Hi all,
Been a hectic couple of days & this is the first time we've had to post properly.
Firstly many thanks for all the kind words & support for Bax
Baxter was, in fact, the first SLR hound I ever heard of; Nikki & I went to the Harlow show in 2009 because of the Harlow Running Club stand (I'd recently joined). Nikki wandered to the SLR stand (neither of us had heard of SLR at the time) & spent the rest of the day cuddling various dogs for 50p a go but mainly Baxter, who she kept telling me about over the next few days & saying how lovely he was. That kindled our interest in getting involved with a rescue & the notion of fostering, & not too long afterwards we took in Alfie for a couple of months which was our first attempt at caring for a hound (btw we need some photos of little Alfie, he must be fully grown now).
We didn't have any direct (fostering) involvement with SLR for a little while then, but were always looking at the website & following the progress of various hounds (& puppies on cam!) + the odd visit to Jennys. (We did have the lovely Lewis for about 3 hours!)
Obviously we were aware that Bax was still with the Rescue, and we very concerned, like everyone else, when we saw that things weren't working out well with him & for a time things looked particularly bleak. As it happened, around that time Bax urgently needed some holiday cover & we were able to fill in which is how I came to meet Bax in the flesh for the first time, & he came to stay with us for a holiday...
To be honest, all of us got along pretty well right from the start
Bax has his manic streak for sure, but he's never seemed vicious or malicious, much more like exuberant, energetic, in your face & with a mind as sharp as a razor. All of which can mean he's a real handful at times! (and there have been a few of them!) But he clearly wants to learn (you can almost see the frustration in his face when he can't understand what you want from him) & is always eager to please. He adores playing football & that word is not taboo in our house unless you want to see him almost cry with excitement. In fact just the other day we realised we can't even say certain other words (for example, unbelievable) because he's bright enough to discern the last syllable & fixates on you with wild delight because he thinks he's about to be taken to play footy....
So anyway, when it came to the end of Bax's holiday it made sense for him to stay on with us. Over the next few weeks & months he continued to progress. He came off medication (no noticeble affect whatsoever) & his tests showed him to be back down to close to normal levels enzyme-wise etc. We also got to see Bax with other dogs; firstly the noble Sunny who spent a fortnight holidaying with Bax in Harlow-On-Sea.....and then latterly with Rory, who is still here in fact, and asleep in Nikki's chair right this second...
Having other dogs around allowed us to see different aspects of Bax's personality, all of which have been positive. Once introduced he's extremely respectful of other dogs, very happy to share his food, water, bed & toys. Too happy really, he's a bit of a wuss in that respect! He'll play with them if they'll agree to it, but all very nice. I am certain Bax would get along with any other dog (assuming that dog wanted to get along with him).
By this time it was possibly becoming SLR's worst-kept-secret that we would not want to part company with Bax & so fast-forward to yesterday when we've finally sorted out the formalities & moved from fosterers to adopters
All very exiting stuff, to be honest, & I swear he's been more relaxed than ever, since yesterday, almost as if he understands what you're telling him when you say he's part of the family now..
So: we're not under any illusions that all 3 of us (!) haven't got TONS to learn. Bax is still very much at the beginning of his learning & to be honest so are we. I'm certain we'll be calling on the SLR collective for help & advice many many times in future. But we can't think of a better dog than Bax to have the pleasure of, whilst we all learn together. Funny, quirky, clever, gorgeous little sod that he is.
This has been a fairly long post & not a photo in sight so well done to anyone who's read this far....
We want to wish a heartfelt thanks to the following, all of whom have played a key part in rescuing Bax from who knows what.
Tarkasmum for rescuing the lad in the first place. Tina & her boyfriend for fostering him intitially. Barney for taking him on after for so long. Keith for numerous ad-hoc stints of looking after Bax, both before & after he came to us. Jim Greenwood & Anil for all their help. Everyone at SLR for the unstinting support of Bax, not forgetting the committee for giving him every possible chance. And last but of course not least, Jenny for doing a million & one things to help out Bax & make it possible for him to come to us.
(I've probably forgotten or not been aware of other people's involvement in Bax, for which I apologise)
Love
Nikki & Ade
PS - am sure Nikki will be along with some photos or video soon, we have plenty!