[Maglou]

Hey Aggie, colourful is the word!
She is changing all the time and is starting to play. She’s really funny.
She tosses the remains of Bax’s Christmas racoon around and shakes it.
She keeps hiding his chew bones as well!
She has a little stash that she brings out from time to time and starts having a chew on. Nobody knows where she hides them.
She tiptoed past him with his new hide bone and the look on his face was hilarious He couldn’t believe his eyes. She had hidden it under the cushions on the sofa.
Her appetite has returned and I’m hoping she will start to put on a little weight now.

[Maglou]

Bax slept on the chair again last night as he has relinquished his bed to our new arrival, Hallie. He obviously sees her need as greater than his……..and so does she!
What happened to the timid little girl I was so concerned about yesterday?
She woke up with a little devil on her shoulder, that’s what!
First she tucked into a hearty breakfast (she wouldnt touch anything yesterday morning), then she showed signs of liveliness when I tried to play with her and she raced out of the room into the lounge. Ever Ready Bax immediately twigged that this was a game and started trying to get her going.
She growled at him twice and ran out the door into the garden and well, you can see the result! They went harum scarum round and round the garden. It was hilarious.

Bax is a blurry dripping mess as he exits the frog pond.

Then our neighbour turned up with Max and and the three of them got on like a house on fire.
She is a totally different dog today. It’s wonderful to see her personality starting to shine already. It’s more than we could have hoped for. Hallie and Bax get on so well together and are really relaxed around one another.
Imagine what they will be like six months or so down the road.
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[Maglou]

What happened to the timid little girl I was so concerned about yesterday?
She woke up with a little devil on her shoulder, that’s what!
First she tucked into a hearty breakfast (she wouldnt touch anything yesterday morning), then she showed signs of liveliness when I tried to play with her and she raced out of the room into the lounge. Ever Ready Bax immediately twigged that this was a game and started trying to get her going. She growled at him twice and ran out the door into the garden and well, you can see the result! They went harum scarum round and round the garden. It was hilarious.

Bax is a blurry dripping mess as he exits the frog pond.

Then our neighbour turned up with Max and and the three of them got on like a house on fire.
She is a totally different dog today. It’s wonderful to see her personality starting to shine already. It’s more than we could have hoped for. Hallie and Bax get on so well together and are really relaxed around one another.
Imagine what they will be like six months or so down the road.
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[Maglou]

Hallie spent her first night in Baxter’s bed and slept peacefully all night.
Baxy was relegated to the doggy armchair (one of his favourite spots, so no hardship there!) in the dining room.
It’s funny how they sort themselves out without human interference isn’t it?
She didn’t fancy any dog food but didn’t mind a bit of turkey.
I’m sure she was wondering what was happening especially as she travelled halfway with Aggie and the other half with us and ended up in a completely different place.
Hallie and Baxter have completely gelled. He has such an amazingly generous spirit and is being very kind to her.
They are such an unlikely looking pair, it’s so funny to see them together.
They potter out in the garden and Bax would still love a game but realizes he’s not going to get very far with Hallie, at least not at the moment.
She loves the garden and sniffs her way all the way round the edges.
On her walk today as yesterday she just followed on the lead to heel but no sniffing or interest in anything. It’s as though walking, at the moment at least, is not what she would choose for pleasure. Perhaps she did an awful lot of it in her former life if she was out on her own.
She has been quite perky today and wags her tail all the time and loves to be petted, then goes off again for a lie down in Bax’s bed.
She ate a really good dinner tonight and is mingling with Bax and the cat in a very relaxed way.
We are just letting her do her own thing and get used to everything in her own time. She’s a real little sweetheart.
Here are the two little darlings checking out the dinner situation. (Not theirs either!)

Have you got anything NICE in there????

Hey Bax, this position is called ‘Downward Dog’. Don’t you know ANY yoga?

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[Maglou]

Hi there, Hallie’s new mammy here.
She is doing fine and getting used to her new surroundings. Baxter was trying his hardest to make her play but she wasn’t having any of it.
She ignored the cat (the other one doesn’t like to socialise with dogs!) who seems to have taken a shine to her and can hardly hold herself back from rubbing up against her. I don’t think it will be long………!
She loves Bax’s bed and I think I already know who’ll be sleeping in it tonight! He is so good with her and so very accepting. She’s put him in his place a couple of times which he accepts with good grace.
She is a really waggy little girl and loves people and has been quite lively tonight.
Sabbathmc you have done a great job with her so far, I know she has come a long way in a really short time.
She still looks so fragile though, as if a puff of wind would blow her over. I am so looking forward to continuing with bringing her back to full health and strength. There is a great little character in there just bursting to come out!
I will post pics very soon. Watch this space!!!

[Maglou]

Baxter is having a very sociable Christmas.
He met our neighbour’s dog Max on Christmas Eve for the first time and they were romping away in the back garden in no time.
Here are Max and Bax skating on the frog pond.

Then on Christmas Day my husband’s friend came over for dinner with his two rescued Alsations. I cannot deny being a bit worried about this as I knew they were big dogs. I had met Kim before but not Jack whose reputation preceded him as being somewhat large and boisterous.
I was also a bit concerned about how Bax would react to not one but two large dogs infiltrating his space.
Well it just goes to show that you can never underestimate this fantastic boy and in no time he and Jack were gallivanting around the garden like old friends and they didn’t stop all day. It was amazing.
Here is my 6′ 4” son holding Bax.

And here he is disappearing behind Jack, who I have to say treated it all in good fun.

