Baxter is eleven years old now and it is difficult to tell for how
long he will remain with us, prolonged for a while hopefully with anti
inflammatory tablets and cortisone. His condition goes down every once in a
while but then he seems to bounce back and his sense of humour, tinged with
naughtiness, returns.
We acquired him as a pup, arriving when my daughter was staying with us. Two
weeks later two kittens were added to the household, and then the fun began. All
Baxter wished to do was play and socialize, but my wife and daughter were
concerned that bodily damage would be done to the kittens. Their reaction was
one of almost blind panic for he rest of the period that Jude and the kittens
were with us. Every time Bax showed interest in kitten fun the reaction from
wife and daughter was persistently loud and automatic, but blood was never
drawn. Ultimately he loved those kittens and to this day he is not inspired to
chase on a a cat sighting. Jude and her kittens moved out about two months
later. My wife, Jen, stayed.
Baxter has always been a bundle of intense energy and intelligence. Our
standing joke is that he suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and that he
should be on Ritalin. Of course we did not go so far as to medicate, allowing
him to simply be himself.
Himself could be quite a handful at times, highly reactive. Those reactions
were super fast, especially to the sense of impending danger, suddenly awakening
from deep sleep and being fully alert in a flash. Our Bax has never been slow,
not until the onset of old age at least.
As a young dog I took him to training and socialization classes from which
he benefitted to a limited degree. The classes for me were trying in that our
trainer kept changing, each with a slightly different perspective on how to do
things, somewhat confusing at times. The best advice came from the book, ‘Living
with an Alien’, by Pam Whyte. Her ideas are different and in some cases
difficult to implement. Of course there are bits that one may disagree with, but
basic common sense is there. A basic premise is that when a dog is being
disagreeable is to ignore the dog, turn your back. This is understood as lack of
encouragement by the dog and takes the wind out of his sails; as advised by Pam
Whyte. Believe me, this approach works.
Typical of Life with Baxter:
Baxter, out of the way, I am watching TV.
Baxter, put the cat down.
Baxter, stop biting my feet.
Get that f.....ing dog out of here.
Baxter, OUTSIDE! No stones allowed in the house.
Baxter, sit.
Baxter, get out of my sight.
F....off Baxter.
Nooooooooo! Baxter.
BAXTER, STOP SCRATCHING THE FLOOR.
Baxter, stop digging holes in the garden.
Oh God, my plants. BAXTERRRRRRR.
Get Baxter from under my feet. Baxter, off the couch.
Baxter, stay outside, you are wet.
Oh shit, Baxter is trailing mud into the house.
DAD, BAXTER IS BEING A BLOODY PAIN.
Dad, tell Baxter to stop biting Wayne's feet.
Baxter, put the bathmat down.
Baxter, leave.
Baxter has gone to sleep, thank goodness. Time for bed.
Baxter is a tease and always ready for a game, but like an
Alpha dog he has to win. Throw a ball and he will grab it, and woe betide you if
you want it back. It is his ball, not yours, and you had better know it. Be
patient and he may allow you to regain the ball when he is ready, not before.
Dressing in the morning you find a shoe missing; Baxter has it! It is his, not
yours. It has got to the stage where we leave a decoy shoe, then you can dress
without a flap.
There are seemingly gentle and loving moments. When bending down tying my
shoe-laces I would be given a good facial licking, the same when taking a bath.
Of course the licking would horrify my wife. No kiss after that!
Like all dogs Baxter looks forward to walks that we take in a nearby park. I
used to be the one who was taken for a walk. Bax would always be out front
dragging me along. It must have looked quite comical to other dog walkers and
passers by. I remember once being approached with malicious intent by three
dogs, including an Alsatian. The Alsatian launched himself at Baxter but the
aggressor found himself pinned to the ground in an instant. I have always
wondered why many walkers have avoided me. With age though Bax has become more
sedate. Other dogs have usually ben no problem. Just to be sure I always make
way when others approach, hanging onto the lead all the while. There have been
relatively few incidents while out walking.
At home he has always followed me like a shadow, from room to room. If I
shift from the lounge to settle in another room, Bax follows me. The minute we
prepare for bedtime, he follows. Occasionally while sitting in the lounge of an
evening he would look at us quizzically, move side to side wagging his head,
grunting the while, trying to tell us, come on, time for bed.
It is unavoidable that all good things come to an end. Baxter’s legs and hips
are starting to give. Now I know the hang-dog look. I have seen it. He sometimes
stumbles when walking and I take him out now only once or twice a week, at his
insistence of course. I allow him to dictate the direction and length of the
walks Thank goodness for the anti inflammatory and cortisone. These are only
given after much consideration as in the longer term the medication causes other
problems like kidney failure.
Would we welcome another Rotty to our household? Definitely, yes.
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