We have had a lot of emails and phone calls wishing BHRR’s Jaxson all the best as he is now available for adoption. THANK you everyone! As BHRR’s Jaxson still has outstanding bills, we continue to hope that his adoring public will consider supporting him as he continues on his ‘healing’ Journey. I have added a new slide #12 from October 19th and am going to add it below as well. Jaxson’s face is priceless!!! This photo is taken just three weeks after his amputation! He is doing fantastic and Sean plus myself wil be tackling those nails soon. He had his first manicure/pedicure while he was under for surgery. We shall see how it goes! I have to say that Jaxson brings out the ‘kid’ in me! OMG! He loves the balls, rope toys and Kong toys. He and I could spend hours racing around our kitchen island or the house as we play ‘catch me if you can’. GOD! If I begin to slow down, Jaxson will come over and try to entice me to play again and he loves to play tug! His tail wags a mile a minute and gosh, he is just SOOOOOOO much fun! As my Bluez Boyz were away showing in N.S., he had taken to wanting to excite mouth and grab at our Cherokee’s long fur and I guess he did not find that all that appealing with hair in his mouth and I know that Cherokee did not either! She was most disgusted to find herself slimed (Guinness our EM used to put her whole head in his mouth when they were puppies and she was most inimpressed with that too). It is not the act of having her head in Guinness’s mouth that bothered here for she likes to ‘clean teeth’ and is often seen with her face in some dogs mouth; it is being goobed on! LOL Jaxson has his own ‘flavour’ of drool that he has been sharing with Cherokee. It has been very interesting since the Bluez Boyz returned home(Congrats again to TAIN on his CFC CH. title!). Jaxson has been really good around Bronson, only trying for his ears here and there but it is Tain that Jaxson has gone from indifference to excitment mouthing/grabbing and playing rough/having a great time together to honestly, not liking the ‘mushmouse’. These are two boyz close in age(14 months and 10 months), Jaxson is now neutered, Tain is not and Jaxson has no issues with ANY other dog here. He just does not like the mushmouse who is very confused and his feelings are actually ‘hurt’ by it all. I have no issues with a dog not liking another dog as not all humans like all other humans yet the dynamics of the change in this relationship is very interesting to observe. This is the first dog that Jaxson has not liked in the time that we have had him and he used to really love Tain. At this time, things are very closely supervised for Jaxson will be completley fine and then, what I am thinking jealousy kicks in(Jaxson lost his twinkles when he was under for his amputation) and then he heads purposely for Tain and body bumps him and attempts to nip at him. We will not allow this to escalate and we intercede(yes, we do not believe that all dogs should be working things out amongst themselves and we do not wish to see an escalation situation and we like body parts as they are on our dogs AND I do not want any of the dogs to have bad experiences from other dogs). In monitoring the pattern, it seems to be when Jaxson is overstimulated and/or quite tired. We either just give Jaxson some time out in his crate, so that he can snore for about 15-20 minutes or Tain goes to the masterbedroom as he is wants to get away from Jaxson’s pushy behavour. Tain’s reaction back to Jaxson really only ‘encourages’ the bully inside of Jaxson and I could swear that he is grinning from ear to ear as he sees how Tain reacts. Tain is very sensitive and very submissive and Jaxson likes to take advantage of that. I think he honestly does not respect such a personality/behavour trait as that. Bronson is a bit stronger constitution that Tain and Jaxson just seems to like his ears..a lot yet has no issues with him being intact etc. Bronson is also quite a bit older(almost 2.5 years now). I am going to really focus on this in the coming weeks etc. to attempt to understand better and learn more about this. Jaxson’s best of buds is BHRR’s Dana hands down. They share a lot of the ‘mischief’ and ‘bully’ type behavours yet Jaxson is not as ‘hardcore’ as Alvin/Dana is! BUT he is stubborn and if he is focused on something, he does not ‘hear’ his name either…sigh…LOL. Some days, I think those two should be adopted together, they are so close and then ‘reality’ kicks in and neither one of them is for the faint of heart! IT would take a very experienced, structured and obedience, NILIF oriented home to make it work successfully. Otherwise, as I am want of saying; they will be sleeping in the bed and the owner(s) on the floor! We believe in full disclosure at BHRR and all of this is very important information to know before a person should submit an application to adopt BHRR’s Jaxson OR BHRR’s Dana for that matter. They are both amazing, incredible dogs yet they are not perfect, no dog is and they will continue to need ‘work’ after they leave our home. We adore them no less and in fact truly do appreciate them for the dogs they are as they are so ‘honest’ about their feelings! BHRR’s Jaxson also sometimes does not wish to relinquish a stick or toy that he has gotten a hold off, yet it is more often that pencil he took from the kids school bags that he does not wish to surrender and he will hold it hard and fast in his mouth. AND boy does he love his sticks and branches and logs when we go walk about! I cannot believe he can stay balanced at times!

