Max is now anywhere from 11 to 13 years old. He is having some health issues so I cherish every day with him. Not always, but he is struggling to breathe in the morning. Definitely causing some worry. 2020 has brought a ton of loss for me. It is still manageable although pretty sucky. Here is a song for Maxwell's namesake because I am trying out some new features.:)
I love Max. He limits me socially yet I am never lonely. I spend a thousand a month on him for fancy hair cuts, visits, and food but it is worth every penny. I am still the only one he will walk with, but never giving up hope that could change.
This is the beauty of love. The love of a pet is the greatest gift.
I wish – more than anything – I could adopt another, but not now. I know I would worry less if he had company.
Happy fall season to all!
Here we are … 26 months later from adoption. So much has changed, but some things are still the same.
What has changed:
What hasn’t changed:
The purpose of my headline is this: how can I get this sweet and lovable doggie to show that part of his personality to others. They would see what I see and that is what they should see….
Anyway – I entered my little guy in the People Magazine Cutest Dog Contest for rescues. It would be so wonderful if he won! Even if not, he is the cutest dog in the world to me.
Well… so much for a hope of turning this rescue boy around.
My days are longer and I hoped exciting things were ahead for Max and I. He is a not good candidate
for doggie daycare due to his behavior at pick-up:( We are now working with the world’s sweetest walker who he terrorizes when she comes into the apt. He barks and is scary in that mode.
He will not work with anyone in the home. I worry for our future. We have been down this road and I must find a solution for his behavior. He responds to others – albeit with some hesitation – if outside the home. I have to have a social life, a job and friends. But it is hard if you work long days, commute and are the sole caregiver for a little being. He requires about 3-4 hours with play, walk and food leaving me little time to do anything else.
I will keep hoping and trying to find a solution – something to change his level of trust. I truly believe he wants to engage – but there is still so much fear. I wish we would find a trainer or behaviorist who truly could help him …us. 
After a long break, I hope Max and I can find more time to blog. He really is an amazing boy and is changing every day. I found a best friend – that is for sure.
We went home at Thanksgiving and spent three days away from home. There was fear at being someplace new (and 10 people, a dog and 3 cats) and, after a few days, he got a little GI issue. Overall – it was an amazing success.
We will give it another try this weekend.
The most exciting progress is that he is doing doggie slumber parties, or boarding, and may have a chance to try daycare in a lovely home with other small dogs. I have been rushing home from work for 18 months and the thought of not having to worry about his getting lonely or frustrated due to no walk by 4:00 pm would be heaven on earth.
At 12 months, he began to allow others to pet him. We are still unable to make progress with a walker, but we won’t give up. I really think he is almost close to what one would experience with a ‘normal dog’.
To any readers of our blog, happiest of holidays and hope you spend it with family and loved ones – including the furry kind. More to come soon and will write more often…
He is the cutest. For the first time, Max is letting people pet him! Baby steps:)
Hi there to my few readers,
Max is showing so much progress. Instead of writing the blog – I am coaxed to play ball, walk, cuddle, and watch my pup trespass. Unfortunately, Maxwell loves to trespass and our walks often turn into battles about how many backyards are accessible to him. If not allowed to run through many of these beautiful yards, especially in the yards that happen to have pups he likes, he won’t budge and the standoff begins. Last week, he woke up people we know as their windows were open and the dogs started barking as he ran by their bushes. I was so embarrassed.
The most important update on progress is that he is allowing folks to pet him. He is engaging with people and dogs far more than he used to. I see hope for a social life (fingers crossed)
The less than happy news is that we still wake up by 5:10 am every single day. And, if I don’t wake up upon his initial attempt – the sneezing and coughing starts, followed by growling or barking at a fictitious threat outside. The last straw will be every toy is pulled out of of the toy box because my little guy knows that will be too hard for me to resist (one)…The lack of sleep for a year has definitely taken a toll on my looks & energy. However, it is well worth it for all the love he gives.
Happy 4th of July & thanks for stopping by to read the update!
One year ago – right about now – I brought Maxwell home as a foster dog.
I love him very much and have given every ounce of my existence trying to help him adapt.
