Paws to Update

Ball Play & Dearborn Mutt Strut

2010-05-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

April 1st Jaxson had surgery on his back right leg to remove a lump, so most of April was limited activity. Thankfully he is doing well now!

Jaxson playing with the ball in the backyard

May 15th at the Dearborn Mutt Strut

Nope, not Jaxson! Two other German Shepherds we met, both under 1 year old.

There's Jaxson!

Barcelona & Jaxson playing

After Mutt Strut at Panera Bread for Lunch. Jaxson is such a good boy laying down watching everyone go by.

February - March Photo Update

2010-05-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

WOW - It's been a while since I last filled your screen with great pictures of the most gorgeous pets the on earth. I mean, what I consider the most gorgeous pets on earth :)

Here are some pictures from the past few months to catch you up. Beward of cuteness overload :)

Jaxson playing in the snow, wanting to get the frisbee!

March 27th, Ann Arbor Picnic and Walk with Renee, Joshua, Blue and Rhea.

Thumper

2010-02-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Thumper

7/15/2001 - 2/8/2010

No words can express how Rick and I feel with the loss of Thumper.

Jaxson & Bantha - snow dogs

2010-01-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

Back in the last few days of December, we visited over at Sandi, Paul & Bantha's gorgeous house. The dogs had a great time playing in the snow, and a bit of rough-housing in the house as well. The past few times they have played together they seem to be going through a "I'm top dog!" power struggle, so it was nice to see them get along so well.

Look! They are stopping!

(that didnt last long...)

Tug'o'War Time!

Thanks guys for a fun snowy play date! Jaxson was puckered out for days!

Happy 2010! Belated Photos

2010-01-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since an update! I hope everyone had great holidays!

Here are some photos from the past few months that didnt make it in to any updates but are cute and I wanted to share:

Jaxson playing on the laptop (he takes after me, you know):

Jaxson playing with my birthday balloons in October:

Video of Jaxson playing with the balloons!

The cats having some fun on the needs-to-be-vacuumed-floor

Happy 2010 Everyone!

Here are some interesting Pet Articles I have come across recently:
| Winter Weather Paw Care | 8 Ways Your Dog Can Help You Quick Smoking | Important Pet Related Dates 2010 |

Happy Gotcha Day Jaxson!

2009-11-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

November 12th - Happy Gotcha Day Jaxson! Last year our house was just too quiet, so we went to fill our home with the sounds of a crazy puppy Jaxson. It has been a fun year with this little guy who is grown into our BIG guy.

To see photos of Jaxson from the last year, you can click HERE

We took some beautiful photos over the weekend at Robert Long Park in Commerce.
Beware! There are A LOT!

Thats all!

Baxter

2009-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

Today has been one year since Baxter left us and moved on to the Rainbow Bridge. I don't think a day goes by that Rick & I don't think about him, a week that goes by that we don't speak about him. We still love him dearly, and he will always he our first puppy. We toasted to him this weekend, and in his honor Rick will spend a special day with Jaxson today. Unfortunately I have work and school, so hopefully I will be able to get through this emotional day.

Just the other day a friend's father-in-law's dog passed away and she called to let me know. I have never met this dog, or her father-in-law, however the stories of Chester always were adorable, and I could tell he was such a part of the family. I had tears well up in my eyes at work, and my co-worker Stephanie thought I was crazy! She couldnt understand how I could feel so deeply for an animal, especially an animal I never even met. I remember our own loss so well, and I know how hard it is to go through so I just felt so badly for her and her family, as well as losing such a special dog (even if I had never met him).

Baxter was so sweet, he let us dress him up every year for Halloween, he would lay in bed all day with you, he always knew when you needed a friend, and he loved car rides. He was horrible left alone in the house, he never got alone great with the cats, and he had other flaws too I'm sure. However he was our first dog, our friend, and we miss him.

In honor of Baxter, everyone please spend extra time hugging and loving your pets today and this week!

November 1st, 2002 - November 10th, 2008

Came home April 8th, 2003

Sunny November Weekend!

2009-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a beautiful November weekend here in Michigan! I hope everyone has been outside enjoying it!

Yesterday we had a doggy filled day of fun at the dog park, Robert Long park, two pet stores, and Jaxson kept me company in the car while Rick ran in to run errands in a few other stores. Busy Busy!

Here are some pictures from the dog park, halloween and the kitties!
The pictures from Long park will come later!

Lyon Oaks Bark Park 11/7/09 (check out Oakland County's new fancy webpage!)

On our way out of the dog park we met the nicest Great Dane named Mistro! So adorable, playful, and nice! Mistro is about the same age as Jaxson, so they had a quick little play time!

I didn't get a lot of pictures on Halloween because someone (ah hem, EARL) decided to PEE on this box where we keep items away from Jaxson when we arent home, and the pee soaked in. Inside the box was my camera!!! We had the camera sit in rice for 24 hours so it could absorb the moisture and thankfully it works still! On Halloween it was still in the rice so we didnt get any pictures on my camera. I have a few from my cell phone and Rick's mom was nice enough to bring over her camera, however I havent gotten the pictures off of it yet.

Here is one adorable picture from my cell phone of Jaxson as our little hot dog!

Here are some recent kitty pictures - Davy has been a good boy thankfully! They always play so cute in the morning together but I never get any decent pictures of it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, October was a super busy month here for my birthday, a few weddings, and Halloween! However if you have been a fan on Facebook then you know that in this past month:

We had to put locks on the shoe cabinet, linen closet, outside of the bathroom, and use a shock zone to keep Jaxson away from the movie tower, but he's been a pretty good at home now that we are taking all that stuff away!
Jaxson has been so spoiled lately, getting scrambled eggs made for him (to try and make sure his weight stays up & consistent)
I've started to work on www.pawstoupdate.com! hurrah!
November 1 - 7 was National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week

Michigan Renaissance Festival

2009-10-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

On September 26th Jaxson got to venture with us to the Michigan Renaissance Festival up in Holly! I haven't been there since I was little little so it was a good time to check it out again. We went with Paul, Sandi & Bantha and had a nice Saturday looking in the shops, checking out the sites, sounds, and people watching.

