Enzo (FKA Tyson)

I wanted to give you a quick update on Mr. Enzo. He just turned 9 years (!) a few weeks ago. He's doing great and really enjoying his life here in the Northwest. There's nothing but green space here and we often take him for hikes in the mountains. Enzo even joined us for a 9 mile float down the Yakima river. He hopped in his own tube attached to ours and literally curled up and slept the whole way down the river. People still can't believe he's 9 when we tell him, as he has barely greyed and still acts like a big puppy. 

His health has been great and we've had no more cancer since his mass removal 2 years ago. His incontinence has also cleared up this summer after years of trying to figure out its cause. He's not even on the Proin anymore! 

He's still an only dog here and is not quite up for sharing the couch, which he's mostly claimed as his own. He's definitely popular in the building here and I think more people know who he is than who we are! We miss the east coast and my parents probably miss Enzo more than us!

Enzo's had a busy few months. We moved to the west coast back in October and are now living in Seattle. Enzo is loving his new home and his new surroundings. Seattle is a dog crazy city. You can pretty much take dogs almost anywhere and in fact Enzo accompanied me while I did my food shopping earlier. He's not super fond of the rain, but luckily it's not as bad as folks think. He was a total trooper on our cross country drive and pretty much snoozed the miles away and got to see a lot of new states. Enzo has now been to more states than some people do in their whole lives (17!). He's coming up on his 9th birthday this summer and people still think he's only a year or two old. He's aged well 

Enzo has become a big part of our family. We have never had a dog that is so intuitive of how your feeling. If your having a terrible day, Enzo can quickly make you feel better with his goofy antics as soon as you come home. He helped my nephew overcome his fear of dogs and is now harassing his mother for their own boxer. He has secured a special spot in my parents heart as well, and has a home away from home now any time Enzo can't travel with us.

Enzo has been a great addition to the family and has really become a huge part of it.  He tags along everywhere we go and constantly surprises and impresses us with how quickly he learns commands and our own behavior/responses.  For example, he learned very quick that if he taps lightly on his water bowl, we will fill it for him.  He actually taught himself this.  He also learned all of the basic commands plus speak, roll over, paw and stand all within the course of a snowy weekend at home.  He had a rough patch the first few months with peeing in the house out of anxiety if we went out but he has slowly made progress with this and rarely does it anymore.  His biggest problem now is that he believes he's a small lap dog and will also often steal your spot on the couch or bed should you leave it for even a minute.  He's a big mush.

Well, our boy Tyson has come a LONG way!  On Wednesday, he had his last stitch taken out and the bandages were removed for good!  His pain meds have been reduced to two or three pills a day and we will continue to wean him off over the next few days.  He needs to wear a sock on his foot when outdoors for a few days, just to ensure that the healing process continues with no issues.  He pretty much uses the foot to walk or run most of the time and will occasionally hold it up while in a standing position.  He has had zero problems with his balance and walks completely without a limp!  It’s just amazing to watch him, especially when you know all that he has been through!   See for yourself how well he did the very first day his bandages were removed - CLICK HERE

 Once again, Tyson and his foster family would like to send out a HUGE THANK YOU for all the wonderful advice and support that we received throughout these last five weeks.  You have all been amazing and words could never express the depth of gratitude that we feel!

Well, it has been ten days since Tyson had his surgery and things are progressing along.  The healing time is a bit slower than we had hoped but considering that this was a major surgery, he is doing very well.  We had some issues in the beginning with managing his pain but have since resolved those issues and he is now quite comfortable.  He has been to the vet’s every other day for a bandage change and his incision is healing nicely.  There is a bit more swelling that we would like to see, so yesterday he was ordered to absolute quiet time.  The only exercise that he is allowed right now is the short walk outside (on leash) for potty breaks.  At times, it can be difficult to keep him quiet but he listens so well that we have been able to keep crate time to a minimum.
In the almost five weeks that he has been with us, Tyson has gained over five pounds!  He is starting to fill out nicely and his ribs are far less visible than they were when he arrived here.  He has remained fully house-broken since day one and continues to display a healthy appetite.  Every day he gets a bit more snuggly too, which just melts your heart!  It took him weeks but he will now roll over on his back and let you rub his belly – which to me is the ultimate display of trust!
Through all of this, Tyson’s personality continues to shine!  He’s such an amazing boy and it’s been a wonderful journey to watch him come out of his shell and be able to trust people again.  His forever family will be the luckiest family ever!