Today wasn’t an easy day. I took him two blocks into town and he had a panic attack. Then we approach my condo and we encountered a small child. He, again, had a full fledged flee attack.
He was no different with the behavior meds. I was offered an immersion class, but he trusts one person – me. I cannot risk what could happen if I break our bond and his spirit. I also have been told PTSD is different in regard to training than a regular dog.
Some days I have hope, but today I am feeling a bit down and hopeless. These dogs are so damaged and I don’t know if there is a way to repair a non-socialized and abused dog.
I welcome ideas…and continue to hope he will make progress.
Helping senior dogs by giving them one last chance for a wonderful life. God bless the folks that run House with a Heart:)
A few things happened this week. I gave Max his first dose of tick meds. I DON’T recommend Bravecto for small dogs. He took it Sunday, could barely stay awake and is still not eating much. I felt like he was dying for a day or two and you have to wonder how toxic these pills are:( Bad mom feelings are the worst:(
I drive him to a lovely neighborhood twice a day as he still struggles with the busy road outside of my house. Gorgeous homes and friendly people; the neighborhood brings us both a ton of joy. We get to see lots of dogs which he loves these days (pic of Max and a pom friend below)…
The latest Max idiosyncrasy habit is his fascination with trying to visit with each neighbor’s home in this glorious neighborhood. It is so embarrassing and he stares at each home for a minute or two. He pulls me towards the door of each home we pass by. I guess he wants to meet friends or that is the only explanation I can conjure up. I tell him I would like to live in these homes also, but he cannot just go up to each door:)
It is actually cute to watch, but I am hoping this habit is a short-term one!
Maxwell still has so far to go, but I will admit he has a permagrin (permanent grin) on his face every day or so it feels that way. Being a bad dog mom, I have been occupying him with treats called Bentley’s beef jerky chews. He LOVES them and they occupy him. It used to be that they kept him focused for a few hours, but he now chews them up in 10 minutes. However, they are GI friendly so, for now, it is too tempting to use them.
Wishing my best friend and little guy a happy National Puppy Day. He has been doing well and we are soon going to add a 3rd anxiety drug to our cocktail. Fingers crossed it might work so I could get him walking or engaging with humans….
What is helping with the anxiety now? The Adaptil (two in a small space), $30 rugs, pee pads, beef jerky chews (bad mom), Presence to watch him with the iPad, turkey and beef, and toys. I built him a bench with steps and he actually is beginning to use it to look outside. Very exciting!
Since I adopted Maxwell, my fear is that I will die on this highly dependent boy. I am really healthy, but somehow I ended up at death’s door and I was so worried for him. With that in mind, I am determined to get him to trust others so he can walk and be okay if I don’t outlive him. There must be a way as he is spoiled and loved beyond belief.
He is so quirky. He is TERRIFIED of flies (think a chicken coop) and fascinated with any downward sloping driveways. He goes ballistic if we see a dog outside while in the car. He feels powerful and strong in the car booster seat and likes to stand so he is taller than me.
I am so lucky to have met Maxwell. Here’s to an easier year ahead and, hopefully, a future where we can have friends and – maybe – I can start to focus on exercise and seeing friends just a little bit more.:) The pic below is on the way to the vet for his rabies shot; I felt terrible as he was so unknowingly happy. But it went just fine.
Last summer, I titled our blog thinking my second chance was to love a dog. February was eye-opening. Midway through the month, I decided to sneak in a late class to work on toning. During that class, I experienced the worst pain of my life. At first, I thought it was a stroke. However, I could function. I thought I had pulled my neck and, in the process, developed this strange pain through my head.
I always thought doggies could sense pain. Maxwell didn’t notice that night or the next few days. The pain got worse and very bad. I learned, over a week later, that I had a warning bleed. I was a walking time bomb and the odds would say you don’t walk around for eight days in this state.
I learned that I was having emergency brain surgery and the I must immediately leave. Remember, Maxie hasn’t walked with anyone but me and still doesn’t allow anyone else to touch him. Maxwell stayed in his bed and waited for my return for six days. My wonderful friends fed him, but all he did was bark at them. Thankful for the pee pads because his world stayed small for those six days.