The pups did good after their initial introduction on leash ("leash? what is this leash non-sense!") since they've always been able to play off leash when together.

Jaxson or Rick would probably work for ice cream, hahahha

They had puppy's pub stations set up every so often

However, Paul & Sandi being good dog parents and experienced Ren Fest go'ers, they also brought a small bowl for the dogs for the times we didnt see puppy pubs

Bantha found her own way to get water, by jumping in the fountain. Then of course Jaxson had to check out what she was checking out.

Pretty Puppy Poses

Wedding time! It made sense at the time that by Jaxson & Bantha being under the pretty pavillion together they would be married.

Jaxson meeting, greeting & kissing babies in strollers. Okay, just one baby.

Family photo time

*pssst! Jaxson's bandana says "Royal Hound"! So appropriate! Thanks Paul & Sandi!

Jaxson's Birthday Party

2009-10-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone who came to Jaxson's birthday party! I think it was a great success!

I made homemade dog treats for all the guest doggies to take home. I made Pumpkin & Peanut Butter cookies and Blueberry with Banana and Oats cookies. Thank you so much to www.dogtreatkitchen.com & Michelle for her wonderful website with extensive information, recipes, and her quick email responses.

I also baked a dog cake! A nice carrot applesauce oat cake with cream cheese frosting, again thank you to www.dogtreatkitchen.com for the recipe!

Rick also made some yummy wraps for people consumption, as well as spinach&artichoke dip which is not pictured

We had the party at Lyon Oaks Bark Park, which let us rent out one of the sides (since one is normally closed for grass growth). Thank you so much to Laurie with Oakland County Parks for helping me out throughout the process! I highly recommend having a party there, it was such a blast to have all that space to ourselves.

We decorated the pavillion with a happy birthday sign and laid out all the food on the picnic tables and prepared for a good time!

The pups enjoying all the room!

Besides renting us the space, Laurie & Oakland County Parks gave me doggy bags to give to all the guests! It included dog bones, pens, chip clips, flyers, information about the parks and I may even be missing a few things. They were great goody/doggy bags!

The dogs also made their point to be social with the people in the pavilion and take water breaks

All the dogs in their birthday hats. Most put up with it pretty well amazingly!
In order the dogs are Milo, Blue, Bantha, Rhea, Buddy, Jaxson & Spencer

Joshua tried to eat a wrap and was mugged by all the dogs!
All the dogs had to be called away one by one! It was quite amusing.

Outtakes of the Birthday hat pictures!!

Birthday Boy Jaxson

Everyone got Jaxson amazing gifts, even though I totally didn't mean for anyone to bring anything! We havent given him even 1/10th of his toys yet! Of the ones he has gotten so far some of his favorites are his antler from Paul & Sandi (& Bantha), his blue rope tug from Renee & Joshua (& Blue & Rhea), and his rawhide from Adrienne (& Buddy). Thanks EVERYONE who came! I hope everyone & everydoggy had a great day!

Bantha even signed her card! Thanks Bantha!

Contact Info

2009-09-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

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Pool time!

2009-09-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Rick, Jaxson & myself went over to Paul, Sandi & Bantha's lovely house a little while ago for a lovely day of BBQ & dog play. These two pups are just too adorable when they are together! Plus, Paul & Sandi are some all around good people, so a good time was had by all.

Somehow though I forgot my camera, so these pictures are all courtesy of Sandi (posted with permission). Thanks Sandi!

Runnnnnning!

Pool time! Jaxson had never really taken a liking to these pools before, so I was glad he did since the day we were over was H-O-T-T

Bantha loved the filled kong goodness!

Jaxson cant wait to see his doggy pals next week!

Extra! Extra!

2009-09-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Jaxson was mentioned on the front page of the Livonia Observer Sunday August 16th!
I scanned the article, however the scan didn't come out great.

http://www.box.net/shared/xl2fn1kqta

Livonia dog wins contest

Jaxson, an 11 month-old German shepherd from Livonia, has won a six-month supply of dog food for coming in second place in a Cutest Dog contest sponsored by Bil-Jac.
The winners were chosen by Bil-Jac fans through the dog food manufacturer's Facebook Fan Page.
Jaxson, owned by Tara and Rick Galda, received more than 12,000 votes.
First place went to a brown and white terrier named Buddy, who received 16,000 votes. There were 12 finalists.
Tara Galda said she entered Jaxson in the contest after searching Bil-Jac's website to check out its products. She said Jaxson loves Bil-Jac treats and she wanted to know more about its food.
"He'll do anything for their treats," she said.
Galda said she has to prepare Jaxson's food so it has a mashed potatoes consistency because he has an enlarged esophagus that prevents him from being able to eat dry food. He also needs to eat in a vertical position so he has a special feeding stand.
Tara said she encouraged all her family members and friends to vote for Jaxson. Fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite pooch as many times as they wished, with a limit of once per day. "He's the cutest puppy ever" she said.

It's been a busy summer here, I'm so sad to see it's over! We've enjoyed going to the dog park, lunch, ice cream, and walks with the dog. Now it's back to the grind with school and chilly days and I'm afraid we wont have as much time to do fun things with our puppy!

Here are some pictures from a while ago of my handsome man! I was trying to get good pictures of his fancy new collar (Again, from the nice people at Gozo Dog Collar) and in general think I got some nice looking pictures. Plus, I was very impressed with how well behaved he was to just sit or lay to take pictures, majority of the time I was not holding his leash, and he we would watch cars, kids on bikes, and the neighbor mow the lawn, never once trying to get up and run or leave.

