We got her from the animal care and control right in Manhattan before she was going to be put down on Dec 18, 2007 aged 9 months or so. We assigned her birthday as March 16, 2007 - the same day my now wife and I had our first date. She is a pit bull mix - mix with what is anybody's guess, but we switched between boxer, lab, and sometimes pointer depending on our mood for those who asked.
I always liked animals, but would never get my own since I liked to go out of the house, to a party, to travel the world without any responsibilities. My girlfriend (now wife) really pushed that I should get a dog. When I looked at an apartment once that did not allow dogs, she got a little annoyed! Then there was the day, in the new apartment that I did finally rent when a woman living in the apartment was coming out of her apartment about to walk her dog. My girlfriend glared at me, stating clearly with her eyes, "When the hell are you going to get a dog?!" So, I caved. I insisted on a pit since I had recently been introduced to a few and thought they were beautiful and affectionate contrary to popular opinion - and they were athletic which was key for me as I liked to be active.
We did a lot of research and went to a few rescue centers and looked over a lot of dogs - we wanted to choose the right one. Then we saw this tuxedo colored pit mix on a recue web site that looked so cute. We emailed the group and they responded right away saying it was urgent that we come. We went that night. We were taken to the back room with the dogs that did not have much hope. There she was - frightened - terrified. She lightly growled at us. The rescue people got a little nervous, but we asked to take her out to another room anyway. She came to use with a scared look on her face, tail between her legs, but was actually responsive in a gentle way with a few toys. We took her home. While I drove back to my apartment, my girlfriend was in the backseat with Dexter - and Dexter immediate placed her chin on my girlfriend's lap and declared her mommy.
A girl named Dexter - we chose the name (not because of the TV show, though we LOVE that show as we discovered via Netflix last year) because my girlfriend wanted a dog named Dexter - the dog turned out to be a girl. Being a girl, it was easy for the nickname of Dexy to come up and it was what we called her most of the time. Though other nicknames included The Animal, DexyWex, Wexter, Black Animal, Funny Face, Super Dog, etc.
I was not fully ready to be a dog's daddy. I was not used to walking the dogs and I was also a horrific morning person that had to be on the desk in a highly stressful sitaution at 6:30, coming home around 7:00pm every day of the week. As I could not get up any earlier than I already was, my girlfriend effectively moved in with me so that she could do the morning walk. When I came home from work, I took Dexy to the Madison Square Park dog run where she got very well socialized and learned to be a very good dog who plays well with others. She had a unique style of introducing herself to other dogs. She would charge them in such a playful way that ended with a hop and a gallop that ended with her butt sticking in the air - it was incredibly endearing. I have never seen anything else like it before or since.
Sleeping - this girl loved to sleep and required very luxurious comfort. From day one she slept in our bed burrowed under the covers - in the middle of course. This was frustrating sometimes, but yet again - that same word keeps coming up - very endearing - she was toosweet for words to describe.
We later moved uptown closer to Central Park. Central Park does not have dog runs, but it is offleash before 9 am and after 9pm, so she really got to run around then with the other dogs! Since I actually had a car in Manhattan (which I mainly used for weekend recreation), my girlfriend and I were able to include Dexy in a lot of travel! We took her to the beaches of eastern Long Island, a few wineries on Long Island, The Catskills - in particular, Lake Minnewaska (one of the most beautiful areas of the entire east coast) near New Paltz where she swam freely in perfect water with perfect scenery (usually followed by a trip to Whitecliff Vineyards), Savannah, GA, Charleston SC, coastal NC, the eastern shore of VA, Assateague national Seashore in MD, Philadelphia, DC, Boston, Montreal (twice!), Quebec City, the tip of the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec, New Brunswick, Acadia National Park, Mystic Connecticut, Newport RI, The finger lakes of western NY along with a few wineries there, Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario - where she swam her butt off in several different places!
Yes - she loved to travel with us - she loved getting in the car. Did she really care where she was going? Not really - she just wanted to make sure that she was with us! We would have loved to take her with us when we flew, but we were not comfortable with her being treated as cargo - and she would freak out in terror anyway - she would also cry hysterically if we were to take her to Pet Air for a more comfortable flight. So we never went a very long distance with her. When my girlfriend and I traveled by plane, we had a good neighbor with a great dog (Lola was Dexy's true best dog friend!) that would watch Dexy, so it was all good! When we would return Dexy - would look at us and be "IT'S YOU!!" and she would then get on her hind legs asking me to kneel down and she would put her front legs around my neck - yes my dog hugs. It was beyond endearing - it was real love.
