Axl's story. I could write a book about what this picture doesn't say.

This is our old Rottweiler Axl. Look at this photo and the expression on his face and let me tell you what was going on:

The one thing our Rottweilers love most (besides food) is going for a ride in the car. They get excited even when they overhear a conversation that inadvertently mentions the word "go". The other day I had to move my mini-van down the driveway so I could get my other car out of the garage so when I had Ruff and Axl outside with me I asked them if they would like to go for a little ride. Ruff immediately ran over to the van when I opened the door but Axl walked back to the house and sat where you see him in front of the front door. It only took me a moment to realize why. He thought we were going someplace and his Mom was still in the house. He knew he could not leave her alone.

I was extremely fortunate to have been able to adopt Axl 6 years ago even though he was 7 years old at the time. Carey, the woman who sent me the email saying he needed a new home, was the person who bought Axl as a puppy. She owned him for a year and then sold him to a handicapped woman who had trained him to be her companion. I had met Carey when we once belonged to the same Rottweiler club. The handicapped woman's house burned down and when she was forced to move she couldn't take him with her. I have mentioned before in bits and pieces that Axl has been devoted to my wife since the day we brought him home. My wife has Alzheimer's and even then he realized something was wrong with her even before the symptoms became obvious. From the first day in our house, Axl's forever home, he stayed close to her and even used to jump up on her bed at night and sleep next to her. He is almost 13 years old now and for the past two years he hasn't been able to jump on her bed so he has taken to sleeping outside her bedroom door.

During the day I don't spend constant time in the same room with my wife and whenever she used to get up and move around, Axl would come to me and give me a worry sound. I can't describe the sound he makes but it definitely tells me he thinks something is wrong and he is worried and I must go with him and check it out.

This is how Axl spends his day. He may be napping from time to time, more now as he gets older, but he wakes up whenever my wife makes a sound. He seems content to just keep watch over her.

Every once in awhile Axl will come into my den when I am working on the computer and he lays his head in my lap and looks at me with his sad eyes. I have come to understand that he simply needs some hugs and kisses and ear scratches to recharge his batteries. I have lived with old Rottweilers before and we tell everyone that from my experience when they get old their mush bucket (I pronounce it "moosh bucket") begins to leak and they need some love to refill it. I can assure you that Axl gets more than he needs. He is a beautiful, gentle and loving animal and I find myself depending on him as if he were a human baby sitter and I hope and pray he lives a long life. I am forever grateful for the lady who helped me get him.