Meet a Lowcountry Dog: Baxter

My boyfriend and I adopted Baxter almost two years ago. We started our search here a local shelter and eventually found him at PetFinder.com at a shelter in Florence. Brandon drove 2.5 hours from Chapel Hill and I drove up 2.5 hours and as soon as we met him, we knew he was our dog! Well, really we knew as we saw his photo online and when we went to the shelter we arrived with toys, and food bowls in hand. He was three months old and a family had moved away and left him in the backyard. .

Baxter just turned two years old and is a Beagle most-likely yellow lab mix. Baxter doesn't bark. The most noise he'll usually make is sort of a gruff if he hears something funny in a part of the house. When we first took him to the JI Dog park, he wasn't so sure about the water. He was down by the bank when all of a sudden an orange kayak glided by. Baxter was not okay with that! He firmly planted his feet and howled loudly several times to let the kayaker know he wasn't welcome. It was hilarious. Since then, he's howled at a baby in a stroller, a jacket on a chair in the apartment...and as shameful as it is to admit, a dog in a wheelchair at a dog park!

Now, Baxter is a master swimmer. As soon as we round the corner of the dog park he starts whining in the car anxious to get out and play. He LOVES walks and gets so excited when we pick up the leash you can hardly put it on him. He walks with a mission. Ears pinned back ready to find a squirrel! But he's not hyper. He loves to lay under the bed to cool down after a hot summer walk and LOVES to take long naps on the couch as close to me as possible. If it's raining or too hot for the dog park, he grabs his favorite squeaky toy and we chase him around the couch.

Baxter is a loyal pack-watcher. When we were home with my parents the other week, anytime somebody got up to walk into another room, Baxter had his eyes on them watching them to make sure they were coming back. We call his a "boofus" because he can be a real goofball, but also very smart. He's very punctual and wakes up at 8:30 a.m. every morning. And if you didn't realize you were suppose to wake up too, then he removes the covers for you and has been known to squeak his favorite toy in your ear. He's very easy to train and can sit, stay, lay down, crawl, roll over and turn around. He's never lived anywhere with a doorbell, but somehow knows when there's a doorbell on the tv that sounds to run to see who's at the door!

Baxter has definitely changed my life for the better. I've always grown up with cats and never thought I'd love dog as much as I do Baxter. He stays mainly with Brandon who's now in DC (My roommate and I have two cats) so I needed to fill my puppy-void. I started volunteering at Pet Helpers walking the dogs. I noticed the photos of the dogs on the website weren't always updated, so I inquired about helping take photos of the dogs. I go in once a week to take their photos and love on the dogs. I love it! I think it's the least I can do to help them find a new home. After all...that's how we found Baxter!

Here's the link to his original adoption page: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/11889556

They list him as a cockerspaniel/beagle mix...but we're pretty sure he's mixed with yellow lab!

submitted by Tara Lynn

Would you like your dog featured in an upcoming Meet a Lowcountry Dog spotlight? Send us up to 3 photos, and a short {500 words or less} write up of what makes your dog so special OR fill out the Meet a LCD Questionnaire posted on the website.  Email the info to gillian@lowcountrydog.com using the subject line: Meet a Lowcountry Dog.