BHRR’s Jaxson – October 19th, 2009 – 3 weeks after amputation and LOVING the sand!

BHRR’s Jaxson is now AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! By the time any application process had been completed, he will be more than ready for his own forever loving home! He shall only go to a home experienced with Large and/or Giant Breed Canines and one that will continue to work on his ‘excitement’ grab tendencies. As per our adoption contract, continued obedience is a requirement. WE are going to sorely miss this sweetheart! He is so much all wrapped up in one precious package! 🙂

I have been meaning to type for awhile now that Jaxson is fully housebroken(maybe I already did?) and that I have been working on the pancreatitis that we were told he had. I am very proud to say that Jaxson has been eating strictly home cooking for some time without any issues and he has been having a wide variety of treats too. I think a lot of what Jaxson has been going through before coming to BHRR was very much stress related and he has been doing great! I am going to transition him on to a kibble source soon(he came to us on Gastro) and see how that goes. As the bluez boyz have been gone to Windsor, N.S to show; I have been allowing Jaxson to sleep with me in the kingsize bed(he is earning his rewards beautifully) and he is one smart cookie! Stay on Sean’s side of the bed and you can stay on all night! 😛 He is so smart and we continue to work on his ‘excitement’ wanna grab at the other dogs moments and it is going to be a true test when the bluez boyz come home(I had hoped tonight….) to see how he is with the hormones(as it has been almost a month since he was neutered now) around the show boyz as he likes to try to push and boss them around AND they let him! He seems to really like their cropped ears too and wants to pull on them…sigh! YET, he does not even try to do that with Mazda as she just gives him a ‘look’ and that stops him in his tracks. I have to say that he is exceptionally gentle with the ‘Wee Bear Cub’ and now the ‘Lil Pillow’ that recently came into our home. Additionally, I managed to connect with Buddy’s owner Bonnie in CT, USA today and we talked for over 50 minutes! Buddy is a 10 year old ABD who was diagnosed with Osteosarc in his right front leg at the end of September and is currently scheduled for an amputation tomorrow. I shared KB/JB’s battle with Osteo and talked about Jaxson(and gave Jaxson a huge hug from Bonnie to him) and had the pleasure of hearing Buddy ‘sing’ in the background. They are in a most unenviable position and I could only discuss what my professional/personal views were and my past experiences with amputations and/or dealing with Osteosarc plus offer up my support with whatever decision they make, be it to go ahead with the amputation or not. I am sending all of them my strength plus hugs as they go through their own journey. It truly is amazing just how far Jaxson’s Journey Story has reached plus inspired in others and I hope that people will continue to support him as he continues to travel down his path to a most wonderful future! There is a PAWMATES Calendar Contest coming up on Sunday November 15th hosted by Global Foods – Kanata with Sue Bird as the photograper and it is free for all dog breeds to participate and all funds of the ensuing Calendar($15.00 each) will come back to BHRR to continue to allow us to assist animals like Jaxson that are in need of our programs. There will be a donation Jar for BHRR for those that wish to donate that day to assist us with our efforts too. Spaces are filling up, so book early!!!! BHRR’s Lil Linus will be the front cover on this 2010 Calendar and it is just a perfect fit with all that he went through before coming to BHRR(4 homes and the abuse) at just 14 weeks of age and being a SN’s(which is what BHRR specializes in) and being 100% rehabbed and now going to his forever loving adoptive home(SUCCESS!).  🙂 I am also bringing in BHRR’s Jaxson’s to enter into the contest for what another fantastic dog currently in our program and he represents everything that we believe in at BHRR in helping SN’s like him and also BHRR’s Potter; our “Honourary” Great Dane who is another fantastic SN’s boy. Though, they are not Great Danes and other than Jaxson, technically not even a Giant Breed; these dogs demonstrate what reputable/quality Rescue should be about AND no one who meets them would ever say that they are less deserving of an incredibly wonderful future than any other dog out there and that is what BHRR is passionate about.