I pray we can find a way to get Max to develop some trust of others. I cannot imagine a life without travel or more social outings, but I also couldn’t live without him. However, only time will tell how I will manage this situation. Max is MUCH better with things like fear of trash cans and elevators
, but hasn’t moved with human engagement and interaction.
We switched him to fluoxetine and that may help. Only time will tell….in the meantime, I am grateful for more time here on earth and that I didn’t end up never coming home. You realize that there is no way to explain the circumstances to a puppy.
Besides the pigs ear GI issues, we had a good week. Max was really sick from a Bark Box gift – lesson learned that this guy cannot handle treats like other dogs. I ordered one, but that may be our last due to the two days of illness:( That requires another new rug (#5 for the year).
However, he is doing great and looks adorable with his new haircut.
Also, we want to thank our Apple buddy – Lance – he listened to me cry and was giving us a gift for some phone support issues we dealt with. He was really wonderful to work with and, while I never had doubts about Apple products, the 24/7 support was a bit exhausting until we met Lance!
In regard to rescue and what is working – hmmmm, not sure right now. He is so much better than 8 months ago, but still not moving on the option of others walking him area. We will see, but work will start to creep in and we will see how he can manage without me (not going to be easy for me)… I ordered a humidifier as I decided if I am dry and parched – poor pup is here all day.
Wishing everyone a good week!
Max was, once again, very sick with GI last week. To the point where I assumed we could be in real trouble. However, he is doing better now and we got a few tests to make sure all is okay.
On a happier note, he is flourishing in regard to his interest in engaging with other animals. We went to the dog park today and he let big dogs run up. The past few weeks, it worried me as he has intermittently run after big dogs and barks. Today, he was calm and friendly to all five dogs who came up to sniff him.
With that, it brings me such joy to see this boy thriving as he realizes he is safe and loved. I have given him more of my time, energy and life than I ever anticipated I could muster up for anyone. He is my biggest life accomplishment to date and I hope he has a wonderful life.
More to come and, as I post so infrequently, thanks to anyone still reading!
So very sorry for the long absence. Maxwell is thriving in most ways, but we continue to have our struggles. We hit 7 months yesterday so I keep hoping for continued improvement in how he relates to the world.
One thing that is hard on us right now is the cold weather. I, being a novice dog owner, didn’t know how painful snow and ice are on a pup’s paws. Poor boy. He has shoes and a coat, but hates both these cold weather options. Not sure how any dog owner gets dog shoes on without a serious battle. And the coat has velcro – unfortunately velcro sticks to his fur. Buttons or an attachment is the recommendation for pet coats. We did get a cute pic with his preppy coat on though so I will post it.
Additionally, salt is a serious concern. I have been washing his paws which also doesn’t go over so well. Salt can cause serious paw issues and apparently killed a poor pup here in our area (possibly ingesting the chemicals). I also apply vaseline to his paws which he doesn’t seem to mind as much.
Last – we don’t have our long, fun walks right now. We have freezing cold, dark walks where we look for an ounce of grass to pee on. #2 is almost not happening (poor little boy). And the 14 layers pre-work and post-work is no fun. Poor guy has to wait around and always does so very patiently.
The kicker is that no one told me/ reminded me about cold weather woes when I adopted a pup. I am sure if I had a snazzy dog door and a back yard with an awning, I may be posting about the joys of winter. But I live in an urban high rise with lots of people, cars and salt.
So I hope to save another new parent from these novice, cold weather mistakes.
Wishing my two wonderful followers a happy new year and my resolution is to be a more consistent blogger.
December 9 was our six month mark. It has been the pinnacle turning point in my mind for miraculous change. While there is amazing progress, and my love for Max grows every day, it has been incredibly hard this month. The reasons may be more life in general – dark walks (cold weather hurts after an hour of walking in the elements), a long commute and work pressures while knowing he is sitting alone, etc…I realize this is the first time I have a dependent and know I overwork about his happiness.
The meds are helping Max in many ways. However, he still will not allow others to touch him and that remains the constant issue. He even is getting closer to some dogs. I try not to think about it, but if no one else work with him, how will I manage this long-term? I hope to travel, go out and have fun, and move forward with a career without having to run out at 4:30 pm. Of course, I will continue to do all I can to help him and hope for a gradual trust in others.
