Nick

What a difference three months can make!

This is Nick the last day of January.  He was nearly unable to stand.  He was unable to defend himself.
His rear half did not cooperate.  He was starved, nearly to death.

Now, this is what I wake up to each day!  You can't see that the little tail is frantically a-wag!

Vibrant and full of himself, sturdy and strong... he leaps in circles as high as I am tall when I come home from work.  He waits at the door for us and watches our every move.  He loves us each and every one.

This morning, I made a short video and can't get it to upload... will keep trying... you need to see the energy.

This week, I noticed that his collar was too tight... 4 1/2 inches too tight.  It was two weeks since I last adjusted it.

His body is becoming muscular with the faintest hint of a layer of flesh between the skin and bones.  We no longer see the spinal bones...nor his ribs. 

Food issues are fast becoming a thing of the past.  He no longer must be tied to be fed.  He behaves admirably most days.  He no longer grabs the groceries when you're trying to get them from car to house.
He and Nana can and do sometimes eat from the same bowl.  There is no frantic quality to his needing to be fed.  Food comes regularly and often.  It is a reliable fact.

He's wonderful under the leash.  He responds well to voice command and hand signals.  He loves to ride in the car and go to the park where I work to walk the trails.  He's friendly around others and obedient to command in public.

He has stopped killing and eating the chickens and the cats.  He still will chase a cat on occasion, and his nose often bears the slice marks that indicates that the cats are not wild about this game!  He goes with me to the coops each morning and evening and no longer misbehaves there.

Nick joined 'the boys' for a spring break camping and fishing excursion at the river.  There's a little old pop-up camper that was full of teenagers who were awakened by the sound of boxer snoring as he slept peacefully under the camper.  He's not an overly enthusiastic swimmer, but can manage and isn't certain what to do when some of his people are at the river and the others are at the house.  Ideally, he could 'guard' both places at once. He's unsettled when his humans are in two locations on either side of 100 acres.

We have a happy, easy going vibe among the dogs in the yard... which is saying a lot with the 5!!!!! different personalities that we have here. They're a pack... 

Very enjoyably, he talks... and sings... and vocalizes... loud and long and often. 
You sure know you have him.

Issues remain~  His skin is dry and itchy, still exhibiting signs of the malnourishment. He is a magnet for ticks, though he is being treated against them.  He now frantically bites our tires when we try to leave the yard, making all of us, me especially, frantic that we not run him over (we're working on this).  You see, I ran over and killed a 6 month old pup a couple of years ago and I'm not over it yet. 

In the last week, actually, Nick's superior size and new strength has made him less of a target for the neighbor's male dog, who had been a daily threat and causing all kinds of upset here.  The dog now sits at the edge of the neighbors property, but hasn't been 'visiting' in nearly a week!

A special thanks to those who have encouraged us, by word and email, by gifts and assistance.
Nick has an insatiable appetite and could eat the pet store out of liva-snaps.  He has been gifted help with medication, a collar and treats and other things.  I have waited to purchase a harness and pack for him, as his size is drastically different each week. We're just around the corner from a nice collar and leash, having used the cheapest, fastest to find thing that I could get.  We appreciate all of the attention and help and ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts in the days and months ahead.