Baxley-March 8

I cannot write this without having a heavy heart and tears in my eyes.  Our beloved, four-legged son, Baxley, went to Heaven on Friday, March 8, 2013.  He has been everything that a son could be, but so much more. Baxley started not wanting to eat much about 1 1/2 weeks prior to March 8th.  My hubby and I took him to vet on March 4th.  The vet checked his tummy and did not feel any blockages, and he also took his temperature which was slightly elevated, but nothing to cause great concern.  The afternoon before we left the vet's office, Baxley was eating canned food, and we were relieved.  The next day, James went to the store and bought another brand of pet food.  We thought maybe he was tired of the pet food he had, because he had been eating it for a few years.  Baxley ate the new food so fast you would think there was a prize at the bottom of his food bowl.  On Wednesday and Thursday, he again went back to not eating.  He was drinking his water, but we couldn't get him to eat.

Friday morning James called and made an appointment for Baxley to see the vet.  I was already at work but something kept telling me that I needed to go and be with James and Baxley at the vet's office.  When I got there, I saw James lifting Baxley out of the back seat of his truck.  That is not at all like Baxley because he loves to ride and gets in and out of Daddy's truck with ease.  When we got back to the examining room, Baxley was very calm.  This was unlike him too, because no matter who you are Baxley was always glad to see you, and would run up to you.  The technician took his temperature and said it was normal.  The vet came in to look at him, and first said that he was pale.  James and I thought that sounded odd being that he is a black dog.  However, she said that you are supposed to see the blood vessels in their eyes, and Baxley's was very faint, and his gums are supposed to be a bright pink, and Baxley's were pale.  She took him and did some blood work on him.  When they brought Baxley back to the room, the technician offered him various kinds of food, and Baxley would sniff it and then turn away.

Baxley laid on the floor and barely moved.  James and I were quite shocked when the results came back.  She said that if he were human, that a blood transfusion would be needed right then and there.  The vet also stated that his hemoglobin was very low and other blood results lead to pancreatic cancer.   She said the blood loss was most likely from internal bleeding, and possibly cancerous tumors.  We were shocked!  Baxley never complained, whined, etc.  We had no idea he was such a sick little boy.  Money was no object to us about how to treat Baxley but even with surgery and a blood transfusion there was only a 40% chance that he would make it.  James asked the vet what she would personally do if it were her dog.  She said that given his age and everything...she would put him to sleep.  This was harder to hear that anything in this world.  We didn't want Baxley to go on suffering but we didn't want to lose our son either.  When James and I made the decision to put him down, James asked if he could hold Baxley in his lap while all of this was going on.  She said "of course."  The technician placed Baxley in Daddy's lap, and I sat beside them.  First, the vet gave him a sedative, and then the euthanasia shot.  We held Baxley until his little heart stopped.

I felt like someone had just ripped my heart from my chest.  I haven't cried that much since my Daddy died almost 30 years ago.  A part of Baxley's Mommy and Daddy went with him.  We opted to have Baxley cremated because

• 1. we live in an apartment and don't have anywhere to bury him
• 2. I always said that if anything ever happened to Baxley I would want him cremated, so that I could have him with us.

A few days later, his remains were returned to us, and they are in a beautiful box, in a vacuumed sealed bag that is in a black velvet case...very fitting since Baxley was a black lab. That beautiful box is on our mantel.  On one side is a picture of Mommy and Daddy and on the other side is a picture of Baxley.

James and I have cried many, many, many tears.  We have lost our son, but we know he is no longer hurting.  He is running and chasing birds, butterflies, and is with other little dogs. We are slowly getting to the point of where we can share wonderful memories again, without crying six or seven times a day.  Baxley went knowing that Daddy and Mommy loved him, and we fully believe that we will all be together again one day.

To hear it from James' words and meet Bruno, check out his post here!

