Axel Is Adopted!

When we met Axel, an 11 year old sweet male German Shorthaired Pointer, he was sitting quietly in a crowded shelter, overlooked day after day. What we found was a sweet, easy dog, who just needed a second chance. Axel was the kind of dog who asked for little but offered his whole heart in return.

Being a senior dog, Axel didn’t need long hikes or endless activity. He needed love, short walks, and someone willing to give him the time he deserves.

Steve and Teresa applied to adopt a middle aged or senior dog to be a companion for them and their 12 year old female English Springer, Harper. Steve had a young male GSP named Domino that he rescued years ago, and he was a great buddy for Steve as he says when he was young and a thrill seeker. We can all relate to that! Since then he and Teresa have had other sporting breeds, and wanted to give an older GSP a home. They saw Axel on our website, and immediately wanted to meet him. After coming out to the rescue and spending some time with Axel and Harper, the first words Steve said to us was, “Looks like a fit to me”, and Axel found his forever family!

We are truly grateful to Steve and Teresa for opening up their hearts and home to a senior dog. We have received some updates from Steve and Teresa, and Axel has been home for a month now, and he is doing excellent!

“Hi Teri,

Well it was a big day around here for both Axel and Harper with lots of new experiences, especially for Axel - New surroundings, new people, new canine companion - It was a lot for him to take in as a older guy, but he did great!

He was a bit confused at first and was busy walking around trying to make sense of everything but after awhile he started to calm down and relax more - He is pretty much a GSP clone for Harper, who is a very mellow 12 1/2 yr old Springer - Both are easy going and happy!

We had one minor bathroom accident with Axel shorty after he arrived, but very minor - He has been used to having access to a doggie door, which we do not have, so it has been a puzzle for him examining out sliding patio door to figure out where the heck is the doggie door? - He seems to be adapting very quickly, likely by being able to watch Harper and what she does as far as routines.

Greg had some great suggestions, especially the one where we picked up the water bowls before going to bed to reduce need to go to the bathroom overnight - We set up a section of a baby gate which gave the dogs the entire family room/kitchen area to sleep in, and as it was Axel’s first night in a new location, we left an additional light on in case he would wake up and be confused as to his surroundings.

Got up this morning with ZERO accidents and took both of the dogs out to go to the bathroom without any problems - Axel is eating well and is much more comfortable this morning with being here, which is impressive as he has not even been here for a full 24 hours yet.

He loves the affection he gets (and treats) and seems to have made himself at home with the dog beds - He and Harper are getting along just fine - We are very lucky to have found Axel”!

“Hi Greg & Teri,

Just wanted to check in with you after having Mr Axel join us one week ago.

For the most part, everything has been going well with Axel - Each day he seems to be getting more and more comfortable living here, which can be seen in his personality - very sweet guy. He and Harper also get along fine with each other and seem to enjoy each others company. He has taken to following Harper around since she seems to know what’s going on here. We have been taking the two of them for short walks around the neighborhood, which both enjoy. We took him to get his nails clipped and what a difference it made. We will do it again in another week.  He walks much better now.

We have had a few hiccups along the way, all minor, such as several bathroom accidents inside, but he is much better now that he shows us an urgency to go outside to go to the bathroom, which we look for. We have had several times where he has been finicky eating his food for unknown reasons other than wanting people food instead, which we have now limited.

Besides being a very sweet, gentle guy, Axel is also very smart. He loves receiving affection and happily returns the affection.

We have not left the dogs alone on their own in the house yet as we wanted Axel to get used to things before doing so. Harper has been fine to leave on her own for a few hours, and hopefully Axel will be comfortable without anxiety as well”.

“Hi Greg and Teri,

Just wanted to thank you both for sharing your thoughts regarding our questions about Axel - He is quite a guy! - Tomorrow he will have been with us for two weeks already and you can see how relaxed and comfortable he has grown to become.

We saw the video update for Axel this evening, thank you for the shout out, but what we get from him is truly priceless, he is such a good boy! - People do not realize what they are missing out on with an older dog, which is sad for everyone.

Axel is truly one of the sweetest guys around, and both he and Harper constantly have these smiles across their faces. Mr. happy boy - He truly is a joy”!

“Hi Teri and Greg,

Well It’s hard to believe that 30 days have already gone by since we brought Axel into our home.

Axel has blossomed into this unbelievably sweet and affectionate guy who has been learning the routines around here from Harper our other rescue dog.

Our daughter, who has had a senior rescue dog of her own, mentioned something recently, which was really spot on regarding rescue dogs, senior dogs in particular.

She noticed how after the initial adjustment period, with going to a new home and with new people, there is this sense of gratitude from the dog. We have noticed this with Axel, his level of trust has gone way up, and he seems very comfortable with his new home, as if he has always lived here. He just seems to be so happy with where he is, that this is his house, his bed, his yard, and most of all his people. It is really something to see with an older dog, how content and happy he seems to be. Perhaps this happens as a result of dogs “living in the now”.

Have there been some bumps in the road? Of course, but that is to be expected anytime there is a major change in life. We don’t know what his past life was, but we do know what kind of a life we can offer him now. We also assumed that he was not house-broken so we are working on that. For now Axel is wearing the “Doggie Diaper of Shame” while indoors. It is so cute as he patiently waits for us to get him dressed in his diaper. Just part of the ritual. 

Axel is just a wonderful guy and we feel very fortunate to have found him when we did. We are pleased and proud to be able to give both Axel and Harper a home, which they are so deserving of.  It is very cute to be greeted by the two of them with such excitement each time we enter the room. Seeing their smiling faces and wagging tails as they bury their heads into you is so adorable.

I would encourage people to really take a look at a senior dog as they are so special and offer so much love and happiness in return. We are grateful to have them as much as they are to have us.

We have attached below some recent pictures of Axel and of both Axel and Harper. (The best is the video of Axel watching Danny Kaye previously sent).

Hope the both of you are well and doing well - We will keep you updated regarding Mr. Axel

Thank you both again for all of the hard work that you do for the dogs

Best, Steve & Teresa (Axel & Harper)”