With the way that Jaxson is healing plus rehabbing(he only has one small spot that still is a bit separated since the staples came out); I am thinking that within the next three weeks or so, he can be made available for adoption. I will see how this Sunday’s GD Hike/Walk goes for him as well before making anything more final on his status. Today, BHRR’s Dana decided that Jaxsons E-collar needed to come off and so she helped him. 🙄 We went through so many collars with Dana’s toe amputation and yet, Jaxson still was wearing his original e-collar as of today…sigh…MONKEY Girl! With the 2 bluez boyz now headed to N.S. for shows; I am ok with the collar coming off for when Jaxson gets excited, he likes to run at ‘grab’ at them and the extra length of the E-Collar gave them some protection from his rough mouthing of them. I have noticed the same thing when Jaxson is playing with the other dogs; he has very limited control over himself once his excitement level reaches a certain point and he just wants to run and grab at the dogs in his excitement and when you go to take his collar; he likes to drop right on his side and ‘play’ dead weight on you. He does not like the word ‘no’ during this moments of heightened excitement and in turn, he gets some quiet time in his crate to re-collect himself and calm down and be able to focus again. This is where he will then fall asleep and snore and be refreshed shortly after! Crates are not a ‘punishment’, it is a great training tool plus a ‘safe’ spot for many dogs. Being a puppy, sometimes as the adult, we need to step in and give them a break for they do not know enough to take a break themselves. They just keeping ‘feeding’ off whatever is happening and this is when something can go wrong, if someone is not careful. Distraction and focus training are our next steps with Jaxson for he needs to learn to be gentle with his playing and his adoptive home needs to know when/how to step in when needed to ‘break’ his level of ‘head in the clouds’. That is one strong mouth and we want him to learn how to play properly. It is very clear that he lacks some doggie communication skills but he is learning fast and no dog like Dana to help teach him things. She has a zero tolerance for total brainless gooberness. He is quite respectful of the girls and just tends to play more rough with the boyz. However; he has been really quite gentle with the ‘wee bear cub’ for the most part. Mr. Parker Paws is also still learning to play gentle, especially with those clubs of his. This boy possesses TONS of potential and I would love to see him as a Therapy Dog one day. I am hoping that with the strong foundations he is obtaining here that his new adoptive home will continue along this path for this boy is awesome. The other thing that I want to share about Jaxson is that I received a message from a woman in CT, USA about him and how inspiring Jaxson’s story is and how they also have a ABD(about 90 pounds) who has Osteosarcoma. She wanted to connect with us to discuss more about Jaxson and his amputation etc. and I have left a message back and hope that our paths connect soon. Jaxson has reached people all across the world with his ‘Jaxson’s Journey’ Cause and we continue to thank everyone that is supporting plus rooting for him as he continues along his healing journey. BHRR will continue to take in ‘honourary’ Great Danes as we can for if we have a spot and there is an animal in need; especially the SN’s that are often passed over by others; than BHRR will step up to assist them. Jaxson has given to us tenfold more than we feel that we have given to him since he came to BHRR and he continues to ‘take everyone to heaven’ that he meets!

