I managed to get one cute picture while we were there.
Jonathon took this one. I guess that hour was a pretty exhausting one! Dixie, Jax and I all crashed on the couch right away, happy to be back in the central air.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Bark in the Park
The rescue had it's summer picnic fund raiser on Saturday. They had BBQ, games, and a small silent auction. Great idea...if it were in October! It was soooo frickin hot! Although it was at a nice, big, beautiful park, everyone and their dogs were gathered under the pavilion, which made it a pretty tight quarters. We met a couple of people who recognized Jax from the rescue's website, and I recognized a few dogs too. Dixie met a 200+ pound English Mastiff and was, in a word, terrified. She embarrassed me by leaping first over, then under the picnic table all while doing a half whine, half bark. What a commotion. Afterward, a sympathetic woman walked over to us and said to Dixie "I would have done the same thing sweetie. That dog is HUGE" That made me feel a little better. Jax seemed to handle the event pretty well. He took it all in, very curious, but never over-excited or anything. Despite the misting fans, and plenty of water, 103 is just too hot for us. We were there for less than an hour before taking the dogs...and me, home out of the heat! I hope they made some money for the dogs, and maybe even got an adoption or two.
I managed to get one cute picture while we were there.
Jonathon took this one. I guess that hour was a pretty exhausting one! Dixie, Jax and I all crashed on the couch right away, happy to be back in the central air.
I managed to get one cute picture while we were there.
Jonathon took this one. I guess that hour was a pretty exhausting one! Dixie, Jax and I all crashed on the couch right away, happy to be back in the central air.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Forever Home
I am happy to announce that Jax has found his forever home! An application came in on him over the weekend. It was a decision that I struggled with to the point of laying awake at night. I have so enjoyed watching him evolve from a sad, scared, dog that didn't know love, to the happy, confident, loving creature that he is today. My first experience fostering an adult dog was all that I hoped it would be. It is his time, however, to become an official member of a family. I really think that it will be a perfect fit. The couple lives in Little Rock. They have another dog (important to me since he needs a pair of ears), and no kids (just as I had hoped for). They are the kind of family that will spoil him as he deserves to be spoiled, after knowing such pain in his short life. They are aware of all of the extra responsibilities that come with him and are committed to fulfilling them. They know that he will never be able to be an off-leash dog. They know that since he has no pigment, he will have to wear special sunscreen whenever he is outside, for the rest of his life, and that he will need to be checked for skin cancer regularly. They understand that he has special needs, but it doesn't matter to them. Jax will be happy with them, I am confident, for the rest of his life.
Here is a little more information about Jax's family...They are about the coolest people ever! The husband's name is Jonathon. The wife's name is Leslie. The other dog's name is Dixie.
Yes. We are, what they lovingly call in the rescue world, a "foster failure."
This decision was not an easy one to make. I was torn by guilt. I made a committment to save dogs. I can't stop after just one. So, we will continue the foster program. What is one more dog in the house? Right? There was a time that we had 2 ferrets, 2 dogs, 2 birds, and a cat! Now that was a house full! 3 dogs is nothing!
I know that you are all thinking "I knew they couldn't do it." And, it would seem that you are right, but I will disagree. It isn't that we can't do it. I don't think that we will have this experience every time we give up a foster dog. Of course, each one will touch our lives, and hearts, but Jax is special. He came to us at a special time. I didn't think about it then, but I now believe that we, or at least I, needed Jax to come into our lives when he did. I was in the midst of a sadness so deep that I could barely function, grieving Asia. Although two months had gone by, I cried every day. Giving a second chance to a dog in her honor was a small distraction from the pain. I felt proud to be saving a dog, and although I wasn't ready for new dog to join the family, I was happy to have him there. Jax and Dixie were instant friends and she had a renewed happiness that we hadn't witnessed since Asia passed. She needed him too. One experienced foster mom from the rescue advised me that these things don't happen by accident. Maybe she is right. At that time, Jax needed someone to help him, and we needed someone to help. The day after we got him, was his designated "last day." Had we decided to foster any later, he may not be alive. It just all fits.
Or maybe this is just my way of justifying keeping the guy because he is so damn cute! Believe what you will. He is our dog now, and I am confident that we made the right choice.
Here is a little more information about Jax's family...They are about the coolest people ever! The husband's name is Jonathon. The wife's name is Leslie. The other dog's name is Dixie.
Yes. We are, what they lovingly call in the rescue world, a "foster failure."
This decision was not an easy one to make. I was torn by guilt. I made a committment to save dogs. I can't stop after just one. So, we will continue the foster program. What is one more dog in the house? Right? There was a time that we had 2 ferrets, 2 dogs, 2 birds, and a cat! Now that was a house full! 3 dogs is nothing!
