Saving Jaxon

In a small, rural Florida community, down a narrow dirt road, behind some overgrown brush and untrimmed bushes, there is a single-wide mobile home with a large, dark brown dog sitting in a dusty front yard. This dog lives outdoors, attached to a tree via a short, tangled chain. A well-worn path surrounds the trunk of the three, made by the many circles of the female dog. She appears to be a mix between a Rottweiler and a Labrador Retriever. And almost 2 years ago, on a chilly March morning, this dog gave birth to a litter of 10 puppies. Obviously the dog was not spayed, the pregnancy was not planned, and the irresponsible owner suddenly found himself with 10 puppies that had no homes.

When the puppies were 3 weeks old, my daughter and her friend went to this worn-down trailer to look at some tires that were for sale. My then 19-year-old child can be extremely compassionate, and when she heard about the puppies, she just had to see them. My daughter peeked into a soiled cardboard box and saw the panting mixed-breed momma, with her 10 little puppies that looked more like rats, hungrily nursing from their mother. The mother dog was run-down, skinny and struggling her best to continue to care for her 10 ravenous puppies. Three of the babies had their mother’s same dark brown coat with black markings, three were solid tan, three more had coat patterns like a Rottweiler, and one sole pup stood out from the rest, with his white coat and huge paws. As my daughter lifted up each baby, the pup would squirm and yip to be returned to its mother. But the bigger white puppy just grunted and sighed when she picked him up. He just sat in my daughter’s hands, soaking in her warmth.

Two weeks later, when the puppies had then become 5 weeks old, my daughter again returned to the dilapidated home. This time she saw the momma dog tied to a tree on a cable less than 2-feet long, with 10 little puppies running about the yard randomly. In the side of a small hill in the yard was an L-shaped “tunnel” dug out about 3 feet deep and about 5 feet across. At the very end of this long dirt cave was where the puppies slept and avoided the weather. My daughter watched as the owner filled a disposable aluminum foil roasting pan with dried dog food, and then sprayed the food with cold water from the hose. One by one the puppies surrounded the mush to eat. Finally, a grey, filthy puppy, twice the size of his brothers and sisters, crawled reluctantly from the dirt tunnel and came out to eat. My daughter scooped him up instantly. She held him close, momentarily oblivious to the thousands of fleas that were ravaging the puppy’s fur. She decided, then and there, that this little boy deserved a chance. It was apparent to her that the owner was pretty irresponsible about his dog, and who knew what was going to happen to these unhealthy, young puppies that weren’t receiving the care they should have received? My daughter was going to do what she could, and right then-and-there she chose “Jaxon” to be her new baby.

A dingy, flea-infested Jaxon on his first car ride, leaving the dirty tunnel and heading to a life of pampering and love:

Very shortly thereafter, 3 more puppies were given away to others who felt the need to save a pup. Two more of the puppies ended up staying at the run-down home with their momma. And sadly, 4 more puppies were turned over to a kill-shelter in our county. One can only hope they received a loving home before their “time ran out”, but we will never really know.

Jaxon's momma, tethered to a tree on her terribly short cable, surrounded by some of her dirty and neglected puppies:

When my daughter brought Jaxon home, he received not just one bath on that first day, but three! Each time she washed the filthy baby, more and more fleas would fall from his body and fill the water in the tub. The fleas were so heavily infested in this pup, that initially my daughter thought Jaxon had a spotted stomach, but after the third bath, she discovered his belly was really bright pink. And due to the intense flea infestation, this puppy was riddled with worms. His belly was huge and swollen due to such an intense worm problem.

It took three baths until the fleas were not so prevalent, but you can still see some in the tub water:

After his first bath, Jaxon slept for hours and hours. When he awoke, he began to eat his warm, nutritional puppy food, but promptly fell asleep in his food bowl!

An exhausted puppy, too tired to finish eating:

At 7 weeks old, after my daughter worked for 2 weeks to reduce the fleas and worms living in Jaxon’s body, the white puppy had his first official vet visit. Although he was not even 2 months old, the vet stated Jaxon was the size of a 12-week-old puppy. Jaxon received his puppy shots, was microchipped, and had his first de-worming.

