders) is quite strenuous.  Probably not the smartest choice for a dog that has just recently been exposed to leash walking!  It was a much different experience hiking with Jax.  Communication and trust are obviously pretty important when you are on a mountain, and connected to each other with a leash.  Asia was a seasoned pro, and would never make a move that would endanger her, or me.  Jax doesn't really know his limitations, and communication is tough with a deaf dog.  Not to mention that he is far from graceful!  At first I worried that we were going to overwhelm him, or that somebody might get hurt.  (Okay, I know that the moms read this and are starting to worry right now.  Relax. We are careful hikers and very protective of our dogs.  We would not have continued at the first sign that any of us would actually get hurt).  I guess his instincts kicked in, because when we got up to the top half of the mountain, he really started concentrating.  We weren't totally in sync, but at least he never did anything dumb.  I was impressed.  We made it up pretty quickly and the view from the top is awesome.  It was a beautiful morning and there was a nice, strong breeze.  We took a couple pictures and after some odd looks from another hiker, had to explain why we were both waving our arms in the air like crazy people (we were trying to get Jax to look at the camera)!  He was fascinated watching the vultures circling above.  When he is focused on something, it's very hard to get his attention!

We passed several people on their way up the mountain as we made our way back down.  This type of exposure is great for him.  He was very curious, but a bit skeptical of the other hikers.  Of course, he couldn't hear their friendly "Hey doggies!" so he watched Dixie's reactions and trusted me to keep him out of harm's way.  There was only one time that he did a full-blown, butt-wiggling tail wag.  At the very bottom, we passed a little boy who must have been about four years old (who, by the way, was no way in hell making it up that mountain!).  I was very happy to see the way he reacted to the child!  Overall, he did really well on this outing.  I was proud of him.  I have a feeling, however, that this was our last hike until after summer.  It just gets too hot from this point on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought about Asia while we were up there, and I'm sure Jonathon did too.  The last time we'd stood on that mountain top, she had been with us, tongue hanging out, enjoying life.  I felt a little guilty being there without her, but I'd like to think that she was with us up there that morning too.

                                     Asia and I,  Pinnacle Mountain Top, Feb 2009

Simple pleasures.

( FYI: Jonathon hates the name Ajax, so we now refer to him as "Just Jax"...this is funny if you are a Will and Grace fan like we are)


This weekend, Jax became completely obsessed with a tennis ball.  Pretty simple, but it's a step up from his previous favorite toy...a Country Crock butter tub.  Anyway, he carried it everywhere and entertained himself with it for hours on end.  He invented games like 'put the ball at the top of the treadmill and catch it before it rolls off the end' and 'push the ball under the couch and then cry until someone gets it for you'.  At one point it landed in and became stuck in Jonathon's slipper.  He was frustrated at first, but soon decided that instead of trying to get it out, he would just carry the whole thing around.  We could have helped him I suppose, but it made for some cute pictures so we took advantage of that instead!

You may think that a game of treadmill-tennis ball sounds easy, but obviously it can be quite exhausting...

Y

Who...Me?

I heard a crash come from the patio and this is what was waiting for me...(new pot and new rug, by the way)

 Hardly any animal can look as deeply disappointed as a dog to whom one says "no"
~Jeffrey Maussaieff  Mason

Buddies!

Three Week update

We no longer have the emaciated, frightened dog that moved in with us 3 weeks ago. If you met him today, you would never guess that he has suffered such neglect in the past.  Although he is still thin, He has already gained 10 pounds!  We never really doubted that the physical issues could be turned around though.  That was going to be the easy part. We were more concerned with his emotional damage.  We thought that it would take a long time to get that sad boy to come out of his shell.   Well, there is nothing sad about him anymore!  He is fun loving and playful and just thoroughly happy.  He seems to have all but forgotten his traumatic first year of life.  I am truly amazed at his transformation.  He is a very special dog.

Two week update...

Ajax continues to improve.   Now that he so much stronger, he is more of a typical 1 year old boxer.  If you have ever been around a boxer, you know that they have endless energy and tons of mischivous antics!  I have had to move ALL of my house plants out of boxer reach.  My garden has several new holes too (Dixie tought him how much fun digging is)!  Also, that little smarty can open doors.  We actually had to reverse the door knobs of the master bath so it locks from the outside!  We have been introducing him to new people and he is doing great!  He came to work with me twice this week and greeted our employees with tons of tail wags and kisses!  What a turn around!  Two weeks ago, being in a room full of men would have terrified him, now he just loves the extra attention.
He is doing really well with potty training.  Only one accident in 10 days, which was totally my fault.   We have been working on crate training.  It's a real selling point with potential adopters, but can be tough to teach adult dogs to cope with.  He has been staying in my bathroom when we are gone but I'm really getting sick of sharing! I am looking forward to clearing it of dog blankets and toys and putting my own stuff back in!

So far he has learned the signs for "no" and "come."  Although, like any one year old...he doesn't always respond;-) 

Oh, and I'm not one tiny bit attached to him yet.  Who buys that????

Progress...

d

I forgot to take the picture on day one, but my hands could reach all the way around his waist then.  This was taken Sunday, after only nine days with us (nine days of actually getting to eat!).  Isn't it amazing what food can do for an animal?

One Week

Well, Ajax has been with us for one whole week now. What a different dog! It amazes me how quickly he has turned around. Dogs just have this incredible ability to forgive. He has become a huge snuggler. He loves to curl up on the couch and even on our laps. (Yes, we are spoiling him, but he deserves it after what he has been through in his short life.) When he isn't being a couch potato, he is busy playing with Dixie. He follows her everywhere! They wrestle and chase and tug. She hasn't been this happy since we lost Asia. He is eating a ton, and although he has a very long way to go, his physical condition is starting to improve too.

When I first found out that Ajax was deaf, I felt so sad for him. After spending a week with him, I have realized that I shouldn't be. He isn't sad about it at all. He has never experience sound, therefore, he doesn't know what he is missing. He still has tons of puppy love to give. He still wiggles his tail and comes running in excitement when we catch his attention. We just have to wave our arms instead of calling to him. He's the same...but different. I'm happy to be part of his silent world.