Today we went to see Santa. It was freezing and there were many dogs in line. He was shaking with fear and, although you were supposed to put your dog on Santa’s sled, I held him. I am the only on looking happy here in the picture:). Poor Santa was looking delirious from the cold. There was another dog, who seemed calm and happy, in front of us. His mom mentioned he had been in a kill shelter and took two years to normalize. What was interesting to me was the level of terror that overtook this dog in front of us once it was her turn for a picture. In comparison to the other dogs, when asked to get up with Santa. Her tail went fully under her body (almost to her chin)and she crouched to the ground. No other dogs getting a picture showed the degree of terror she and Max were showing. I realize that these rescue dogs will never fully recover. What they have known may be too brutal and, while they know they are now safe, the slightest trigger may always lead to that almost-hard-to-watch panic attacks / terror response.
I got a letter from Last Chance rescue that they took the 50 ‘worst’ dogs and the article mentioned he lived in a chicken coop. I forgot about the coop part of the story. I try to remember his history as we struggle to socialize and train him. He sits on command now and will ‘sing’ with me (actually he howls)! So he is learning and many other things are easier (he will get in the elevator now!).
We hit our important six month anniversary and I pray that in six more months, Max trusts others also. It is important for his longevity and happiness.
I have never given so much of my own life for anything or anyone. He is worth every minute, but I still hope for easier days.
Wishing all visitors a joyous holiday full of happiness!
Maxwell is a addicted to barking, sniffing and peeing in leaf piles. I don’t know what we will do when the leaves are gone. He likes to climb the hills and piles and my role becomes saving him right before a tumble. I have spent the past 4 weeks watching him sniff and climb each and every pile.
Barking is another issue at home. Now, with his new anti-anxiety meds kicking in, he barks even more. Oh boy:( I always wanted a dog that didn’t bark. What I didn’t realize is that what you see in the first week isn’t what you get. He actually is husky and pom and they are both ranked as the top 10 dogs that bark. I asked the vet behavorist about a muzzle (kind of want to chuckle) for teleconference worries. She said no way.
As an update, his meds are making a tiny bit of progress. He is now on a cocktail of meds as we try to move this dog to engage with others. It is hit or miss in the sense that I haven’t seen consistent behavior changes. What is happening is more engagement with people, a few sniffs with dogs, a willingness to go down in the elevator (usually that requires picking him up) and a new hilarious thing where he wants to sniff the all 20 doors on my hall every time he gets out of the apartment. I asked the vet if this could be a way of trying to know others. She said yes. He also has gotten mischievous. He runs away and won’t let me catch him. Cute at first, annoying over time. Unfortunately – he is more afraid of cars and walking has been less enjoyable in general. Between the sniffing for 5 minutes at each stop or the stop and stare rather than walk moments, it is slow-paced and cold sometimes. I also am getting so little exercise, that the 2-3 hours of walking was helping me. 2-3 hours of standing isn’t going to help:)
More to come, but he really does get cuter every day. I suppose that is what every pet owner must say, but it really is true with Maxwell:) I hope to give him a Boo haircut in the spring – that is my fav style on poms. He kind of looked more like Boo when I adopted him (see top picture). I will attach a pic of Boo below in case you aren’t familiar with him (he is the famous pom as shown on the right). Now Max looks more like the chick on the left. Isn’t Boo so cute he could pass for a doll? I love Boo’s haircut and cannot wait to try it on Maxwell!
)….
I have been wanting to share what is working for my little guy. I have spent a lot of money on things that work and a lot of money on things that don’t work.
What is working:
What is working is noise machines. They drown out the sounds that scare my pup. That could be voices in the hall, a trash truck outside, or a dog barking in the distance. Sadly, they don’t help with opening a can or other kitchen noise. They still make him back. I bought two machines. The new machine – the Sound & Sleep Adaptive noise machine – is super cool. It adapts to sound and even has a meditate selection. It was $99. The other one that I use is the Marpac SleepMate. It has a real fan and has been on for five months continuously. I think it is about $50.