2009-08-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Do not leave pets in hot cars!
100% of the dogs that died in hot cars could have been avoided!

Recent news stories:
http://bit.ly/3AY4Ke Chicago (while shopping!)
http://bit.ly/31xTw Denver (while auditioning for American Idol!)
http://bit.ly/iZlmW Detroit-area (2 dogs)
http://bit.ly/F8IOJ St Louis (7 dogs)

How can anyone leave their pet, their show dog, breeding dog, therapy dog, any kind of pet in the car with statistics like the following? Would they like to sit in the car with no air on?

Information:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7631
On 16 cloud-free days in Northern California, the team measured a car's inside temperature at 5 minute intervals for one hour post-parking. Ambient temperatures on the study days ranged from 22°C (71.6F) to 35°C (95F).

They found that, regardless of outside air temperature, the car heated up at a similar rate - gaining 80% of its final temperature within 30 minutes. Cars that started out comfortable 22°C (71.6F), for example, rocketed to over 47°C (116.6F) after 60 minutes in the sun. And keeping the windows open a crack hardly slowed the rise at all.

http://ggweather.com/heat/

Average elapsed time and temperature rise
* 10 minutes ~ 19 deg F* 20 minutes ~ 29 deg F
* 30 minutes ~ 34 deg F* 60 minutes ~ 43 deg F
* 1 to 2 hours ~ 45-50 deg F
“Cracking” the windows had little effect

http://bit.ly/1OblT2

"Even if it is a comfortable 60 degrees outside, a closed-car interior can reach 100 degrees on a sunny day."
Testing this out is not rocket science, in the video below we placed a thermometer inside a car and saw it spike to over 130; I have personally witnessed 155 degrees on a thermometer inside a car.

http://www.mydogiscool.com/

This is an overall good website with lots of information!

Make sure you know how to notice the signs of heatstroke, if you are overworking your dog outside, or see a dog in a car left alone

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/13/help-pets-keep-their-cool-and-avoid-heatstroke/life/

Signs of heatstroke
Rapid or excessive panting
Bright red or purple tongue
Red or pale gums
Glazed eyes or staring
Anxiousness or restlessness
Depression or weakness

Your dog would rather be left at home for a few hours than wind up with heatstroke or dead! Take your dog out for dog friendly activities, drop them off, then run your errands. It may be inconvenient, but its less heartbreaking in the end.

Summer Fun

2009-08-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone who voted for Jaxson! We got 2nd place! BilJac has a cute announcement on this page!

My boys, enjoying there kitty tree. I just love to stop and pet them when they are lying all comfortable there. I am sure they just love the intrusion, I mean attention.

Jaxson's first time at the drive-in movies was back at the end of June I think! I can't believe I havent posted these pictures! We saw Transformers & Star Trek - Jax loved the noises in Star Trek.

Our friends Keith and Brooke came as well, and Jaxson loves Keith

Jaxson did great meeting all the kids there, and even would just lay down and let kids come up to him, or would stay laying and watch kids run by.

We went to Fido Does Ferndale - not many pictures because my camera memory was full! First time I have ever let that happen to me, I had been horrible about downloading my pictures!

Checking out whats going on, getting Jaxson to calm down when we first arrive

Walking down the street

There were tons of awesome dogs there, vendors and people there. I just love going to these type of things to talk with these people.
We talked with Gozo Dog Collar people, who have just started up. They make the most adorable collars! We got the Impossible Opossum Lime Green one for Jaxson as it was just too adorable.

We also got Jaxson's softball bandana there, from Doggone Bandana! They were super nice people as well.

In these times you have to support local businesses! Non-pet related - the 3/50 Project!

My bench picture I have been wanting to get

Buffalo Wild Wings was nice to let dogs on their patio that day, and was very dog friendly. Here is another dog, Charlie, enjoying the attention from other diners

Jaxson and his water dish BWW gave him, filled with ice as well.
How did they know his favorite?

Back at home Jaxson is exhausted from all the fun!

Alright, enough pictures! Earl says get out of here!

Dog Gone Tired

2009-07-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Jaxson and his "dog uncle" (duncle?) Spencer enjoying a great day of playing a few weeks ago

The boys want to be included in everything

Soooo tired they can barely play, but dont want to stop!

Finally they take a break!

This is the last week of voting -
please don't forget to vote for Jaxson at:
http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/

Playing

2009-07-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Davy placed in a cute kitty contest a little while ago and we got some great goodies in the mail! Thank you so much Thoughts Fur Paws!

However, Early is always the outgoing one, so he is loving the toys more and we got some awesome pictures of jumping!

Jax has been trying to get along with the kitties - we have been working hard to tell him to give them kisses and be nice!

Jaxson's first car wash!
Video to come soon!

Dog park pictures from a few weeks ago, Jaxson just loves to claim the water bowl as his and it always makes the other people laugh. I think he does it since it's not elevated like at home (ideal for his megaesophagus), laying down makes it feel better than standing up.

Running and playing! Videos of this to come too!

Soooo sleepy after all that playing

Please remember to vote every 24hours in July for Jaxson!
http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/

Please Vote for #8 Jaxson

2009-07-14T04:07:00.000-07:00

Contest information:

Hello Everyone -

Click Here to VOTE!
http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/

Our 10 month old puppy Jaxson is trying to win a years worth of free food! Can you please take a second & vote for him at the above link? #8 Jaxson

He has megaesophagus, which is pretty rare, however we have been able to manage it with hard work and love. A years worth of food would really help our costs.

