My name is Jaxs!

11-02-05 Updated by Johanna. Thanks Johanna!

To an outside viewer, Jaxs is quite the lucky dog. Nearly 5 years young, he was at the vet when Mary, a wonderful volunteer, saved him from being put to death January 2005. After all, that would be a start to a good New Year! Jaxs is 15 lbs., (a good size to love), stands 15" tall at the shoulder and is just an all around handsome fella. We are guessing his breed to be a spaniel mix, and that comes directly from the vet! You can come to your own conclusion.

Marketable? He is. You see he comes complete to you crate trained, H/W negative, neutered, vaccinated including rabies, and he was microchipped on June 17, 2005.

Even though he gets along with the resident cat, he likes to chase him, so therefore we do request a home without felines. And, he will probably need a refresher course on housetraining. Secure fencing is also a must since he is a bundle of energy.

Handsome and charming? You bet. Jaxs is always showing off, dancing on his hind legs, twirling in circles, doing flips, anything to find that forever home.
Sadly, he's still looking.

For many people, Jaxs would appear to be living the cushy life. He is safely in our rescue, fed, bathed and even gets trips to the local Cole Camp Pharmacy where Mike and his staff are pet friendly and Trina's Obedience Class in Stover Park, which by the way, he's instructed to have more social time with new dogs and needs additional exercise (don't we all!). In class he is highly food motivated, quick to learn and easy to train.

But when you think about it, Jaxs is living nothing more than a life at a hotel where nothing is "his". Just like us, he needs a real family, someone who he can snuggle up with at night after an evening stroll, one where he can look forward to turkey in the oven at Thanksgiving, maybe a wrapped doggie toy this holiday season just with his name on it. All animals deserve nothing less.

Yet, he is here waiting, where he spends a good portion of his day with Longview in a large fenced play area.

Please look into the eyes of Jaxs and see if you can't find a place in your heart and a spot in your home for this very deserving dog.
Jaxs and I thank you for your consideration.

Update 11-09-05 Jaxs is now taking his turn staying with our young volunteers, Elijah (4 yrs. old) and Forrest (6 yrs. old). He loves to chase a ball or a stick, yet hasn't quite learned to bring it back.
The boys helped their mother, Priscilla, bathe him. Jerry takes him for runs on the leash.
He will be having a sleepover with the boys.
Priscilla has already called to advise us that Jaxs is doing very well in the house. He is not the hyper acting dog she was expecting. He lies beside Jerry's feet, is calm about the house, acts as if he used to live in the house. They do watch him closely and thus far, no accidents in the house. He did start to "squirt" yet stopped when his named was called.
Priscilla will update us tomorrow.
We are extremely grateful for this family's help. They have kept Tippy for a few days, now are keeping Jaxs a few days, then want to keep the smaller dogs. It helps to have little people spend time with the dogs.

Update 11-12-05 from Priscilla -
Dear Judy,
Jaxs is a great family dog. He has such a personality and is a definite cuddler.
I expected a crazy hyper dog and we were apprehensive about having him in the house all day. He surprised us. He is great in the house and appears to be housebroken. He had his "squirting" incident when he first got here but since we caught him and told him no, he has had no other and goes to the door when he needs to go "potty". He has had no accidents in the house but we have kept him in a crate at night just in case.
Make sure you do have a secure trashcan. Jaxs knocked ours over, took off the lid, and dragged trash through the kitchen. Oh well, he is a dog.
He is an early riser and wants to go outside then play immediately. He plays really well with Forrest. 6, but Elijah, 4, is a little scared since Jaxs likes to play tug of war with a slipper...too rough for Elijah. When he is done playing, Jaxs thinks he is a lap dog and will try to sit on my lap and be cuddled and kissed all you want. He loves it!
We plan to see much more of Jaxs...we think he is great!
Priscilla

11-26-05 Note - Jaxs is spending most of his time with Priscilla, Jerry and the boys. We visited them today and Jaxs is absolutely wonderful with small children that are used to having dogs about. They pick him up, carry him, he is housebroken, he thinks he is a lap dog, he greets everyone that enters. Extremely friendly and we are grateful that this family will help evaluate and socialize Jaxs.
Jaxs is not perfect. He will chew on houseshoes if left on the floor. He will get in the trash if it is left down low. Yet, they are having a wonderful time and he has made such progress with them.
He has only had the squirting incident the first day. Priscilla takes him out first thing every morning, he goes to the door during the day if he needs out.
They agree he needs secure fencing. He loves to run. They will be bringing him back frequently to the sanctuary to the secure play area to exercise him. He loves to chase sticks and balls. He runs with Jerry on a leash, yet he needs off leash running in a secure play area. While he is running, the boys will take turns socializing the other small dogs. All of these dogs could benefit from the children's playtime with them.
Jaxs now is ready to be a housepet for a family with children.