This went on for some time. Last Sunday Spetember 9, 2012, we went to the beach in Eastern Long Island which was great, because after Labor Day, dogs were allowed on this particular beautiful beach and the weather was still great. We had a nice time - this time with my three month old son on hist first trip to the beach. Dexy was going to be his guardian - his big sister. On Monday, I got home from work and Dexy greeted me at the door as usual. There was something slightly off about her as my wife noticed, but she could be silly sometimes, so we brushed it off. Around 9pm, my wife played with Dexy making her chase a toy as she moved it between and around her legs. Then Dexy went to sit on the couch. She decided to get up from the couch, but she tripped and fell over which was strange - so goofy I thought. By 11pm, we noticed that she should be relaxing and lying down, but that she wouldn't. She did not want to lie down and she started to exhibit some strange behavior where she would walk backwards a few steps and her head was slightly tilted. We grew concerned and looked on the internet. Some sites suggested the potential for a neurological problem. There is a 24 hour emergency vet hospital nearby, but we waited to go to the ASPCA vet the next morning.
At 5am 9/11/12, my wife woke me up and said Dexy really wants to talk to you. She had her chin on the bed right at my side. She did not sleep on the bed which was a big warning flag - she ALWAYS slept on the bed. She said to me, "Daddy I'm scared. What's happening to me?" I tried my best to comfort her. We brought her to the vet as soon as they opened. The vet did not see much, but decided to hold her overnight based on what we told her. One key thing to me was how calm she was at the vet - she usually cries - wails - hysterically more than any other dog there. She was totally calm. The next day 9/12/12, we moved her to the 24 hour emergency vet hospital where there is a neurologist. They held her for a day, but did not perform tests because she was a bit dehydrated and need to be stronger for the tests. On 9/13/12, the neurologist did an MRI and saw some swelling in her brain of unknown origin, but did not see a tumor. It was assumed to be some kind of autoimmune problem and was treated as such. I desperately wanted to visit my little girl and I did so at 515pm. I saw her for about 30 minutes, but the doctor told us we had to move on at that point as it was an active place for nurses with emergency care going on. We were told that we could visit over the weekend twice a day which we planned on doing. We might even be able to take her home on Monday after the steroids do what they are supposed to.
I had to go back to work for a planned event we had- our company rented a boat for a night out on the Hudson and I had to be social - the vet seemd to think Dexy would be fine for now afterall. The boat took of at 715pm. At 735pm, my wife called me. Dexter died - and there I was on this boat I could not escape from. I got to the vet by 11pm and met my wife there where we 
. It was horrible and tragic. It was cruel and evil. We cremated her the following day and this past weekend, we went to some of her favorite places and sprinkled little bits of her ash. We are so heartbroken. Our first born basically. The big sister to our 3 month old son.
But she was wonderful......
Roof of my apartment building in Midtown West.
At the dinner table like a good girl!
I want what you are eating!
You better be a good girl after daddy bought you your favorite! Lobster Roll! Yay! (Kittery, Maine)
I love the ocean even if there is no beach!
I am such a silly freakin' dog. Full Stop.
Beer & TV - perfect!
Sweetness defined.
With my best friend Lola!
Flying Dog!
Love!
Very typical of this luxury dog!
Central Park
Bed Bath & Beyond
Jersey Shore
Her expressive eyes melted my heart every time.
Yawning at the Pier I Cafe on the Hudson.
Daddy and Daughter
Hope I have not used up too much bandwitdth here! I can post more in a separate thread maybe. I also want to write more. There are so many details I want to capture and remember forever. My wife says she can never have another dog because she simply does not believe she can ever love a dog like she loved Dexy. She would constantly be comparing any dog to Dexy which is unfair. I think I can have another dog some day, but not for a little while - and I would be very careful about what dog I choose. It would likely be another pit/pit mix - I have never known that dogs could have that much affection.
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