You can vote daily in July, and Jaxson would really appreciate it.

http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/

Thanks!
Tara, Rick & Jaxson

Additional Information about Jaxson:

Jaxson was diagnosed with megaesophagus as a 2 month old puppy in December 2008.
He had pneumonia once in April 2009 when he was 7 months old and spent a night in the vet ER.
Unrelated, Jaxson also has Panosteitis "growing pains" diagnosed in May 2009.

Since Jaxson has megaesophagus, he has to be fed a special way, with his food blended with water. He needs to eat multiple meals throughout the day instead of one or two big ones, he gets a pepcid pill in the evening to help with his regurgitation, and if we get off schedule with his meals it upsets his stomach.

Thankfully, we have been able to go our own way about elevating him, and havent had to go to the "traditional megaesophagus" way of a bailey chair. This allows him to hop up and eat when he is hungry, and not be strapped in and let out. However, most dogs with megaesophagus do have to be fed in a bailey chair.

This is how Jaxson eats:

However, Jaxson is a happy guy! He loves to go places, meet people and dogs. We take him out with us whenever we can. He comes with us to eat at Panera Bread and Jimmy Johns, and to go get ice cream at Ritters. We go to the dog park and he loves to play! We went to Dog Bowl '09 in Frankenmuth and Fido does Ferndale and had a great time!

Here are some pictures from Jaxson out, about and with his friends!

So please don't forget - Vote #8 Jaxson once a day in July!
http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/

Update - Vote for Jaxson!

2009-07-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the recent lack of updates here!

To make up for it, here is a burst of information for you, about a bunch of random things!

You would know all of this already, if you followed me on twitter @pawstoupdate :)

Please vote for Jaxson (#8) daily in the Bil Jac photo contest! We could win dog food for a year! http://www.opinionscout.net/BilJac/
Top 10 Outdoor Activities w/your Pet! http://bit.ly/2I3v6D
#8 Dine Out has been a favorite of ours lately - Jaxson has been to eat at Panera Bread and Jimmy Johns recently

Cute news story - Tigers say ‘Bye, mom’ to dog that raised them http://tr.im/pKuF
Make Homemade Pumpkin Dog Treats w/ PB - I made these & Jax looooves them! http://tr.im/pD8W
I started a calendar that lists pet events - I'm trying to find any decent sized ones in Michigan & the surrounding areas http://tinyurl.com/PetCal
Sad news article - http://bit.ly/3gCtUq - Jaxson has megaesophagus aka "enlarged esophagus" and there is no known surgery
CANIDAE Helps Freekibble.com Feed Shelter Dogs and Cats http://tr.im/nxl5 CANIDAE has been making donations to freekibble.com
Very important now that it is warm out - Get the word out about dogs in hot cars http://www.mydogiscool.com
Pet Care Costs: How much is that doggie in the window, really? http://bit.ly/wnAk0

Check out http://twitpic.com/photos/pawstoupdate for the up to the minute photos of the pets directly from my phone.

5/23 - Frankenmuth Dog Bowl 09

2009-06-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

June has been a busy month for us here! Sorry for the delay but finally here are the pictures from Frankenmuth's Dog Bowl 09!

Jaxson getting comfy on my arm for the drive up to Frankenmuth

Checking out the different sites and sounds

Phew! That was tiring lets take a break and watch some doggies jump in the water!

Jax loved shopping in all the stores, he would take a lap around the store and then he was done and would walk out. The boys had to wait on me a few times to finish up my shopping :)

We were in the pet parade, following behind the fire truck with Sparky, and walking behind Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Jaxson kept wanting to walk on the sidewalk, not in the street, it was pretty cute!

Making friends...

Checking out other doggies

Random adorable pictures of Jaxie

When Jax approached this stuffed tiger, he backed up, fur stood up, and started barking! he was so startled and scared, it was adorable. So we made him pose for a picture, we are so mean :P

What's happening

2009-05-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well Jaxson has been officially diagnosed with pano now - aka "growing pains". Poor guy is limping horribly, doesn't want to walk on it, holds it up and hands it to you (like he's saying "fix it").

Info about pano:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1561&aid=466

All they can really do for him is give him some pain meds and wait it out. Some dogs it takes weeks, some up to 2 years old!! Let's hope for a few weeks, as he also has to rest and that just isn't any fun for a puppy.

In other news the TV show Earl was named after ("My Name is Earl") is being canceled! Oh no! We keep calling Earl "Halpert" now as in Jim Halpert from "The Office", joking that his name has to change to a recent tv show.

This blog entry has been brought to you by my blackberry curve :)
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Dogs at Play

2009-05-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to Frankenmuth's Dog Bowl 09 - Dock Dogs, Disc Dogs, Vendors & more! Pictures to come soon!

Jaxson celebrated his first Cinco De Mayo this year so we let him have a taco.

We bought a "serious squid" from PetSmart and within one hour, Jaxson had it majorly destroyed...

Jaxson and his new friend Panzer at the dog park on May 10th:

Later on that day Jax made friends with Rocco, a cute shih tzu/beagle mix. Jaxson would chase him, then Rocco would bark at him and jump at him. It was rather humerous.

A few days later, Rick had his mom go up to the park with him and her dog Spencer and Jax played:

Doggy Play Date

2009-05-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jaxson got to have an awesome doggy play date with Blue (my cousin Renee's dog), Raya (her boyfriend Josh's dog), and Buddy (Jay & Adrienne's dog that was staying with Renee while they were out of town). The four of them had an awesome Sunday a few weeks ago, enjoying good weather and doggy fun.

Blue

Buddy

Raya

Buddy loves chasing the ball, Raya is pretty good at chasing the ball but would get self conscious if other dogs were near her, and Jaxson just likes to chase the dogs and doesnt understand why the stop to pick something up. Blue likes to hang out near Renee and watch the dogs. There also was some doggy rough-housing

Gorgeous Blue

Tired doggies

Jax was obsesed with poor Raya. He just couldnt keep his eyes off of her, it was puppy love for sure.