Note 11-26-05 from Priscilla-
I want to thank you so much for the time we have gotten to spend with the furry friends. We all enjoy them and I think it is a great experience for the kids. It teaches them that service to others an be fun...and doesn't always involve humans!
Jaxs had two Thanksgiving dinners with us. He loved the scraps that somehow got mixed with his food. He absolutely loves the boys. He seems partial to my 4 yr old. Even sleeps in bed with him at night. He is very tolerant and will even let the boys pick him up...or at least try...without a complaint. We have had several guests to our house this holiday week. Jaxs will bark when they first come, but will be cuddling up beside them on the couch after we greet them.
Priscilla

Update 12-02-05 from Priscilla
Dear Judy,
Just thought I would let you know how Jaxs and Tippy did as a pair this week.. I think they both did very well. Jaxs makes Tippy play with him and I think it is good for her. It took almost the whole week but they are content to let the other one get the attention once in a while. They would both do well with another animal in the family, but I think especially Tippy would prefer to be an "only child".

Jaxs is doing well meeting other dogs. When we have been on our walks through town, he comes upon another dog and would like to play with them. Even if they run up to him barking or growling, he wants to go meet them and is not aggressive toward them at all. He just looks at them and seems to wonder what all the fuss is about! He also loves for people to stop and pay attention to him.

The two of them are laying on the couch side by side under a blanket right now. What a pair!!

Update 12-03-05 from Priscilla
Dear Judy,
HOORAY!! Jaxs first time alone in the house out of his cage and no boo-boos to be seen. He was shut in the bedroom/bathroom to limit the potential problems, but he did great.

Update 12-06-05 from Priscilla--
I don't have much to update on Jaxs except that he is a good little companion. He wants to be by my side all the time. He also will definitely need his own stuffed animal for Christmas. He keeps stealing the boys' animals.

Update 12-09-05 from Priscilla-
Jaxs is happy in his nice, warm, cozy house. He is not pleased if he has to spend too much time with his now tender tootsies in the snow!! I decided to try and take him for a longer walk since he had been cooped up from the snow. He would try to hold up one leg at a time and walk on three...alternating which foot was spared the cold ground. I think he is getting a little spoiled!

Update 12-10-05 from Priscilla -
Dear Judy,
Got home in time to fix pizza, put the tree in the stand and get Jerry off to work. Got the tree up this evening. It is quite a bit bigger than I thought. It is definitely a significant part of the living room. Jaxs does not really seem to care much about it. Just continuing on his experience as a lap dog. He tries to lay on my lap while I am on the computer. I have a good size lap, but that is still a challenge.

Update 12-12-05 from Priscilla-
Jaxs seems a little disgruntled when we have another dog here, but I think he likes it partly. He always tries to play with the other dog. I have to watch him with Peaches though. I brought her in last night and Jaxs got all excited and tried to play with her. He just doesn't realize he is...oh...about three times larger than her. He nudged her with his nose and completely rolled her over. I do not think she was pleased. Oh well...a good experience for everyone. He does not try to hurt her though...he is friendly.

Jaxs has now made two trips to the Good Samaritan Care Center with Jerry. He did not know how to walk on the floor the first time though. His feet kept slipping out from under him. Everyone there thinks he is a different breed. He is true heinz 57....and couldn't be more handsome.

Jaxs is also a musical dog. Jerry plays guitar and leaves it on a guitar stand in the house. Jaxs will seek it out and make sure his long tail hits the strings just right to make music. He is a character. We still have had no peeing on the christmas tree...he doesn't even seem to have much interest in it.

Update 12-13-05 Jaxs is back at the sanctuary. Priscilla and the family will take a few days off from dog visitors. The dogs have certainly been blessed from having visits with the family. Peaches, Tippy, Charo & Jaxs all took turns staying with this family. We are so grateful for the time with the children.
Jaxs has found life with the pack different than the past few days as an only fur-child.
His greatest challenge is the resident cat, T.C. We are closely supervising him as he must learn to co-exist with felines here.

Update 12-14-05 Jaxs weighs 21.9 lbs. He was given a 3 yr. Rabies vaccination by Warsaw Vet Clinic. A fresh dental is not needed at this time.

Update 12-17-05 Jerry arrived to take Jaxs home, not just for a few days, for fur-ever!
A few days ago Mary, who initially saved Jaxs from death, called us. She had been reading the updates, felt Jaxs was in the perfect home.
A short time later, Priscilla came by and we shared Mary's comments with her. However, we wanted them to make this a family decision, spend some time thinking on it. They have been such a help with socializing so many of these dogs, yet they always seemed to take Jaxs more often than the others.

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Tonight Jerry arrived, informed us that yes, Jaxs had become a part of their family. We are soooo happy!

Mary should be arriving Dec. 19 to personally handle this adoption. She will meet the entire family, the family pic. will be taken and the profile updated at that time.

Note 12-19-05 from Priscilla
Dear Judy,
Good morning. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our visitor and Jaxs special friend...after all, she did save him from a not so happy ending!!
Let us know when she might be here if you know. Someone will be home all day.
I got Jaxs ordered some supplies and treat for Christmas. They should be here by Friday. Even got something for Forrest's hermit crabs.
Talk to you later.

Update 12-19-05 We had the honor and pleasure of being present as Mary met Priscilla, Jerry and Elijah this AM at the Maple St. Cafe & Bake Shop.
Forrest was in school and Jaxs was not, naturally, permitted to attend the breakfast meeting.
We were able to hear the family brag about Jaxs and how perfect he was for them.
We saw the joy on Mary's face as she heard about the little life she had saved, how much the family treasured him.
We will post the updated family pic. when received.

Update 12-19-05 from Jaxs himself (Several of our dogs have proven that they are highly intelligent by being able to e-mail updates to us - We LOVE the humor of families that adopt our dogs.) Now for the message from Jaxs--
Hey.....Aunt Judy...it's Jax....you know the black and white dog?
Well these people I have been taking care of, they have two other boys about my age...a little taller though.

Anyway, sometimes they have other dogs sleep over, and I think it is only fair that I can have sleep overs too. I want my pal Tippy to stay over for Christmas....they keep talking about this Santa guy that comes into houses in the middle of the night and he sounds pretty big and strong. I might need some help protecting my family, frankly it sounds kind of strange to me. But...well....you know those humans...kind of weird.

I mean, they have a tree in the middle of their house and they make me go outside to find one when the urge hits!!
Oh well, try to put in a good word for me to mom!!
Thanxs,
Jaxs.

Note 12-23-05 Wow, we finally were able to get a pic of Jaxs with his new family, Elijah, Priscilla, Jerry and Forrest, wearing his new pretty red harness. He has his own ID tag and everyone in town can watch Jaxs strut his stuff on daily walks with Jerry.
The guitar in the background is the one Jaxs tends to stand in front of to wag his tail and strum a few chords. Smart dog!!

Update 12-24-05 from Priscilla
Dear Judy,
Well, I witnessed a Christmas miracle. Jaxs has some rawhide chews over here and I did not bother to pick them up before Tippy came. Jaxs was chewing on one tonight then decided he was done and put it down without hiding it (which is unusual in itself). Not two minutes later...there is Tippy chewing on it right in front of him. He watched her awhile and then she took it in on the bed. He followed her, I was concerned so I followed too. He just looked at her and then walked away without getting upset. The true season of giving, huh? I praised him of course for sharing so well with his friend.

01-01-06 Note from Priscilla-
Dear Judy,
Words cannot express the joy and love that Jaxs (the mighty mutt) has added to our entire family. We were saddened terribly after losing Maggie (the scottish terrier) and well, when one door closes, another door opens.

Jaxs is handsome, friendly, and charming. We thank God for you, 7 Bells Sanctuary, and all you do for the animals and the entire Cole Camp community! May God bless you in 2006.
Priscilla, Jerry, Forrest, Elijah, and Jaxs

Note 01-11-06 from Priscilla -
Jaxs is a "spicy dog". Jerry gave him a tortilla chip with some jalapeno dip on it. Jaxs sucked it down without a problem and came back for more. Not even a drink of water. He is a character.

Note: 01-13-06 We were honored today when Jerry had an article published about Jaxs in our local weekly newspaper, Cole Camp Courier and also in the Lincoln New Era.

The article was written from Jaxs' perspective, telling about how he was found as a stray, taken to the vet's, due to be killed and he had done absolutely nothing wrong. His "humans" had been unable to keep him safe, identification on him, and unable to locate him. Had it not been for Mary, his life would have ended.