Jaxon at 7 weeks old, now clean but with a huge belly due to worms:

Now, at this point, most new puppy owners begin to work on teaching their young dog some basic commands and how to be house trained. But Jaxon was definitely an exception. My daughter quickly discovered that Jaxon had a unique and troubling problem. His immune system did not seem to be very strong at all. Worms continued to be a huge problem, even with consistent de-wormings, and when Jaxon was around 5 months old, his hair began to fall out in patches all over his body. Another vet visit (one of many, many visits in his first year) revealed that Jaxon was suffering from mites. The vet advised that puppy mites are seen in 1 in 10 dogs that suffer from a weak immune system, and Jaxon seemed to be that one! If not cured, these mites can turn to mange, which can be deadly for a dog. Furthermore, if an owner chooses to sleep with a dog that has mites, the critters can transfer to a human (they leave the dog when his body temperature decreases during sleep) and an owner can find themselves with a scabies infestation. The medication that Jaxon needed to fight the mites was an oral formula that he had to receive every day. He took the medication for 9 months. The prescription cost $125 a month, and every 3 weeks my daughter brought Jaxon back to the vet’s office to have his skin scraped to monitor the progress of the mites. Even now, Jaxon still has one spot where his hair never grew back, due to scar-tissue forming from the repeated skin scrapings. In addition, Jaxon received steroids to counter-act the pain and itchiness of the mites. By the time Jaxon was 1-year-old, he had cost thousands of dollars in medical treatments, and, thanks to the large amount of steroids, had grown to over 100 pounds!

Jaxon with his bald spots (on his face, forehead and legs) during his battle with puppy mites:

Finally, tired of never resolving the mite issue and of filling her dog with medications and treating him with pesticides, my daughter brought her one-year-old Jaxon to a new vet. This doctor advised her to remove Jaxon from the mite treatments to see if his own immune system had finally become strong enough to fight the battle without medication. Very soon, Jaxon’s hair began to grow back and his weight came down to a healthy 85 pounds.

Big boy, finally with a stronger immune system than ever before:

During this first year with Jaxon, my daughter and I did a lot of research about dogs with weak immune systems, and discovered that such a weakness can easily return if a dog undergoes any type of stressful event, which can be something as harmless as moving, to something as invasive as a surgery. Thus, we had to wait to have Jaxon neutered until we knew for sure his body’s system could handle the procedure. This past winter, when Jaxon was 18 months old, it was apparent that he was now a healthy, muscular and active dog who had LOTS of testosterone flowing through his veins! Being a responsible pet owner, my daughter had Jaxon neutered. The surgery was very hard on him, and he suffered a few infections and there were a few set-backs, but now we can say once again he is a healthy and happy boy!

Jaxon in his e-collar, napping with his mommy during his recovery from his neutering surgery:

Jaxon turns 2-years-old in just a couple of weeks. My daughter takes him to the beach, the river and on many walks. Jaxon loves to swim, play in the water, chew on plastic bottles (his absolute favorite toy), and one of his favorite past-times is to watch TV when his mommy is at work. He will even bring toys up to the TV screen to offer them to animals on the television! (If I hadn’t seen this for myself, I don’t think I would have ever believed it!)

Any water will do...even a mud puddle makes Jaxon happy:

Jaxon is house-broken, crate-trained, and knows many commands and tricks that he will happily perform for a “cookie”. Jaxon is a very vocal dog, always “talking” to his momma. It is amazing to watch my daughter and her almost-90-pound baby interact with each other. Jaxon protects his mommy and deeply loves her, as only a dog can do. Most people think he looks like a “white Rottweiler”, but more than one vet has told Jessica that they think his father may have had some American Bulldog in him, due to Jaxon’s tan patches and markings on his white coat and pink skin. Whatever his genetic makeup, Jaxon has become a faithful watchdog, a dedicated pet, and a permanent member of my daughter’s life.

Jaxon lovingly giving hugs to his mommy (my daughter):

This brings me to my final comment about Jaxon – just like all other “unexpected” or “unwanted” puppies, Jaxon was still a dog that deserved a chance. Undoubtedly, his weak immune system as a puppy was just one more strike against Jaxon’s chances for survival. Without some big intervention on the part of a human being, that white puppy probably would not have survived.