I know that you are all thinking "I knew they couldn't do it." And, it would seem that you are right, but I will disagree. It isn't that we can't do it. I don't think that we will have this experience every time we give up a foster dog. Of course, each one will touch our lives, and hearts, but Jax is special. He came to us at a special time. I didn't think about it then, but I now believe that we, or at least I, needed Jax to come into our lives when he did. I was in the midst of a sadness so deep that I could barely function, grieving Asia. Although two months had gone by, I cried every day. Giving a second chance to a dog in her honor was a small distraction from the pain. I felt proud to be saving a dog, and although I wasn't ready for new dog to join the family, I was happy to have him there. Jax and Dixie were instant friends and she had a renewed happiness that we hadn't witnessed since Asia passed. She needed him too. One experienced foster mom from the rescue advised me that these things don't happen by accident. Maybe she is right. At that time, Jax needed someone to help him, and we needed someone to help. The day after we got him, was his designated "last day." Had we decided to foster any later, he may not be alive. It just all fits.
Or maybe this is just my way of justifying keeping the guy because he is so damn cute! Believe what you will. He is our dog now, and I am confident that we made the right choice.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Runaway Jax!
Wow! Has it really been over a month since my last post?! I have two excuses. First, I have been incredibly busy and stressed out. Work has been insane this spring! Second, Jax has become such a "normal" dog now that I don't feel like I have as much to report! I'll do better.
Last week, while Bonni was visiting, Jax took the opportunity to give me something "exciting" to post about. It is a story now, maybe even a little funny if you were an onlooker, but I can assure you, at the time (and Bons will agree) it was a nightmare!
Scenario-
Bons is getting packed up because she is leaving for MN later that afternoon. I am home on lunch break and am taking out recycling, while advising an employee over the phone (damn multi-tasking). I am not out the door but 2 seconds when I hear a beep and the dogs fly past me on the front steps! Jax had opened the door and let them out that quickly! We have known for a while that he has a talent of open the inside doors but he has never opened this one. It's a heavy, outside door that he had to turn the handle and pull toward him at the same time. My heart sinks. One of my worst deaf-dog fears is happening. What followed is somewhat of a blur. Bons is outside almost immediately, as she too heard the security system beep when the door opened. Dixie is interested only in "going bye-bye" and hops willingly into the car. Jax is so excited to be out that he turns and heads down the street. Bons follows him while I run in to grab leashes. I get Dixie on a leash and we run down the street as fast as I can to catch up with Bons and Jax. Poor Bons is running in a sundress and no shoes down the middle of the street. I give her my car keys as I reach her and she runs back home to get the car. I don't know how long we can keep up with him on foot. He is one fast dog, and did I mention it is about 96 degrees outside? My only thought is not to let him out of my sight. If that happens, he is lost. Right now, he is just loose. A lost deaf dog is usually a gone deaf dog. He has no clue that I want him to stop running. He turns around to see us frequently, but has no intention of stopping. There is a moment of hope when he sees a squirrel and chases it up a tree, but I can't get there in time. He is darting back and forth across the street checking out every yard. Luckily, all the yards in my neighborhood have fences so he can't really get into the backyards. I get so close, he and Dixie have touched noses a couple times, but I just can't reach his collar. I am running down the street, red-faced and screaming to him, pleading to him, to come back, but he can't hear me. He has no clue what a dangerous situation he is in. I lose sight of him for a second and a feeling of hopelessness comes over me. Dixie is watching him vigilantly and knows that he has gone behind a shed. Thank god! Bons is back with the car and she is following me down the street. We start running up to people's carports to try to trick him, by making him think we are going into their house. I don't know how much time is passing, but as the two of us and Dixie are on this chase, we are causing quite the stir in the neighborhood. Passing cars are watching us, and every dog in the vicinity is barking wildly. Suddenly, I am in someone's carport and I notice a padlock on the ground. Their gate is unlocked. Without a thought, I open it and Dixie and I walk into the fence yard, motioning for him to join us. He stares at me, hesitating. I am praying that he follows us. Nervously, he walks through the gate and I lock him in! The relief I feel is enormous. He is now extremely worked up, as he can see that we are all scared. There are dogs barking at us from all three connecting fences. Bons takes Dixie to the car and after a couple of minutes, I am finally able to grab him while he stops to pee. The second I have the leash on him, he seems totally content again, oblivious to what all of the fuss was about. We get in the car, all of us panting like crazy!
