Axel's outing

Axel went to the vet on Thursday to be neutered, but on Wednesday I took him out for a three miler with Maya. It had rained late in the afternoon, so it was extremely muggy when we out Wednesday evening.

I sort of debated whether or not to take Axel for a hike. I wasn't sure if it would be an act of kindness or cruelty to show him a life better than he would have when he went back home. I decided he might as well get as much enjoyment as he can while he was here, so off we went. He clearly wasn't leash trained, but like TJ and other dogs who have lived on a chain, he was very adept at keeping the leash out from under his legs and avoiding entanglement.

He enjoyed every minute of it and he and Maya got along very well. They are pretty much the same size and build. He had his nose to the ground quite a bit, taking in all the smells. He really didn't pull me at all once we were out on the trail and he wasn't too bad about stopping to mark everything because he wanted to keep moving. It was very hot and humid, which generally results in a slow walk, but Axel kept us moving right along. His attitude seemed to be "go, go, go."



p.s. Thursday evening: Axel is back here, post surgery, and acting like nothing happened. He didn't want to eat yet, but that's not surprising. I'm sure he will tomorrow. He's in a crate in my office where he has been staying at night and he's been very good in there.