Blue had to have surgery this past Thursday 5/13 due to a dislocated hip. She had FHO (femoral head ostectomy), and has a recovery road ahead of her. She is the sweetest little dog ever so please keep her in your good thoughts!

Live from Michigan it's Saturday Night

2009-05-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

One of the places we enjoy going with Jaxson is to Ritter's. Rick is a fanatic for ice cream (or frozen custard), it's another good place to socialize Jax, plus they sell a "doggie dish" of vanilla frozen custard.

Early looking for "ghosties" in the corner. That cat is so goofy sometimes....

We went to buy a bed for Jax at Petsmart that was a bit firmer than the poofy ones we have. We were looking at one that was $90 (on sale!), but decided it was too big for our small house, so we would get the one size down. We didnt see a price, but we just took it and went to check out. It ws $17!!! Major excitement! Here is Jaxson and his cheapo bed, and his "tuff" toy (it lasted maybe a day?)

Davy also thinks its a good place to lay...

Out and About with the Dog

2009-05-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is getting nicer, it's actually enjoyable to be going out and about with the pup. Some of our favorites are going to Ritter's Frozen Custard, Compuware Drive-In Movies (open next weekend!), and the Dog Park. We also try to take Jaxson up to the pet store weekly to practice training and be well socialized around people and dogs.

However, we are always looking for other fun things to do with Jax in tow, so what things do you guys do?

Happy May!

2009-05-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hopefully April Showers will slow up now and we can enjoy some nice May weather!

Jaxson is doing great - his pneumonia is all cleared up and his belly problems seem to have worked out. I think we are going to try and feed him canned pumpkin pretty frequently though just to make sure his bowels are moving well, since with his megaesophagus he could not be getting all his nutrients, plus pumpkin makes a great filler for kongs.

Jax weighed in at 68lbs about 2 weeks ago when we were at the pet store, he is growing so fast!

Jaxson being a good boy, laying at one of his favorite places (next to the couch), with his big bone

After registring Jax with AKC they gave us a coupon for dog.com we bought a few good staple toys to have on hand, and got a free AKC blanket.
p/s - Jax's official name is Jaxson Pollux J [our last name]

My Thumpy!!
Jumping around too much for me to always get him in the pic!

Snacking away

Jaxson on the mend, pet insurance to the rescue!

2009-04-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jaxson seems to be doing very well! Monday I stayed home with him because his belly was very upset and I didnt want to leave him home alone. However, his coughing, and being lethargic from the pneumonia has certainly cleared up now. We are just concentrating on the belly problems for the poor guy! I know its making him uncomfortable to go between the two extremes, so hopefully his belly will calm down soon and everything will be back to normal!

Our pet insurance yesterday finalized our claim for his big overnight stay, and thankfully everything worked out just the way they say it should! The pet insurance we have (Pet's Best) has a $100 deductible, and then after that pays 80% - so we are getting a HUGE HUGE chunk back of poor Jax's ER visit. Which, while we will always do what we have to for them, it is nice to be able to get something back!

If anyone decides to get pet insurance or is thinking about it, I compared a lot of different companies before purchasing, and wouldnt mind answering questions about why we went with who we did. I made a spreadsheet comparing a few companies & plans which is viewable here. The cost is based on a 10 week old German Shepherd puppy (Jaxson), however you can see we picked the middle of the road insurance.

If anyone decides to use Pet's Best (even if a different plan than what we chose - we went with Pets Best 100 + Wellness), please use this referral link so they know I sent you their way!

Anyways, enough with the yappity yap - on with the pictures!

Jaxson & Rick (and myself behind the camera) at Rotary Park in Livonia. We were working on some commands such as come, telling him to sit or down from a distance, and leave it.

Jaxson practicing "Leave It"

Jaxson playing his "touch" game

Jax in the backyard

My Davy boy giving me many different stare downs

Happy Saturday everyone!

Jaxson & Bantha

2009-04-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Jaxson is still a little under the weather a bit. Unfortunately he has had some belly problems since Friday so it's been a long couple days.

On to some fun pictures!

Jaxson went to the dog park, Lyon Oaks Bark Park, on March 21st for the first time, Here are the pictures from then:

At first he wanted to stay right by us and "checked in" with us A LOT

But then he started to at least approach some dogs, even though he wasn't really sure how to get in on all the playing and fun

But after about 2 hours of being there, Jaxson met Bantha and figured out how to play with groups of dogs
(Since Jax has played with Spencer, we know he knows how to play!)

Jax was then significantly tired AND dirty

We met up Saturday April 4th with Bantha's parents again, Sandi & Paul, so the two could play some more at the park and they had a great time again. Plus, Sandi & Paul are nice people, so it's a doubly good thing.

Jaxson has pneumonia

2009-04-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update -
Jaxson had to go to the vet on Monday because he has pneumonia. He stayed overnight at the ER vet Monday night to receive fluids, nebulizer, etc and Rick picked him up around 3:30pm Tuesday to come back home.

It seems like he is improving - he is eating more and has a bit more spunk, but is still very tired and coughing a lot. So we will continue to keep a close eye on him and hopefully soon he will be out of this mess!

Catch Up!

2009-04-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's the beginning of the month and I'm playing catch up with the photos! I dont know where the time goes - I manage to take the pictures, but finding the time to get them on the computer, then on photobucket, then on the blog is another story!

Anyways, here are some real cute ones (at least I think so!)

Early just loving the new sock monkey I put on the cat tree

Jaxson got neutered at the beginning of March and had to wear the embarrassing cone! We tried to make him feel better with a frosty paw treat

Even though Davy just celebrated his 7th birthday, he occasionally gets a bit rambunctious with Jax's toys

and my camera strap...

