Axel was also there as Melugin’s television career took shape, accompanying the family through moves and milestones.
“He’s been there for the biggest milestones. Every TV job I’ve ever gotten. Every move. The highs, the lows, the rock bottom,” he said.
Melugin shared a collection of photographs alongside the tribute, including pictures of Axel as a puppy and later in life. Several showed the two together, from a moment on the couch to a Christmas photograph outside.
The little moments Bill will miss
In his message, Melugin remembered Axel as a gentle dog who welcomed the family’s two adopted border pups and became a “big brother and pack leader” to them.
“Genuinely the sweetest dog I’ve ever been around, I don’t think I ever heard him growl once,” he wrote.
It was the everyday moments that Melugin said he would miss most: Axel’s wagging tail when he came home and his heavy head resting on Bill’s lap while they watched football.
He also recalled Christmas with Axel, remembering how the dog dressed up for the holiday, helped give out presents and searched beneath the tree for his own.
“I will miss that big smile and wagging tail every time I came home,” Melugin wrote.
A goodbye surrounded by love
Melugin said Axel spent his final moments on his favorite lounge chair in the backyard, surrounded by the family who loved him.
“He gave us 12 years of unconditional love, and he took his final breaths surrounded and embraced by our love in return,” he wrote.
The correspondent ended his tribute by acknowledging how different it would feel to return home without Axel waiting for him.
“I will miss him terribly and coming home won’t feel the same without him there. Love you forever Axe,” Melugin wrote.
