Last July I received an email from a friend named Carey telling me about a 7 year old male Rottweiler named Axl that needed a home. This dog had been a service dog living with a handicapped woman in Akron, Ohio who's house burned down a few weeks earlier. The woman was placed in a home where she could no longer take this dog with her. The friend who sent me the email use to be a Rottweiler breeder and we met when we belonged to the same Rottweiler club. Carey had purchased Axl almost 8 years ago but later she sold the dog to the handicapped woman who trained him to become a service dog.Click the pictures to see a larger view.
I informed Carey that I have a large home with a big piece of property and would love to adopt Axl. My request was approved and we arranged to meet at her home in Dayton, Ohio to make the pickup. The woman who worked for the rescue group drove Axl down from Akron and when she arrived it was the first time Carey had seen Axl in almost 7 years. The meeting was a joyous event and after awhile we drove back home to Kentucky with the newest member of our family.
Axl says goodby to his rescue mom while my wife and Carey look on.
Axl arrives at his new home.
Ruff and Axl explore part of the back yard inside the fence.
In the 14 years I have owned Rottweilers I have never before met one with the degree of gentleness of Axl. He is so sweet and lovable while at the same time so calm and easy going that we started calling him Dreamy. Axl very quickly attached himself to my wife Jackie and most likely he saw something familiar with the elderly woman he had lived with for 7 years. Axl follows my wife around like a shadow and when she sits on the couch to watch television he lays next to her with his big head in her lap. All the while when I sit on the opposite couch I get to look at the Dreamy expression on his face and his half-opened eyes, it is so peaceful.
Axl has only been in his new home for five months now but he acts like he has lived here all his life. At first Axl became my wife's dog almost exclusively because he was not used to living in a house with a man but now he and I are also best friends.
Axl brought another unexpected benefit to our home. He has become a constant playmate and companion to our other male Ruff. Ruff never had anyone to run around and play with before. Sassy had both ACL's torn when she was young and even after extensive surgery she does not do much running or playing. I am still amazed at the physical condition Axl is in in spite of the fact he turned 8 years old in October. Axl runs like a Greyhound. When he is out playing with Ruff they start running in huge 100 foot circles around the trees and Ruff has never been able to catch up to Axl.
Axl is living a pampered life and he deserves every moment of it.
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