This poor lad was due to be pts the day after Bill went to look at him.
He wasn’t told this until after he had decided to take him. Isn’t he handsome? He is a real gentle giant.
I am so proud of the way Bax behaved. He was an impeccable host.
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[Maglou]

Hope this weather is not keeping all the doggies and their people from their daily walks. We are lucky here as apart from frozen pipes we have very little snow and can still get out and about quite easily.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS from the handsome Baxter. XXXXXXXXXXXXX

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[Maglou]

Baxter continues to amuse us with his antics. He doesn’t seem phased by copious amounts of chocolate around the place. Well not yet anyway as everything is wrapped. Might be a different story later!
His toy piggy is a bit worse for wear now as he has chewed lumps of it and shakes it and throws it all over the place.

He even puts on shows for the locals!

And do you remember the stick/tree he used to drag up and down the path on his walks?
Well one day he just kept going and brought it all the way home! :lol
He was very pleased with himself.

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[Maglou]

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[Maglou]

It’s so fantastic to see how many people care about Bax and want to follow his progress. He certainly is one in a million (make that zillion!)

Liv, in the interest of science I just did a little experiment. You know, the stairs one.
Going up he raced ahead of me, which is probably what he did with you.
Coming down he hesitated at the top when I suggested he go first but when I started to walk down he raced to the bottom!
I seem to remember him being a bit hesitant on the descent when we first brought him home and I mostly live on the ground floor (dormer bungalow). My son, however, has his room upstairs and Bax is up and down to him all the time. He does a check periodically to make sure all family members are present and correct so maybe he’s got used to it.
He’s just been waving a plastic bottle at the sheep looking in through the gate at the bottom of the garden and tossing around a fallen fat ball courtesy of the visiting birds. He is such a joy
I can’t believe how good and mannerly he is and his barking is diminishing daily. He pays no heed to passing tractors or cats sliding on the roof(Norman) or any other unfamiliar noises. He hardly even bothers in the car now either, only if he remembers but he can’t seem to be bothered most of the time.
Baxter sends loving Christmas kisses to all his fans and will keep you posted with further adventures. He is VERY grateful for all you have done for him and will never forget how you helped him with your love and kindness. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours and a peaceful, healthy, loving and HAPPY NEW YEAR!XXX

[Maglou]

Hi ColganFamily, Yes, maybe it is a lab trait to do things with sticks!
As you can see it’s not confined to sticks though and if the frogs stand a chance of surviving in the spring we’ll have to fence off the pond!!!
Today on our walk he kept rushing past me and belting me across the back of the legs with his sticks and even speared me with one. Ouch!!!
My son was in stitches (and so was I nearly, literally). He is such a clown and so full of fun. He was playing with two other dogs today. One was a bit grumpy so Bax just rolled over in a submissive pose and sort of said Hey, I don’t want a fight, I just want to play and the other dog left him alone. He is one diplomatic hound.
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[Maglou]

Is there any more info on this beautiful boy? Has he had much contact with cats? Is he housetrained etc. Just struck me today how very handsome he is.

[Maglou]

I forgot to say in the last post that the first pic shows a bit of the battleground our garden has become! He goes off and chooses himself a new cane whenever he fancies one. Nothing too small or convenient though.
He tried to run in the house with one the other day. You can imagine what happened. He really is such a character.

[Maglou]

Thanks Buzzsmom and Ems for your posts.
You are right Dermot, Bax is never daunted by things larger than himself. He loves a challenge! It’s amazing the things he tackles and it is a VERY large and long stick/tree and is really heavy. It is at the beginning of our walk and he always carries it for a bit on the way and also the way back.

I took some photos of him today in the garden. He broke the ice on the frog pond and carried it out onto the grass and started chewing it.
He bashes it with his paw and wades in! He is so amazing. He has real imagination. I’ve never seen a dog do things like this before.

Emma it is a joy to have Bax for Christmas and rather than us seeing his potential I believe he sees the potential in us. There is suddenly more fun and laughter in our world and he is teaching us things about ourselves that we had forgotten. I hope all your dreams come true too

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[Maglou]

Hi, Just thought you might like a little update on Bax.
I was away for a week visiting a friend in the UK, something I had organised before we had Bax. All the time I was away I was so worried that he wouldn’t know me when I got home. Well I need not have worried as he practically leapt into my arms as I came throught the door. It was a very happy reunion.
Nick texted me all the time telling me what he was up to. Having Bax has brought such joy into his life again as he was so upset when our lovely Paddy died in the summer. I have never had so many texts from my loving husband! He said that the garden was like a bomb site ( but in a good way) as Bax had scoured every inch of it to find things to play with including plastic plant pots,sticks, various toys,more sticks, chews etc etc..
He loves his sticks!!!
Here are some pics of Bax with his beloved sticks. He is not daunted by the size and likes nothing better than the challenge of pulling up half buried sticks on our walks. It’s really funny to see him yanking and pulling at something that looks very unlikely to budge and then suddenly does as he hauls the biggest part of it out of the ground. He is one very strong dog! He is sooo proud of himself too.
He continues to settle well and is a very good boy. He understandably suffers a bit from separation anxiety but as he realises this is his home I am hoping it will ease. I have a extendable lead for him now and it is easier to control him when it’s clipped to his collar and harness and he is making progress out walking.
He is so good around food and no more jumping up at the counter and no begging. He seems to know now that food does not necessarily include him. Of course he does love to lick the cats bowl from one end of the kitchen to the other. Very musical.
I would like to wish everyone at DID including all the wonderful fosterers out there and everyone who like us has had the great fortune to bring home a much valued new family member, a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2011. Keep up the good work DID and thanks again!
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