It’s been five days since Tyson’s surgery and I thought it was time for an update.  The surgery went very well and as expected, our poor boy lost two of his toes along with the tumor.  The first few days, Tyson experienced some pretty intense pain but has since improved a little each day.  Today he went to the vet’s office for his second bandage change and they are extremely pleased with the results of the surgery.  The incision looks GREAT and there is minimal swelling and redness.  We will continue to change the bandages every couple of days until it’s time for his stitches to be removed.  He will also remain on pain medications until we are sure that he is feeling better on his own.  Remarkably, he has been using the bandaged foot to walk on somewhat but mostly will just toe-tap it with very little pressure while walking or standing.
Pathology results indicate CLEAN MARGINS all the way around the tumor and his docs are confident that they got it all…which is GREAT NEWS!  Now, we just need to give him some time to heal and get back to being his silly old self.  Just yesterday he started playing with toys again and it was so heart-warming to watch him just being a happy dog!  It’s been a bit difficult trying to keep him calm because when outside, he just wants to run and burn off some of that built-up energy.  He’s only allowed leash walks for at least two weeks and it’s something that he’s not very happy about but we are managing.
Tyson and his foster family would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone for the prayers, good vibes and well wishes!  We’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing show of support we have received during all of this and feel that this is a huge part of his success.  Stay tuned for another update soon!

Tyson has been us now for two weeks and I can’t even begin to tell you what a complete gem this boy is!  Within a week he started to get comfortable in his own skin again and is now showing us his true Boxer colors!  He’s so very sweet and gentle and wants only to please you.  He has incredible manners, walks great on a leash and has not had one accident in the house since he’s been here.  He’s also a typical, silly Boxer and he keeps us completely amused with his antics!
He’s had several more visits to my friend’s house and has thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of running and playing in their huge, fenced-in yard.  He is totally in his element when he’s outside and it just melts your heart to watch the little goofball enjoying life again!  Tonight we took him to the dog park for the very first time.  We had already made arrangements with other dog folks to meet us there, to help him through the process.  However, there was no help necessary for this boy – He met four other loose dogs, while he was on a retractable lead and did GREAT!  Unfortunately, the park is not fenced so he had to do his best playing with the others while on lead.  After some hesitation, he even went into the water to splash and play with the other dogs!  He was having a blast and we stayed for almost two hours!
Tyson’s MCT surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday, September 5th.  We have every reason to believe that he will make a full recovery and go on to live a long and happy life.  He will obviously need a little recovery time and a lot of love and attention afterwards, which we are totally prepared to provide.
Again, I don’t believe this boy will be with us for very long.  He is a true Boxer, through and through and will be a wonderful addition to one very lucky family!

Tyson is settling in nicely and really starting to show us what a sweet and well-behaved boy he is!  He's still a bit unsure about what's going on and why his life was turned upside down but he is also willing to place his trust in me and we have already developed a great bond.  After a few days, we did an outside introduction with him and my boy Tyson (yes, Tyson!) and it went extremely well!  They played and ran together for several hours in my friend's huge, fenced-in back yard.  It was so wonderful to see him cut loose and be himself!  At home, Tyson is starting to feel comfortable and relaxed.  He's absolutely no trouble at all in the house and is perfectly content to just go with the flow.  He loves to play with toys but is mostly just a couch potato indoors.  He's had no accidents in the house at all, is eating well and hopefully, putting on some weight.  He has a vet appointment on Wednesday, so we will see.  He's fine with being crated and will even go in there on his own when he wants some quiet time.  Tyson has a bit of separation anxiety and will whine a little in his crate when I leave the house.  It's a very mild case, as he's already improved from barking in the crate when left alone.  It seems that he's just afraid you're not going to come back and will need a little time to rebuild that trust.  He's also great on a leash and will walk right by your side with an occasional correction.
I cannot say it enough - Tyson is everything and more that us Boxer Lovers look for!  He's gentle and sweet, silly and fun-loving!  He so just wants to please you and will do anything for a piece of cheese!  He simply wants a home where he is loved and cared for, by someone that is willing to help him rebuild a relationship based on trust.  Tyson is looking for a Forever Home and knows that the right family will find him soon!
Tyson would also like to send out a HUGE thank you to Liz, Katie and the staff at Baypath Humane Society for taking such good care of him!  He was very loved by everyone there and we are sure that he is missed by all!

Well, our boy Tyson arrived today and all I can say is - What an absolute Love Bug!  This poor boy has spent a few weeks in a shelter after leaving the only family he has known for almost five years.  He's a bit confused about what's going on but it didn't stop him from playing with a squeaky toy after he'd been here only a few hours!  He's an extremely affectionate guy and loves to snuggle!  He's a little on the thin side but has a healthy appetite and should put on a few pounds in no time at all.  Believe me when I tell you, his pictures just do not capture what a strikingly beautiful boy he is!  He's the total package and most definitely will not be with us for very long!  We will post more on Tyson once we've gotten to know him a little better, so stay tuned!