Baxley: A Man and Woman's Best Friend

My dog Baxley is eight years old. If you have taken the time to read my autobiography, you already know that he has been with me since he was old enough to be without his “birth mother”. Now, I am “Mommy”. I will now attempt and try to put into words what my life has been like with this new addition to our family.
When James and I had been married for almost a year, we adopted a kitten from the animal shelter. (I had never had a dog and I wanted a kitten for companionship since James did a fair amount of traveling with his job.) We had her until we moved to Wilmington which was 2001. In April of 2001, James asked if we could get a puppy. I agreed. Since I had never had a dog before, I let James pick out the breed, etc. that he wanted. James said he would like to have a lab or a beagle. While looking through the paper one Saturday afternoon I ran across an ad that someone had placed. They were giving away free lab and beagle mix puppies to a good home. I took the newspaper in to where James was sitting. After looking it over, he called the number that was listed and spoke to the lady that had the puppies. We drove to Oak Island that afternoon, and picked out our puppy. (That story is mentioned in my autobiography also.) The day we picked him up the lady gave us a box to put him in, (lid open of course), to carry him home. Baxley never peed in the box all the way home, like I thought he would. So I was thinking…we have a perfect puppy. Oh how deceiving (Ha, Ha)

The first night home was an experience. It was the night before Sunrise Service at church. James has to get up around 4:30 or so to get ready for the service because he has to set up sound equipment, etc. Baxley cried all night. The only thing that calmed him was James being right beside him while Baxley lay in his crate. That was a long night for both of us, but especially James. Over the next day or two, James set aside time to make vet appointments, get dog food, collar, toys, bones…all the things a growing boy needs…the puppy, not James. We even bought puppy pads….note here…they do not work! We put down puppy pads, but Baxley didn’t pee or poop on them….he found places where there were no puppy pads to do his business. By the way, pee has been nick-named “good things”, and poop has been nick-named “bad things”, by us. His good things and bad things all over different places of the house nearly drove me crazy…that’s a short drive! One day we left him in the crate to get some things done and didn’t want him running everywhere…it must’ve been too long for his little bladder because James went to check on him, and he had done bad things, and managed to get it all over him and the crate. Oh, what a mess!!! Baxley finally got house-trained and I was so glad. The only other time he’s had an accident since being house-trained was about four years ago and at least he did good things on the kitchen floor where it could be mopped up, and not on the carpet.

Baxley never chewed up anything of real significance that I can recall. No shoes, no clothes, no knick-knacks that are kept around the house. He was very good. However, he did like to pull things out of the trash can---could be toilet paper, Kleenex, paper plates, etc. I finally wised up and put the trash can in the pantry. He grabs the occasional tissue or wadded up paper from a trash can in the study or another room, but that is just to get our attention…we’ve learned. One time while riding with Daddy and a co-worker in Daddy’s truck, he ate the ear bob right off the lady’s ear. She thought she had lost it. We found it a couple of days later when Baxley was doing bad things. He’s never been a dog to be real calm. The vet told us that once he was “fixed” he would calm down some. The vet was WRONG. Ha ha.

Baxley has surprised me at times. One day when I arrived home from work, I found the back door wide open. Nothing had been stolen but I guess the door may have been left ajar and blown open by the wind. Anyway…I thought that Baxley may have run out because I didn’t see him when I walked in the house. I checked through the rest of the house 1. to make sure nothing had been stolen, and 2. to see if Baxley actually stayed there. Good news! Nothing had been stolen AND Baxley was still in the house. I was so glad and relieved!!!!

Daddy found a place called Dogs at Play. It is a “day-care” for dogs. You take them there in the morning and pick them up when you get off work. They have a big playground, a pool, toys, etc. that are for their play time. Also, if you need to be gone for one night or a few nights they have overnight accommodations, too. Plus, someone stays there with the dogs all the time so they are never alone. Baxley LOVES this place. You mention “day-care” or “Dogs at Play” and you better be ready to take him because he knows exactly what you’re saying and he’s ready to go. He comes home worn out and recuperates in a couple of days.

Baxley has his own favorite toys, and his crate is cushioned, but one place that he has claimed as his is the seat at the bay window. It faces the street that we live on and the pool is right across the street. He would lay there from sun-up till sun-down if he could. If someone pulls up or he sees a strange vehicle or even if he sees a strange or unleashed dog…we know it because he is in the bay window and he will bark until the situation is resolved. He’s got a watchful eye and nothing gets by him.

I never knew I would feel about a dog the way I feel about Baxley. He is such an important part of my life. He is there for us when we are down or hurting, and he is there for us to make us smile and laugh. He has unconditional love for Mommy and Daddy, and other friends and family members that he knows. I was not able to have children, and Baxley is as much my child as one can be. I love him and would do anything possible for him. I am his Mommy and am proud of it.