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...

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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.

Pretty skinny...but who can resist that face?