Jaxson is the biggest drama queen ever! We were on a walk in the neighborhood one day and Rick went to turnaround to look at something I pointed out, accidently stepped on Jax's toes, Jax FELL DOWN and started whimpering, and then would not get up. It was so bad that the woman of the house came to the front door to see what the commotion was about. (She probably thought we were hurting her dogs, or beating a small child...eek!)

You can see Rick starts to tug on the leash, and then eventually has to lure him up with a treat! What a baaaaabbbbyyy!

Doggy Daycare!

2009-04-04T08:42:00.001-07:00

Jaxson had his first day at Doggy Daycare yesterday! We decided to try out Canine College this time around, due to it's great location and use of webcams.

I stuck around and watched Jaxson do his "temperament testing", which was meeting one dog, then two dogs, then a few more dogs, then going off leash and meeting more dogs, then finally going in the main room and meeting everyone and exploring. He did great!

At the end of the day when I went to pick him up they gave him a cute little note to let me know how my student did on his first day of school! It said he played with Chui, a mix, and Abbey a black lab and that his favorite toy was the coaches. They also put "p/s bring Jaxson back, he had a great time!" His coach of the day was Paula, who has a GSD of her own, Thunder.

Jax even came home tired!

We have tried everything with this pup - 2+ hours at the dog park, Rick took him on a 4 mile walk, car rides, pet store, obeidence training in the park - nothing has worn this guy out until yesterday!

We will probably only do daycare as a sporatic occasional thing, however I certainly think its a great socializing and excerisicing tool!

2009-04-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Happy 7th Birthday Davy!

Camera Phone Pics

2009-03-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I've been stuck a few times without my camera and had to use the cell phone instead. Thankfully I've gotten a new phone so it does take a bit better pictures than my last phone. Here are a few of the recent phone pics:

Jax in the car

Jaxson at Ritters, a frozen custard stand we love. This was his first time there, and our first time of the season. We got him his own little bowl of plain frozen custard. He even ate really well off a spoon. Plus, we tested his "leave it" and he did great!

Pictures from today while being lazy in the bedroom. At first Jaxson was not quite getting the idea, however he eventually adjusted

This is the neighborhood outdoor cat, whom I have "named" Charlie. He is incredibly sweet and good natured, comes when you call him generally, and loves to be petted. He was quite dirty when I saw him this time, however normally he looks pretty good, and as you can tell he is well fed and pudgey. Obviously I wish he wasnt an outdoor cat and whomevers he was would take him inside so he doesnt get hurt one day on accident, but I enjoy his company when he does come around (and worry when I dont see him for a while).

Anyways, I spent about 10 mins with him one morning when I should have been on my way to work, but could only get one good picture of him since he moves around a lot!

Today was Jaxson's first day to the dog park, and it went GREAT! He was a bit confused at first it seemed, "checked in" with us often, and spent a lot of time sniffing around, however after a long time there he warmed up, found another shepard (a gorgeous girl!), and started having fun. We had a good time as well, and talked with some great people. I took some decent pictures there as well (gotta document the baby's first time at everything, duh!), so I will put those up soon.

Soooooo tired after the dog park

March Madness!

2009-03-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

I have been having trouble uploading my pictures to where I store them, so I have a lot of pictures to share with you now that I have them up! So here is the March Madness of photos :)

The many faces of Davy

The many faces of Earl

The Shepherd & The Hare

2009-02-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

Some well over due bunny pictures! Sorry for ignoring Thumper & Simba, I just so rarely take my camera upstairs when I visit with them.

Jaxson loves to visit the bunnies! He is still working on understanding he needs to be calm and lay down with them, however I think he will eventually get there. Thumper is of course my brave man who loves to see anyone.

A Fate Encounter

2009-02-18T04:15:00.000-08:00

Last night was the last puppy training class. We have been going to Michael Burkey's classes in Westland, as he was voted highly by click on detroit channel 4 viewers and I read tons of great reviews.

Anyways, Rick walked out of class before me to run across the parking lot to Pizza Hut to pick up our tasty dinner. As I was walking out of the vet office where the classes are held, this woman rolls down her window and says "Do you mind if I ask how old your shepherd is?". Of course, being as obsessed as I am with all my pets, I will gladly talk my head off. I tell her that Jaxson is basically 5 months old, and she says "So is she" and points to the passenger seat of her vehicle. Then we get into how much the both weigh, and it is in the same ballpark. I asked if I could see her shepherd, so she gets out and the two dogs go right for each other to play.

Her dog is gorgeous, just gorgeous! and our dogs are loving each other instantly. All the other dogs in class Jaxson has just really sniffed and not even attempted to play with. I mentioned how our dogs could be twins, and then think to ask when her dogs birthday is.

She says - September 20th.
I say....Wow, so is Jaxson. Where did you get her?
She says, Port Huron.
I say...Wow so did we.
My brain was working so hard I couldnt even think of the name, and I think I just started stuttering, so thankfully she eventually said "Weber Shepherds" and I said YES!

Jaxson met his sister Bailey last night! The one and only female from the litter.

Port Huron is NOT in our backyard either! It is about an hour and half drive each way. Then of all the dog classes to take, we just both happen to be at the same one. How amazing!

Anyways, her class was after ours, so I gave her our contact info and hopefully we will hear from Mary & Bailey. I think it would be amazing to have a doggy play date with the two of them, and get to talk with Mary & her husband and compare notes on how the two of them are doing.

Happy V-Day

2009-02-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

*Sorry it's a day late, we hope everyone's day was great!

Happy February

2009-02-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

Jaxson at his first day of basic manners training class on January 20th

Jax with his polar bear stuffie that he likes to swing, lay on and all around have fun with

Sandra & Stu came over on January 31st and brought over their gorgeous dogs Geddy & Sawyer and Jaxson got to have a great puppy playdate!