With so many furry souls already in shelters, at rescues and even roaming the streets, why can’t dog owners become more responsible, and simply spay or neuter their pets? My heart breaks each time I think of how many dogs lose their lives each day due to the ignorance of some people. But then I feel reassurance when I think of the people that go the extra mile to save a deserving dog, just like a 19-year-old girl who saved Jaxon.

2-year-old Jaxon today: Happy, healthy and loved.

~ I will continue to share true stories with you in the hopes that they may inspire you to take some sort of action -
1) whether to move you to make a small donation to your local shelter,
2) to possibly donate a few hours of your time volunteering at a Humane Society or Rescue near you,
3) to become a foster-home for animals awaiting adoption,
4) or to even become a "furever" home for a needy soul, like my daughter did for Jaxon. ~ Thank you!!

Discovering Dixie

Sometimes it is not in an overcrowded shelter where a needy pup is discovered…sometimes there is a much different story that leads to the rescuing of a deserving dog.

In July of 2000, I was visiting a fellow equestrian friend to watch her teenage daughter barrel ride one of their horses. This friend also owned 3 black German Shepherds that were happy canine residents on the farm. During the few hours I was there that afternoon, I saw, more than once, a very fuzzy, tiny black creature pop out from a hole that was dug underneath one of the huge existing wooden dog houses. I finally could not contain my curiosity any longer and asked my friend what animal was hiding in that hole dug into the dirt.

I was told that on a Monday morning, one week before I went to visit, my friend had taken all 3 of her dogs to the vet for their annual check-ups. She was the first client of the morning, and when she entered the vet’s office, all of the employees were visibly upset. One of the assistants was crying, and another was obviously angered. When my friend asked about the emotional displays in the office that morning, she was told the following story:

A breeder of registered working Border Collies had successfully bred her dog and the pups were due any day. She was a client of the same veterinarian’s office as my friend. When the puppies were born, to the breeder’s dismay, no white blazes, spotted noses or snowy white chests were to be seen. Every single newborn pup (there were at least 5, maybe more) was a solid black ball of long, fluffy fur. Instantly the breeder knew that the father of the puppies was her neighbor’s black Chow-Chow, instead of the champion Border Collie stud she had selected for her dog. According to her breeder’s beliefs, this was now a “spoiled” litter. Not only would she have to return the deposits to the waiting future dog owners who had contracted with her to receive Border Collie puppies, but now this woman had to figure out what to do with baby dogs that would not be of any use to her. She decided to tell her customers that the puppies were all still-born, and that another litter would be available later that year.

I suppose one could say that this breeder at least had a tiny semblance of a conscience (although that statement could be challenged) and she reluctantly let her dog nurse the puppies for almost 4 weeks. Then she became concerned that someone would discover her “secret” and find out that her pure-bred had been spoiled with a mixed litter of “mutts”. So, on a Monday morning, just 15 minutes before the office was scheduled to open, the breeder brought a cardboard box filled with jet-black puppies to the vet’s office and left the box on the sidewalk near the front door. Not only were these puppies abruptly taken away from their mother without any gradual weaning, but they were also disoriented and panicked, and they quickly managed to tip the shallow box over. When the employees arrived to open the office that morning, they found two 8-pound black furballs cowering on their bellies in the parking lot, visibly frightened. Horrifically, they also discovered three more pups – already deceased, as they had been hit by cars either in the parking lot or on the busy street that faced the office, humming with morning rush-hour traffic. The employees were intently caring for the two surviving puppies when my friend arrived for her appointment. My friend immediately volunteered to foster one of the dogs for as long as it took to find it a permanent home.

By the time my friend came to this point in the story, I was shocked, angered and felt desolate, all at once. She then turned to the tiny black furball that was peeking out from underneath the dog house, dirt on its face, with only bright brown eyes visible in its jet-black face. I knew this was the puppy she volunteered to foster.

The black furball baby (after a bath!):

The dog stayed with the vet for 1 week, and then my friend started to take care of her and had already had the pup for 7 days. She said the little baby was still riddled with tapeworms, which they were treating with medication, and since the puppy had not been gradually weaned, her gastrointestinal tract was still not handling much food very well. Thus the baby had chronic diarrhea…and was also slightly anemic. On top of that, they were also fighting a case of fleas, since the puppy was still too young for any flea baths or flea shampoos. During the day the puppy would just stay in the dirt underneath one of the dog houses, and at night she would sleep underneath one of the beds inside the house.