Another thing that works well for fearful dogs is, believe it or not, blankets. I have bought three additional blankets, on top of the Ugg blankets, and he just loves them. One was a Laura Ashley blanket which is super soft. Satin or velvet and satin pillows are also a fav for the pampered dog. Dog steps help, but he won’t use any that make noise and he still uses them at moments of great desire to hang out. It he is on the fence, the steps will be avoided. I bought the Amazon top-rated wooden steps/ramp and, sure enough, they were ignored. They now sit in the closet as I contemplate how to sell them.
There is more to share, but I will keep you waiting in suspense. In the meantime, what has been working well, and cannot be purchased, are leaf piles. Max loves them and spends a lot of time peeing in them, on them and around them. We will miss them when they are gone.
And tonight we took an extra late walk to see the Supermoon. I don’t think he noticed it, but I did and will share a picture. Wishing everyone a great week ahead:)
I have been MIA and am sorry about that. Life, work, election, off and on Maxwell illness (although that is less frequent these days – hooray!)….
I found something everyone should read before or after they adopt a pet from a puppy mill or hoarder… especially after a few years of age.
http://thebark.com/content/insights-behavior-dogs-rescued-animal-hoarders
I have read it a few times. It hit me to the core as it is so accurate. Here are the points that resonate:
Q: What’s different in the behavior of dogs… who lived as breeding animals in puppy mills, or in a hoarding environment?
A: Dogs from hoarding environments were dramatically more likely to be fearful of people, of other dogs or just of the world in general. (A terror of new things—and to them, everything is new—is one of the hallmarks of a dog from a hoarding situation.) ….. Many of these dogs also dislike being touched or restrained, but simultaneously show a deep neediness and desire to be near people.
These results paint a picture of a dog who is not equipped at a basic level to interact normally with the world, and who is desperate to relate to humans but is not quite sure how to go about it. Serpell wonders if these attachment disorders are due to the disruption of the normal environment early in the dogs’ lives, followed by an environment with little to no individual attention. “You take them out of that situation,” he says, “and it looks like they hyperattach to the new owner.”
…the owners of these dogs report decreased trainability, presumably because the dogs avoid interaction.
Regrettably, those who adopted dogs from hoarding situations reported having difficulty finding support in the very difficult task of helping their dogs adjust. One adopter wrote, “There is little to no help available dealing with dogs with such social developmental deprivation. Dealing with physically abused dogs who have a basis of human trust in the beginning is very different than dealing with a neglected-from-birth hoarder dog.
The only thing in the article that doesn’t resemble Maxwell is that it indicates dogs tire of barking in hoarding situations. Maxwell has a field day with the noise in my building and many have mentioned they can hear him barking. I am working on that, but he is a quite a vocal guy for only 11 pounds.
I will post tomorrow with what is working. This article is compelling to me and I had to give it the attention it deserved.
PS – the freckles on his nose are much darker and prominent. I am still trying to figure out if from the Clostridium, nutrients, aging, etc… They weren’t there when I got the little guy, but his markings everywhere have changed also.
Max has had a great weekend. He continues to be doing better GI-wise and started his anti-anxiety meds on Friday. He also got a haircut in the half the time that it took last time. The dog groomer, Tina, comes to our home and does an amazing job with him.
Last – we have met some wonderful friends on our walks and in the building. They seem to care about my little guy and that gives me tremendous hope that we can continue to help him socialize. The idea of someone spending time with him makes me happy. And, the idea of actually being able to go out and know that he wouldn’t always be alone brings me joy.
I have some new ‘anxious dog’ tips and tools and will share more in the next blog. In the meantime, and in recognition of Halloween, I made a collage to reflect Maxwell’s resemblance to a fox. There is also another picture of him on the trail just because he is so incredibly cute.
Since I adopted Maxwell, I get asked if he is a fox and, for some strange reason, I hear it most often from homeless people. A group of kids asked if he was a werewolf. I, of course, said yes.
When I first adopted Maxwell, there was a moment of pause where I thought, ‘could this little guy actually be part-fox?’.
With that, he is skittish like a fox at times. On our walk this weekend, we actually ran into a lovely fox who ran away quickly. He was lovely, but their tails are totally different than Max’s pompom tail.