I brought Jaxson to see the Vet that amputated his leg/shoulder blade on Wednesday for a recheck. A+ given on the healing plus his temperament! The rest of his sutures plus staples came out and what a fantastic dog Jaxson continue to prove himself to be. He weighed 33.4 KGs(73.48 pounds) and all of us thought he had lost weight due to the surgery and then not being active(so losing some of his already limited muscle tone) BUT he has put on a wee bit. YAY! I talked to the Vet about doing Physio and/or HydroTherapy and he said that he honestly did not think that Jaxson would need any due to all the activity he gets at our home etc. We do a lot of rehab in our program and live on a hill and have lots of trails and I know that he will build up the muscle tone etc. and I think that was so wonderful to hear! I trust this Vet 100% and I do feel that a session or two or more could really assist Jaxson with his balance and co-ordination(BUT you should see this boy corner! WOW) and building up his muscle tone some more. So, I think I might still put Jaxson in a session or two of hydrotherapy, just in addition to what I am already doing at home for him. As of last Thursday, Jaxson has been walking about 1.5 kms with me to get the kids of the bus and as of yesterday, he was up to almost 2 kms plus we began to do some ‘hill’ work. I used to teach Fitness and Water Speciality classes including Water/Sports Therapy for 16 years and all that experience plus knowledge is being put to good use with Jaxson’s rehab. I am going to add three new slides to his show #9 -11 and I am going to add two below as they SHOW how amazing he is doing after only 2 weeks from his amputation. It is not going to be long before Jaxson leaves me eating his ‘dust! LOL Today, though; Jaxson was not up to snuff to go for a very long walk/hike and we only went about 1 km. I have organized at GD event next Sunday and was thinking of bringing Jaxson with me yet we shall see how this week holds for him first. I do not need him to feel overwhelmed by all of these others dogs racing and running about and him overdoing things. From his recheck appointment last Wednesday, I took Jaxson to work with me and then from there he came with me to do a hv for potential new BHRR Volunteers and he had the chance to do a little play with their GD Puppy. We have had Jaxson very closely supervised and on very limited interaction with the other dogs to avoid any zoomies or over exertion and he really enjoyed his little romps with their GD Puppy. Over the last few days, he has been allowed to do limited play moments with some of the dogs here and seems to pace himself well yet in only being a puppy still himself(not quite 10 months as of yet); we intercede and give him some quiet crate time to rest and regroup. You can then most often hear him snoring away! He has also begun demonstrate the ‘bully’ breed side of him as he is healing and the honeymoon period is ending! LOL AND he really likes to eat horse poop…UGH! He has had some ‘bossy’ pushing of my two bluez boyz as even though Jaxson is now neutered, it will take some time for his own hormones to settle down. He has also some some grumpiness in having his collar taken and moved off what he considers prime real estate bedding(where he was x-penned) and slept with Sean for two weeks post amputation. All just testing moments yet things that NILIF and Gwennie’s Boot Camp is nipping in the bud. While he has had some basic obedience exposure before he came to us, he is stubborn and his very much his own individual with a mind of his own and we want to continue to shape plus mold his personality in the right way. He is doing really well!!! AND for those that continue to inquire as to *if* we shall be placing Jaxson up for adoption at some point, I continue to see no reason why he would not be made available for adoption when the time is right for him. However, he shall only be placed up for adoption when he is ready and we are on Jaxson’s timeline as to when that shall be. We do not rush things here and this could be in two weeks or another month. We do not know the ‘when’ right now. It has only been 2 weeks since his amputation and he is doing great!

BHRR’s Jaxson ‘ZOOMING’ – October 11th, 2009 – Just 2 weeks after his leg/shoulder blade amputation

We wish to extend a very appreciative thanks to Mary for not only donating a new collar for BHRR’s Mr. Jaxson but in donating a Large Kuranda Bed. We are so deeply touched!

I wanted to post a couple of pictures of BHRR’s Jaxson from October 2nd, 2009. Just 8 days after his left front leg and should blade amputation. The next stage of Jaxson’s Journey shall be started shortly in October of 2009. He will begin Physio and Hydrotherapy to help with his balance and to build muscle tone and mass. His bills will most likely run into the thousands as he will require extensive rehab in this area. Having been lacking a lot of weight and muscle before coming to BHRR and then having to be kept ‘quiet’; Jaxson has many steps in front of him still. Please do consider becoming an Angel of Jaxson’s to continue to help him along his Journey to becoming 100% healthy plus happy!