I approached the puppy and pulled her out from her dirt tunnel. She was a little weak but still shook with fright as I picked her up. She was SO dirty – but her fur was extremely soft! I only had to hold her for a few moments to know I could not leave that farm that hot July afternoon without taking this puppy with me. I had plenty of space at my home and although I already owned an outdoor working farm dog, this little girl was going to be a house dog that would be a constant companion for me and my young daughters. I took the pup with a promise to my friend to get the puppy healthy, give her plenty of love, and to have her spayed as soon as she was old enough.

The stinky, dirty, flea-infested ball of fur curled up in a towel on my lap as my truck drove out of my friend’s driveway. I looked up and read the street sign on the approaching corner: “Dixie Lane”. Thus, I became the momma to “Dixie”, a 6-week-old, solid-black, Border Collie/Chow-Chow mix.

This is Dixie at about 6 months of age - she was less fuzzy and more gawky at this age,
with one of her folded ears suddenly deciding to stand up, and her long collie legs starting to grow:

Dixie will be 9-years-old this June. She has been the smartest, most confident and definitely the best dog our family has ever had. She is an alpha-dog, and her 55-pound-frame, covered in the full black Chow-Chow coat, with her long legs and her beautiful Border Collie head, is an intimidating picture for people who do not know our girl. (Some of her friends affectionately call her the "black wolf"). She is protective of all of us and of her house, but once she decides she likes a new visitor, she will love on that person as long as they will let her.

Our gorgeous girl today:

Dixie can do more than 20 tricks, she completely listens to all of her commands, and she constantly follows me all around the house (it must help her fulfill her need to round-up critters, I suppose). She and my husband like to have "howling matches" even though that drives me crazy! The one ailment Dixie has always suffered from is skin problems caused by food allergies. Any food with corn or wheat products can really stress her digestive system and her skin – some say that this may be from her early experiences with a non-gradual weaning. I have worked to give her a high-protein, grain-free diet, and that has helped a lot. Also, unfortunately, one thing Dixie has never been able to do is feel comfortable with a car. She trembles and pants uncontrollably whenever she has to go for a ride in our van. I am certain her morning in that parking lot over 8 years ago instilled a never-ending fear in her, so I never scold this behavior… I can’t even imagine what Dixie must feel or remember whenever she approaches a huge, rumbling vehicle.

Dixie is a faithful big sister to Tillie, our Aussie-mix who joined us almost 3 years ago.
Here they are "stalking" the tree frogs that are hiding under the hurricane shutters on our bathroom window:

Lately we have noticed that Dixie has begun to trot a little slower on her walks, and it has become apparent that her legs are a bit stiff when she lies down or gets up. Recently her eyesight has begun to fade a little, and last year we had to start giving her “hormones” to keep her bladder a little more elastic and thus keep it from leaking during Dixie’s naptimes. She can still catch lizards on the sidewalk every once in a while, but Dixie does sleep for longer periods during throughout the day now.

Dixie "hunting" and leaping for lizards:

I no longer feel anger towards that breeder for her ignorant actions. But I did feel a tiny bit of satisfaction when I found out that the breeder was questioned by the veterinarian about the status of her pregnant dog, and her dastardly deed was discovered. Finally the woman admitted her actions, and eventually she was no longer permitted to breed or sell registered Border Collie puppies. And imagine - if it weren’t for that determined Chow-Chow that lived next door to the Border Collie with the “pure” bloodlines, I would have never had the gift of living with our brilliant Dixie!

We know that larger dogs have a shorter lifespan, but it is still unimaginable to me that there will someday be a day when my beautiful Dixie will not be walking immediately in front of me or behind me (as she always does) when I am at home. Without a doubt, I will never regret pulling that little black furball out of the dirty hole she had dug underneath my friend’s dog house. Discovering Dixie changed my life, and the life of my daughters and my husband, forever.

~ I will continue to share true stories with you in the hopes that they may inspire you to take some sort of action -
1) whether to move you to make a small donation to your local shelter,
2) to possibly donate a few hours of your time volunteering at a Humane Society or Rescue near you,
3) to become a foster-home for animals awaiting adoption,
4) or to even become a "furever" home for a needy soul, like we did for Dixie. ~ Thank you!!