The video is of Jaxson chasing (and barking) Sawyer, with Geddy mostly standing by.
Careful, it makes you dizzy!

The next day our neighbor dog Paco was out so I wanted to get some good pictures of him and Jaxson. I love Paco, he is a sweetheart and great dog.

Jaxson was exhausted after two days of fun (after seeing Paco we went to the pet store and then my parents house), so while we watched the super bowl, he slept.

Kitty picture time!

I got them a cute little sock monkey at the store for their cat tree and they are loving it

Late January Update

2009-01-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

Davy is in love with the top perch of the kitty tower, so it was a change of pace when Rick caught him lying on top of the tunnel towards the bottom of the tower.

I just love when the cats lay on the top perch with their paws hanging off the front, so adorable!

Jaxson's first frosty paw (dog ice cream) on January 11th

Rick getting Jax & Earl to work on their hind legs for treats

and I think they are now plotting against him

Jaxson enjoying his Coolaro bed (and being adorable)

Every night we go upstairs to the bedroom and Jaxson has to take one of his gold pillows, bite it and show it who is "boss"

Jaxson is officially teething (and has now lost at least 3 teeth), so we try to help the little guy out with frozen fruit and a chilly bone

Rick multitasking, playing with Jaxson in the snow and taking pictures

Video of Rick & Jaxson playing outside

Random Cute Pictures

Jaxson had his last set of shots today, so he gets to take a minor break from the vet. His 6 month check up will bring his rabies shot, microchipping, and neutering, so he has all that to look forward to in about 2 months.

We took him to the pet store after the vet today as we needed some more training treats, and Jax did decent with trying to pay attention in the store (not great, but not horrible). We also bought a easy walk harness that our trainer suggested as this way we wont be tugging on his throat as when the leash is on his collar, and Jax was not a huge fan of the halti/gentle leader that Baxter previously had.

While at the pet store Jaxson could not stop getting compliments! Of course everyone goes ga-ga over a puppy, but we even had one man who stopped and identified right away that Jaxson was 4 months old, and then elaborated he used to have german shepherds and great danes, so he was quite familiar with the breeds and growing. Anyways, he went on to say Jax was one of the best looking GSD he had ever seen. Goodness! We think he's gorgeous, but all these people are going to give him a big head. Once we were in line we had three women checking out who started fawning over him, and that started to be too much for him and he started to get a little upset and shy. Besides a few instances like that, he has not been overly shy yet, so we are trying to keep him introduced to people and pets to make sure it doesnt get too bad. GSD are known to go through a shy period around 4-6 months.

Feeding Station, Pet Store Visit, Kitty Cat!

2009-01-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

Rick & Steve built Jaxson a feeding station to help with his megaesphagus, since gravity can help the food move down to his stomach. A lot of dog owners with dogs with this condition use a "Bailey chair", however I am trying to avoid that step if we can. Here is Jaxson using his feeding station.

Jax in the truck on the way to the petstore.

Jaxson's first time at the petstore on January 4th.

Rick & Jax make sure to look both ways before crossing the street

Showing Jax the birdies (he didnt show much interest back)

Jaxson making himself at home, laying down in the aisle

and making new friends

Jax's first trip went well! So did his truck ride back home

(we are not typically encouraging this behavior of distracting the driver!)

Kitty Cat Pictures!

My two gorgeous boys sharing the coveted perch

Trying to get some photos of Davy and he tries to hide from the paprizzi

Can you find the cat in the toy mess? Maybe this is why Jax thinks the cats are just another toy??

2009-01-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today was Jaxson's first visit to the pet store! He finally finished majority of his puppy shots (just has one more distemper left), so we thought it was time for him to experience it. He was very well behaved and loved it! I took some pictures which I will post shortly.

Right now I still have some December pictures to catch up on...

December 19th we had a huge snow storm and Jaxson LOVED it! he is a SNOW MONSTER!

The next day he enjoyed even MORE time in the snow.... Rick & I soon learned that if there is snow on the ground, Jax is pretty impossible to get to come inside

Jaxson's first Christmas gift from us, an alligator rattle. A video of hime opening it as well.

Rick and adorable Spencer (his parent's dog). Spencer just turned a year old

Jaxson opening the gift from Grandma Laurie and Grandpa Steve

(first video is short as he gets distracted by Earl)

We hope everyone had a great holiday season, and a great new year!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and welcome to Paws to Update. I love taking pictures of our pets and sharing them, so I am hoping this will be a good way to do both.

If you look on the right you can read a bit about all our pets, you can subscribe to get an email update everytime I post, or if you use a blog reader like Google you can add this to it.

Here are some pictures from December! All the pictures are "clickable" for the larger version.

Jaxson wearing one of Baxter's old bandanas

Jaxson is already starting to try and use his paws a lot to hold things

Davy relaxing to the max on the couch

We promise, we didnt buy the bowls to match the floor, but it kind of looks that way...

Playing with toys

We tried to have Jaxson use Baxter's old elevated feeder once he was tall enough, however the light bowls that came out easily along with easy to tip feeder did not go well...

The kitties enjoying their tree

Jaxson wants to enjoy the tree...

My boys

Sandra mailed Jaxson a dogzilla toy! Thanks Sandra!

Come back soon for more pictures!

Koa

2008-12-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

Koa was our third pet of the 2003 year (after Baxter & Angie), and came home on December 29th, 2003. We were told he was about 6 months old at the time, so his approximate birthday was July 2003. Being nocturnal he was a great guy to talk to in the early morning when Tara got off of midnight shifts or on weekends when staying up late, however he just always wanted to run in his wheel. Koa lived a very long lifespan for a hedgehog, and passed away at 5 years old on July 14th, 2008.

