Max 18

Update 12/12/09: He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good so quit going into the pantry and stealing bags of treats!

Yes, it is the holiday season and Max is enjoying it to the fullest! His foster mom has been trying to watch his weight but at his most recent vet visit, Max weighed in at nearly 60 pounds, a two pound gain in a month! His repeat thyroid blood work showed a very low level and this likely has contributed to Max’s chubbiness. Of course, his foster mom did not mention to the vet that Max had helped himself to a bag of dog bones, a package of cookies, and a bag of banana chips wrapped in chicken (a natural and healthy dog treat that is probably not as healthy when the entire bag is eaten!) during the month. Yes, Max and his human brother who forgets to close the pantry doors are both on Santa’s naughty list this year.

Max has started an inexpensive, twice daily pill for his low thyroid levels. He continues on the anti-inflammatory agent for his arthritis and is much improved. Max completed his antibiotics for Lyme disease.

He is a young, active senior who loves to carry his ball around and chase it. His arthritis is fairly well controlled on medication and Max does the stairs with little hesitation. In fact his foster mom found him in the attic one day, having gone up three flights of stairs. There he discovered a bag of new dog toys waiting to be put into the stockings for Christmas and he helped himself to a squeaky Santa dog toy!

Obviously Max can hardly wait for Christmas. He has gotten a bit of a head start on the delicious foods and gifts of the season. However, the one gift he would love the most is a forever home to call his own. Wouldn’t you like to share the joy of the holiday season with this wonderful boy?

Original: After his wife died, Max’s owner did not have the time to spend with his Springers, often leaving Max and 10-year-old Cody in the yard confined by an invisible fence for up to 15 hours a day. He turned to MAESSR for help finding a new home where his boys could once again get the attention they need.

Max is a playful young senior. He is never without a squeaky toy or ball and will drop it in your lap in hopes of initiating a game of fetch in the house. Outside, he always has a ball in his mouth while on walks, just in case his foster mom makes a trip to the ball field where he can romp off leash. Despite arthritis in his hips, he tears off after that ball again and again. Sometimes he doesn’t bring it all the way back which helps his foster mom get her exercise as well. Perhaps because he is used to spending so many hours without a willing ball tosser, Max even enjoys playing ball by himself. He rolls on his back and juggles the ball between his paws, sometimes rolling it down his legs and across his belly for fun. Max is also a firm believer in positive thinking and will stand and bark at his ball over and over until somehow it magically gets tossed in the air. Works every time!

When Max came into foster care, his foster mom noticed that his hips hurt him and that he was limping. The vet found arthritis in Max’s hips and a swollen elbow. Given he is Lyme positive, his limping and sore elbow are likely due to active Lyme disease so Max has started on antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory agent. Blood work showed an underactive thyroid and Max weighed in at 57 pounds, about 7 too many. This will be retested after he finishes the antibiotics and, if persistently low, Max will start on an inexpensive thyroid replacement medicine.

After just a week of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory medicine, Max is already more agile, having much less difficulty navigating the long flight of stairs to the bedroom at night in his foster home. Max is content to sleep bedside along with the two resident female Springers. During the day all three are confined by baby gates. Max is the first foster dog to figure out that if you bump the cabinet doors enough that they will open. One evening his foster mom heard a commotion and there was Max working on opening a brand new bag of pig ears that he had discovered! He willingly traded them for a more suitable treat and now there is a shoe lace keeping the cabinet doors to the treats closed as well as the ones to the trash can. Max is always looking for a little snack and is not above drinking from the toilet and tipping the bathroom trash pail.

Although he can hear a squeaky ball in the next room, Max does not always respond to his name. He is very attentive, however, and this makes up for some age-related hearing loss. He is a willing car rider and always up for a walk. He can easily go 2 miles but is just as happy with a short stroll and spending quiet time inside. Outside, Max is always on leash and only pulls a little bit. He has a very loud, deep bark and is not afraid to warn off any strange dogs he meets on leash.

Max already has his Christmas list ready for Santa. What he wants most of all (even more than a dozen pig ears to keep) is a bark-activated, automatic ball tosser! Since no one has invented one of those yet, MAESSR is looking for the next best thing – a warm home for the holidays and someone who loves to play ball, too. Oh, and it would be great if that someone also enjoys giving lots of belly rubs and ear scratches and knows how to rescue the ball when it rolls under the bed. Yes, that is what Max really wants this holiday season. How about making his wishes come true?