BHRR’s Jaxson – October 2nd, 2009 – 7 days after amputation of leg plus shoulder blade

With Sean loving on BHRR’s Jaxson, I took out his drain last night. The drain ran the whole length of Jaxson’s shoulder right down to the end of his ribs. He made not one sound, layed there very calmly; soaking up the affection and did not even move one muscle. I cleaned up the whole area thoroughly with Betadine and Jaxson received lots of praise plus treats for his bravery! I am taking him in on Wednesday to remove the staples and any remaining sutures that will need to come out. We will be at 12 days after his amputation as of Wednesday. I also would like for the Vet to see how great he is doing! With the funds that we raised at our 2nd annual BHRR Boat Cruise/Dinner/Auction; we will be able to pay off the rest of Jaxson’s $1,007.36 Vet bill that is still owing + the cost of any recheck and we again THANK all of his incredible ‘angels’ for being there to support him. Jaxson will continue to have bills as we move to hydrotherapy and physio and we will keep Jaxson’s Journey Cause open to donations until such time as he is fully healthy. It is estimated that by the time Jaxson is healthy to adopt, his bills will run close to $4,000(if not more) and we only adopt the animals under our authority for several hundred. Reputable/quality Rescues DO NOT make money in Rescuing and as we take on many rehab animals that others cannot or will not plus focus on Giant Breeds AND those that are Special Needs; BHRR Bills are often quite high. However; to BHRR ‘success’ is truly measured in having these animals adopted into their forever loving homes or being part of our Perma-Foster Families or in our BHRR Haven Program. It is not Jaxson’s fault in having such terrible leg injuries that required an amputation or being left at a shelter to most likely end up being euthanized. We continue to say ‘who’ says that his life is any less worthy than another animal who has 4 working legs etc. BHRR believes that these animals are truly special WITH how they are so incredible and the life lessons that they can teach us humans are very valuable plus important ones. 🙂 Jaxson teaches me much about what it means to have ‘real’ courage and that life truly has no limitations if you believe in yourself. We never want to see anyone ever take that comfortable feeling Jaxson has in being who he is and that he is second to no other dog; away from him. He oozes a quiet, calm, confidence that is not arrogant; just ‘comfortable’. Jaxson lives under a ‘no pressure’ philosophy and success to Jaxson is not in just the big things, but the pleasure of all the little things! Jaxson lives in the thrill of a day of just ‘being’. He has the ability to ‘settle’ dogs down. A great Therapy Dog, Jaxson has the potential in making. He has so many amazing qualities this one. I keep saying, ‘he just steals you right to heaven’!

Jax had a bit of a setback on Tuesday night yet is better now. I suspected when I came home Tuesday night that his Duragesic patch was beginning to wear off (Day 4) and he was uncomfortable. I talked to the Vet on Wednesday who did the Surgery and we agreed to try and up his other pain meds to see if that would make a difference yet he was still quite uncomfortable with pale gums. He looked so sad and his ears plus eyes were not ‘Jaxson’. Temperature was within normal and nothing else to indicate that it was anything other than ‘pain’ control being the culprit. So, today, I went in and picked up a new Fentanyl 75 pain patch and Sean helped me to take off his old one and I put on his new one. When it kicks in, it is going to make him feel a lot better. He is draining a lot, so I am keeping the drain in for another day or so. Nice edema tinged with bright red blood. His incision looks fantabulous and I shall remove the sutures and staples next Wednesday or Friday, depending how everything looks then. The only thing that still sort of concerns me is his cold despite switching to Clavamox, he still has his bad cold. I cannot wait to see him get more weight plus muscle on him. He ate his supper really great tonight too so YAY! One week tomorrow since Jaxson’s amputation and he has been such a trooper!!!!! Only $1,007.36 left to pay off on Jaxson’s almost $2,500 Vet bill to date and we cannot say THANK YOU enough…from our hearts and on behalf of Jaxson; we just remain incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and continue to beg and plead to his ‘fans’ to consider donating to his Jaxson’s Journey Cause to enable us to get him 100% healthy and on his way to being available to be adopted to that ‘right’ matched home!!! We will be doing hydrotherapy once his incision is healed enough and he is strong enough and any funds would be so apppreciated. On another note, his neuter incision looks fantastic!