Mr.

Well, we decided after looking at websites about names that we would spell his name AXEL instead of after the car part. So we went to petco and made a new tag for him.  Monday he has an appointment with the vet to check on the lump on his hind leg and have his overall health evaluation.

He did great all night long.  No whining at all.  I woke at 7:30 this morning and remembered that he was there and needed to go out for a pee.  After that he had some breakfast, played with his toys and went out for a #2.  (knock on wood, he’s doing well, 1 accident so far)… After we were dressed, we decided to take him for a car ride. So we went over to Brittney’s home (Curtis’ girlfriend) and let him socialize with her, her mom and their dogs.  However, the dogs there were not happy.  Probably best to let them socialize on neutral territory.  Her dogs are Maltese and a cockapoo (I think).  Axel enjoyed them and wanted to play.  After we left there, I needed to drop off mail at the fire house, so we took him there for a change of scenery. We let him walk around there for a few minutes.  He does great in the back of the Explorer.  He lays down and sleeps.  We are taking him out every day, so that he isn’t only going out in the vehicle for vet appointments.

He has had to spend some time in "Time-out".  He is biting too much and not listening. Of course, he’s a puppy and that is what they do.  I forgot how awful this part is.  Scolding them does little to nothing to avert the behavior, only makes him do it more.  Gary’s suggestion is to hold him close and firmly, letting him know that he is in control, not pup.  When all else fails, time out in the crate is necessary.  I tend to get a little too frustrated and I lose patience.  Pretty damn fast.  He is doing better this evening, he is laying at my feet, sleeping and snoring.

Tomorrow starts day 2.  I’m terrified of putting up the Christmas tree, I know he is going to eat it and everything on it.  We might have to wait for a while before we decorate.  At least till we can get some control of his eating everything in sight.  lol  But he’s so cute.

Well, I know we only just put Zed down, but we couldn’t stand not having a dog at home. We miss Zed very much and this was a hard decision to make. We have only given it 25 days, so we decided we were going to get this little (big) guy here. His name is Axle (Axel), haha not sure the correct way to spell it for a dog. We made his name tag as Axle so that is how it shall remain. He is an English Mastiff. Born August 25, 2007 and he weighs about 40 pounds. He’s a big guy and he is so lovable.

I forgot what having a puppy was like. He wants to chew on your hands! And he had one accident in the kitchen. Over all though, he is doing well on the leash, and he understands sit and down and come already. Cats are a little ‘iffy’ about him. I’m sure they are thinking, WTF?

Funny thing is, the puppy saw me putting on my sweat pants and he got scared and started to growl. I just sneezed and it scared him. lol

When we picked him up, he has a small sore on his right hind leg, down by his foot. Looks to be a bit swollen. We are taking him to the vet and the people we got him from will pay for the treatment of the sore. I’m glad that they are doing that.

Anyhow, he’s very very sweet and soft and very curious. He puts himself to bed in his crate and likes to bring his toys in to it. He’s pretty smart for 12 weeks old.

Looking forward to many happy years with him.

We are very proud of your accomplishment. You managed to get through 13 grueling weeks of excessive PT and learned responsibility and the value of teamwork. You are now ready to move forward in your career, to learn and grow. "Stay Safe" We love you very much~

Please know that we did what we thought was best.  The vet said you might have a few years left, but your quality of life would be awful, surgery not a wise option for you would be healing for a year and the outcome would still bring you pain and suffering.  Your life was in our hands and we decided to set you free.  You can now run and play, and chase rabbits and squirrels in your heaven.  Our sadness is selfish, and the house is too quiet.  We miss you terribly, but we know you are no longer in pain.  You will forever be in our hearts and our memories. 

Love always ~ Mom, Dad, Curtis, Jessica, Murphy, Max and Boss

July 2, 1998 - November 5, 2007

Zed is 9 years old (edited), he has hip displasia and terrible arthritis in his front and back legs. He started to have problems last year and as the days went by, it has progressively gotten worse. He was struggling this summer when we would go for walks, he would lose his footing and fall down, but then he would pick himself back up and keep on going. In September, he suddenly couldn’t pick himself up from the garage floor to make it into the house. It took quite a while and it tired him out. After that day, he had good days and bad days, until late October when the bad days were seriously bad. While he would try to pick himself up, he would start going potty because he couldn’t hold his bowels while using his muscles to stand from a laying down position. We thought then that this would be it, but we have been holding on. This past Friday was the worst ever, where he could not hold himself up to go potty and he has dragged himself around the living room floor just to get where he wants to be, or he cries for us to pick up his bottom so that he can get to the bedroom or to his food and water, which we have actually moved into the living room for him.

We called the vet’s office on Friday afternoon but they were so booked that they could not see him until Monday. I know they are open on Saturdays, so I don’t understand why they wouldn’t see him. My husband was the one doing the talking to the vet, cause I was too distraught. So he goes to the vet today, they want to give us our options first before we make a decision.

Unfortunately, I absolutely could not get out of going to work today, so Gary has to take him by his self. I feel terrible about it and asked that he set the appointment up for the afternoon, but he didn’t want to do that. His appoitment is at 10:30 this morning. I will be back later to provide an update. I think it is time for him to not be in pain any more and to be free of this confinement. Please say a little prayer for us and for the our little doggie.