When we got home, we were hot, sweaty, naseated, and in a bit of shock. I remembered throwing my phone on the ground at some point and I also managed to lose a leash along the way but I didn't care. Jax was safe. Thank god that Bons was there to help us. It wasn't a one person, one dog job! Thanks again Bons! Dixie seemed to know instantly that it was no game and that Jax was in trouble. She was so good. She knows that he is a little different than she is and really compensates for it. Bons and I were very proud of her. She has matured incredibly since he arrived.
This was a total wake up to one of the risks of owning a deaf dog. I let my guard down for one second and that is all it took for a near disaster to happen. You have to be 100% aware all of the time. It's not just like having a hearing dog that you can just call to when they accidentally get out into the yard. The world is a dangerous place for him to be loose in. It would have killed me if anything would have happened to him.
New knobs and locks, and the addition of a screen door on the way!
Last week, while Bonni was visiting, Jax took the opportunity to give me something "exciting" to post about. It is a story now, maybe even a little funny if you were an onlooker, but I can assure you, at the time (and Bons will agree) it was a nightmare!
Scenario-
Bons is getting packed up because she is leaving for MN later that afternoon. I am home on lunch break and am taking out recycling, while advising an employee over the phone (damn multi-tasking). I am not out the door but 2 seconds when I hear a beep and the dogs fly past me on the front steps! Jax had opened the door and let them out that quickly! We have known for a while that he has a talent of open the inside doors but he has never opened this one. It's a heavy, outside door that he had to turn the handle and pull toward him at the same time. My heart sinks. One of my worst deaf-dog fears is happening. What followed is somewhat of a blur. Bons is outside almost immediately, as she too heard the security system beep when the door opened. Dixie is interested only in "going bye-bye" and hops willingly into the car. Jax is so excited to be out that he turns and heads down the street. Bons follows him while I run in to grab leashes. I get Dixie on a leash and we run down the street as fast as I can to catch up with Bons and Jax. Poor Bons is running in a sundress and no shoes down the middle of the street. I give her my car keys as I reach her and she runs back home to get the car. I don't know how long we can keep up with him on foot. He is one fast dog, and did I mention it is about 96 degrees outside? My only thought is not to let him out of my sight. If that happens, he is lost. Right now, he is just loose. A lost deaf dog is usually a gone deaf dog. He has no clue that I want him to stop running. He turns around to see us frequently, but has no intention of stopping. There is a moment of hope when he sees a squirrel and chases it up a tree, but I can't get there in time. He is darting back and forth across the street checking out every yard. Luckily, all the yards in my neighborhood have fences so he can't really get into the backyards. I get so close, he and Dixie have touched noses a couple times, but I just can't reach his collar. I am running down the street, red-faced and screaming to him, pleading to him, to come back, but he can't hear me. He has no clue what a dangerous situation he is in. I lose sight of him for a second and a feeling of hopelessness comes over me. Dixie is watching him vigilantly and knows that he has gone behind a shed. Thank god! Bons is back with the car and she is following me down the street. We start running up to people's carports to try to trick him, by making him think we are going into their house. I don't know how much time is passing, but as the two of us and Dixie are on this chase, we are causing quite the stir in the neighborhood. Passing cars are watching us, and every dog in the vicinity is barking wildly. Suddenly, I am in someone's carport and I notice a padlock on the ground. Their gate is unlocked. Without a thought, I open it and Dixie and I walk into the fence yard, motioning for him to join us. He stares at me, hesitating. I am praying that he follows us. Nervously, he walks through the gate and I lock him in! The relief I feel is enormous. He is now extremely worked up, as he can see that we are all scared. There are dogs barking at us from all three connecting fences. Bons takes Dixie to the car and after a couple of minutes, I am finally able to grab him while he stops to pee. The second I have the leash on him, he seems totally content again, oblivious to what all of the fuss was about. We get in the car, all of us panting like crazy!
When we got home, we were hot, sweaty, naseated, and in a bit of shock. I remembered throwing my phone on the ground at some point and I also managed to lose a leash along the way but I didn't care. Jax was safe. Thank god that Bons was there to help us. It wasn't a one person, one dog job! Thanks again Bons! Dixie seemed to know instantly that it was no game and that Jax was in trouble. She was so good. She knows that he is a little different than she is and really compensates for it. Bons and I were very proud of her. She has matured incredibly since he arrived.
This was a total wake up to one of the risks of owning a deaf dog. I let my guard down for one second and that is all it took for a near disaster to happen. You have to be 100% aware all of the time. It's not just like having a hearing dog that you can just call to when they accidentally get out into the yard. The world is a dangerous place for him to be loose in. It would have killed me if anything would have happened to him.
New knobs and locks, and the addition of a screen door on the way!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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
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.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
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...
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...
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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
Hardly any animal can look as deeply disappointed as a dog to whom one says "no"
~Jeffrey Maussaieff Mason
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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