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The Story of
My Dog Baxter
He's More Than a Pet
Baxter or "Leroy" was the original name given to him by the Greenville Humane society in Greenville, SC. He was born April 4th, 2015. However, I did not adopt him until June 24th, 2015; just two weeks after my childhood dog, Chase, had passed. I was still a bit hesitant and nervous, but once I met Leroy, I immediately fell in love. Though he looked more like a "Baxter" to me.
When I picked him up in the room full of puppies, he was sleeping alongside his twin sisters. Once I carried him to the play area, he woke up with a heightened sense of curiosity. I began playing with him and I realized I was not leaving without him.
Possibly Parvo
After a day or two I’d noticed Baxter's energy level was noticeably lower than an average puppy. He never seemed to eat much and his favorite thing to do was sleep. I took him into the vet close by, she’d said it was only a minor case of kennel cough and that it would soon pass. She gave us medicine to get the tape worms out of his system from the shelter along with meds to counter the cough. Sadly, Baxter’s condition continued to worsen.
Baxter struggled with labored breathing with little oxygen going through his system. We rushed Baxter to the emergency room the following morning because he was hardly breathing at all. The vet from the ER informed us that Baxter had a 50-50 chance of not surviving. His condition was not just kennel cough, but a form of Parvo in cardiac form. Parvo attacks the heart muscles of very young puppies, often leading to death. For the hours that followed, I began to lose hope.
Perseverance
I remember praying and hoping as I sat in a stern uncomfortable chair, while trying not to cry. I had just made this bond with this beautiful animal; I didn’t want him to die without fully living his own life on this earth. The vet came back out and provided more medicine to be taken. Baxter was on three different kinds of medications, one pill to be taken daily, a syringe of 40 mgs to be taken every few hours, and an edible to be eaten with his food. After a few days, Baxter finally started acting like apuppy.
Growth
The next few months were some of the happiest of my life. I had the chance to teach Baxter tricks, how to use the bathroom outside, along with what not to do and how not to act around other dogs and people.
My favorite part was teaching him to be brave. He was so hesitant about trying new things and taking chances. I always assured him I would be right there and would make sure nothing bad would ever happen to him. He was taking leaps, chewing up my shoes, and growing right before my eyes.
Trust
Once fall of 2015 rolled around, I returned back to Winthrop University, but this time with a small companion. Bax and I stayed in a large house with two other dogs and six other roommates. It was not the ideal living situation, but we were lucky to be where we were. Baxter would always play with both of the other dogs along with my other roommates.
He was still smaller than the other two dogs at the time, but he slowly began to catch up on them in size and in speed. I had to rely on my roommates to take Bax out for me while I was in class or in rehearsal. Everything was going great until one night.
A Brief Impact
Winter was quickly approaching and so were exams. It was November of 2015. My exam schedule had left me unable to watch over Baxter, so I turned to my roommate and asked him to look after him for me. He agreed and had his dog and Baxter play together. After a couple of hours of playing in the living room, a pizza delivery man came to the door. Once the door opened, received a clever idea to run out the front door.
Please note, he had never done anything like that before, I suppose he was curious and excited from playing. My roommate ran after him screaming his name, but it was too late. Baxter had run out into the street and was hit by a car. Thankfully the car immediately stopped, my roommate yelled at the driver, picked up Baxter and rushed him to the closest ER in Rock hill, SC, which was unfortunately a PetSmart.
Right after my exam had ended, I received a text message that he was taking Baxter to PetSmart. I sprinted across campus to my car and drove like a maniac down Cherry Road. I remember not being sad, but very mad. I was mad at the situation and that it ever had happened. I was mad that I couldn’t keep my promise to Baxter.
When I showed up, I ran to him, hugged him and he appeared to be fine. He had gotten an x-ray, had a couple visual scars on his face near his left eye and nostril. His lungs were bruised, but the vet said he took the hit very well. He was prescribed pain meds and neosporin for the scars.
The Years Have Passed
Baxter has conquered and triumphed over death twice! His birthdays have come and gone, and my Baxter is already eight years old. He was, is, and always will be the kindest creature I have ever met on this planet. He loves running, chasing and playing with anyone on the beach.
I have traveled a good bit over the years, and when I leave, he has always been in the best professional care of my mother, Lisa. He loves his grandma almost as much as he loves his dad. Baxter has helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life and I'm not certain that I would be here without him. I am the luckiest dog dad on the planet, and I will spend the rest of his life making each day special for him. Thanks for all you do Baby Boy.
