Ken Pope, Ph.D., ABPP
Autumn brought us an unexpected gift. A friend told us about Maxx just in time.
Sitting alone in a shelter's metal crate -- as shown in the photo right below-- this small, elderly blind and deaf dog with a terrible heart condition (he would suddenly collapse, yelping in pain) bounded into our hearts:
We took him straight to a cardiologist who, after some tests, put him on heart meds, which have him enjoying life and have stopped the collapsing episodes.
Max became everyone's best buddy as soon as he set foot in our door. Here are a few photos, starting with the day we brought him home and he discovered his new yard:
Here he's snoozing with Jason, a cat who became part of our family after a being hit by a car had fractured his spine, torn off half his tail, and left him with permanent cognitive impairment and difficulty walking more than a few steps without falling over. and Lettie, a blind and deaf elderly dog who, when she came to us, had pneumonia, a heart murmur, and teeth so bad she couldn't eat.
Hanging out with Jonah, a cat who lost one of his legs to abuse:
Spending time with Persephone, a cat who had "died" (all her vital signs stopped) but came back to life, though with severe neurological challenges:
Napping with Leisha, an elderly blind and deaf dog:
Maxx may not be with us long, but he has already brought us enough warmth, joy, and love to last a lifetime.
Please follow this link to the family of special needs dogs and cats who live as a family in our home.