Baxter

2008-12-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

Baxter came home to live with us April 8th, 2003 in the middle of a snow storm. It was just a few months before our wedding and a very hectic time, however he was always willing to follow your routine, sleep in late and just be with us. His approximate birthday was November 1st, 2002, so he was only a couple months old at the time. He was plagued with food allergies for his whole life, however he was an extremely happy dog who loved all people and all animals.

Baxter passed away at 6 years old, just days after his birthday on 11/10/08. We still miss him daily, reminded of him because of the littlest things. He was our best friend, and the best dog one could hope for.

Baxter on Halloween: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004

Angie

2008-12-30T19:03:00.000-08:00

We got Angie very soon after getting back from our honeymoon as a friend for Thumper, on July 12, 2003. She was estimated to be 2-3 years old already at the time we got her. Her and Thumper hit it off right away, even though Angie never warmed up to us very much. Unfortunately Angie did not stay with us very long and she passed away on March 22nd, 2004. Thumper was very upset at her passing, and it was horrible to watch him go through such loss. Angie was a gorgeous girl, and she brought our Thumper great happiness.

Gone, but not forgotten

2008-12-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Please click on each pet to read their story...

rainbowbridge.com
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Davy

2008-12-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

Davy is the first pet we got after we became homeowners and "allowed" to get pets (stupid apartment rules!). Davy came home on July 14th, 2002 from the Michigan Humane Society, with his name that we kept and a very bad respiratory infection. After many days of fluids and care, he eventually got better and became a normal rambunctious kitty!

He has grown into our "fat cat", who is a little more aloof than Earl, but will come to you when he wants to cuddle, and does enjoy kisses, head scratches and belly rubs when he is on his kitty tree (that Rick & Steve built for the cats!). Along with Thumper, he has helped watch out family grow and has accepted most things reluctantly, but then opens up to them. He has been the best about accepting Jaxson so far!

Name: Davy
Birthday: Approx April 1, 2002
Breed: American Shorthair Cat
Age:

Earl

2008-12-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

Earl came about as a completely spontaneous decision one day. I always like to visit with the cats and dogs for adoption at the pet stores, with no real intentions. However for some reason on this one day Rick completely changed his stance of no more additional pets, and asked if I wanted another cat. I had been playing with these adorable kittens at the time and was so excited he said I could get one!

Well, Earl was not one of those kittens. That rescue turned us down unfortunately though to adopt, however once I was told yes to another cat, I was hooked. So we found a cat named Pumpkin to go visit who was being fostered for a rescue. She was gorgeous, but not overly friendly. However another cat there, Louie ended up being very friendly and THAT became Earl! He came home on August 16, 2007 and we considered him an "early" birthday present to me, and named him after one of my favorite shows "My Name is Earl".

Earl is a lover, that is for sure. He just wants to sit on your lap, and drool (he drools when happy). He gets along great with Davy (now that Davy has adjusted), likes to watch the bunnies, and loves to greet us at the door when we get home.

Name: Earl
Birthday: approx July 17, 2005
Breed: American Shorthair Cat
Age:

Jaxson

2008-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

Jaxson is currently the newest addition to our family. He joined us on November 12th, 2008 to help distract us and fill the quiet home that was left behind by Baxter.

As always, trying to name a pet can be difficult and we usually struggle pretty hard with it. We wanted a strong name for a strong breed, something with good nicknames, and somewhat of a tie to Baxter. Being a major election year, we considered a few president names, including Lincoln and Jackson, then changed the spelling to Jaxson, so at short he is Jax, just as he was Bax.

Jaxson enjoys playing with his kitty brothers, and has been pretty gentle with them. He loves going in nightly with me to see the bunnies, but is pretty hyper so he isnt quite to a stage of being able to really visit them yet. Jax has great fun with all of his toys, especially the ones that make goofy sounds at him.

Jaxson has MegaEsophagus, which means sometimes he regurgitates his food back up and his food has a hard time reaching his stomach. However we think he has a "mild" version of this as he doesn't seem as bad as dogs I read about online, and hardly regurgitates. We have been managing it well with a homemade elevated feeder. In May of 09 we started having to blend his food with water like most ME dogs need. The process is still pretty simplifieid with blended food, the elevated feeder, and we try to keep him on a schedule.

Name: Jaxson
Birthday: September 20, 2008
Breed: German Shepherd
Age:

Thumper

2008-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

Thumper is the first pet Rick & I got together, shortly after moving in together. Thumper moved in with us on September 3, 2001. He was a complete impulse buy one day, and he then was our "illegal bunny" since we were not supposed to have pets at the apartment for the next year. He was a complete joy to have run around the apartment, doing binkies, flopping by the doorwall, and making "friends" with stuffed animals.

He is our brave little man, he gets along with everyone in the house pretty much, is not afraid to stand up to the biggest dog (litterally, he will get on his hind legs and go nose to nose) and will chase the cats out of his room if he (or Simba) is in a mood.

Name: Thumper
Birthday: approx July 15th, 2001
Breed: Holland Lop Rabbit
Age:

Simba

2008-12-30T10:41:00.000-08:00

Simba joined our family on April 18th, 2004 after Thumper had many Bunny Dates in Ohio and chose her (she is very pretty after all!). We went to Sue & Keith's house, and they foster for Ohio's Buckeye House Rabbit Society. I had my eye on a gorgeous rex named Patty, however I could not sway Thumper's decision. We kept the name Sue & Keith gave her, as it was very appropiate with her long lionhead mane!

Simba is the princess of the household, being the only female pet, and I think she knows it! She instantly lets you know if she is upset, wants things her way, and likes her routine. She is one of the most difficult pets to get pictures of though because of this, and none of her pictures do her justice because she is much more gorgeous in person.

Name: Simba
Birthday: Approx 9/10/03
Breed: Lionhead Rabbit
Age: