Baxter.
Less than 24 hours left to enter and/or vote for your favorite pups for the 2 Million Dogs’ Cancer Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down 2012 calendar contest . The contest ends tonight at 12 midnight Central time. Still a few hours to vote!
The story below is about Baxter. His mom and I have both tried to upload his photo but have had no success. So we’re publishing it to the blog. However, you can follow this link to vote for Baxter.
My Baby Boy, Baxter ‘s Story
(by Christine Morrison) I want to tell you about a wonderful little puppy who came into my life just after the new year began in 2006. He was a little black and white fluff ball and he was full of fun! We struggled and struggled with just the right name for this little guy because he had the most amazing personality…we finally settled on “Baxter”.
We adopted him from the shelter at 9 weeks… we spent every minute of every day molding him from an adorable little pup into a loving, friendly, obedient dog. He was smart as could be too! It was like he understood exactly what we were saying to him – particularly if we were telling him where to look for his ball! He lived for swimming and fetching his favorite soccer ball (black and white of course). He was my shadow and I told him every single day how much I loved that little man and thanked God for bringing us together.
We had a bad year in 2005 — we lost my 13 year old Yorkie on Valentine’s Day and my 7 year old tri-color border collie on Thanksgiving. Baxter was just the ray of sunshine we needed in our lives and he put spark back in each day for my 6 year old Golden Retriever who had suffered the loss of two siblings in nine months. Baxter continued to entertain and amaze us on a regular basis, never meeting a person or dog he didn’t like or want to play with. When we moved from Potsdam to Massachusetts he snuggled in for the long ride and made a smooth and easy transition to living with my sister and her dog and 15 year old cat. Nothing was ever a problem for him once he put his mind to something. His determination and intelligence always won out!
We enjoyed two Christmas holidays with Baxter (Boo-Bear as I affectionately called him) where he was showered with gifts and attention from all family members, human and canine. Everyone adored him! He tore into his gifts with delight and entertained us all day attacking his new stuffed animals, chomping on his treats and playing with his toys! He was always “up” for a party and company!
In January of 2008 we had a birthday party for a family member who brought her dog over to play and B just wasn’t himself. The next day I took him to the vet because I was very “in-tune” with this little guy and I knew this wasn’t like him. The vet did blood work, tests and x-rays and it turned out that my little man was in the final stages of leukemia! He had not let on at all that he was sick until the very end.
I prayed for a miracle that never came and as I checked him into the Tufts Animal Hospital and put him in his crate, he pulled himself up from lying panting on his side, climbed onto my lap, puts his paws around my neck and licked my face. The diagnosis was barely determined when he succumbed to the disease and died in my arms at the animal hospital the next day at the age of 26 months.
To vote for Baxter, please follow this link.