Stay tuned for some exciting ‘taming your fearful dog’ pointers and an update on the benefits of zoloft in mini-canines in my next few posts!
Here’s Why Dogs Look Like Their Owners, According to Science
We found out Maxwell has clostridium at 600 times the normal levels. No wonder we have been struggling. Three vets, thousands of dollars and something that is actually treatable. That is the good part. He has been on a bitter antibiotic for a week and doing much better. I hope after a month of treatment it will be time to focus on behavior.
I think we are out of the woods.
I do think the adapt diffusers are really helping. They ran out and he was different without them. More high-strung and edgy. I recommend them for anxiety.
It is Halloween and he gets super scared of the decorations. Lovely time in DC though and great for dog walks.
This week started off so well. We received a car crate for a safe drive from some great friends we met walking. Monday was a long car trip to work on socialization with the behaviorist. His GI was trending normal and I was feeling really happy about that.
A few kibbles in the new auto dispenser and a few days later led to the return of the very bad GI. I came home from work and it was everywhere. The frequency was every 4 hours at best. And definitely more lethargic than usual. I called for antibiotics but the previous vet would only do this with a visit. I know the drill – come in, check vitals (always fine), see the vet, get the antibiotic and pay $200-300. As only 12 days since the last visit – quite disconcerting and many vets seem to focus on profit as a driver. Max got worse and, by Saturday, was really drippy and uncontrollable. It was hard as I knew another round of GI issues could implicate a more serious illness per the last vet visit.
I went to a new vet which was a good call. They are doing an ultrasound next week and think it could be another cycle of worms. They also shared the blood may be due to dehydration in these small dogs. They gave me a higher dose of antibiotics and other treatment. He is in great spirits, but still seems somewhat uncomfortable.
He got a ton of attention at the vet today. I keep trying to tell him that if he was friendly to others, he could be most popular guy around. He actually sniffed a few folks today which is definitely making progress from a month ago.
I remain hopeful that we find the root cause and get Maxwell healthy. I want to work on behavior, but that cannot be the priority with the health issues.
On a cuter note, I gave him a new pink spike ball. He acted like he had never seen one before and it occupies him for a few hours. He has about four of these balls now. He loves to play – there is never a time he doesn’t respond to the ball. It is just one of the adorable things I love about this little guy.
His stools didn’t show worms or anything worrisome. The vet mentioned some may not show up in the test.
Had he ever been dewormed, she asked?
No, there was no mention of deworming that I recall, I said… She asked for his background and I told her 8-9 years was spent in a barn with rats, dead dogs, and little care. She suggested that deworming would be a good idea.
Since then – he is happier, he is not having any GI issues and I am hopeful.
Other new calming tools in the mix:
Finally, while he has 3 beds, I may look into a new orthopedic bed for him to replace his original cheap-o one. He looks like he hurts midday by the way he stretches. While his brain is youthful, he is 9 yo and, most likely, is stiff after 9 -10 hours of waiting for me to get home from work.
A dog walker is the goal, but I know that could take many more months.
The next step in our journey is a animal behaviorist. I am hopeful that we can get this little guy to let others into his world! Our visit is soon and I hope to help others bypass some of our hurdles and mishaps…
Till next post – wishing you a good weekend!
Max is an anxious dog. I am trying to make him less fearful and less worried.
What shocks me daily on our walks is his adventurous spirit This little guy wants to see every new street or path available to him. His mom is a lover of routine. We often end up in a stand off at each intersection with Max going farther and farther away from home. He also prefers the less upscale where I want to walk. I love the large, manicured homes, but Max is focused on new and different as the #1 priority.
He also wants to follow the no-sidewalk, tricky to navigate way, much to my chagrin. This often leads to carrying my tired little pup home.
The issues that are hardest for me are his lack of social interaction. That leaves us with no dog walker, pet sitter and no relief for me. His adoption information said he loves dogs, but I haven’t seen that side of Max. He was protecting his brother at the event, but he is aloof with most everyone. Max is 9 years old yet he can walk for 3 hours and play for extended time periods each day. Our morning routine now resembles this:
I am grumpy and am losing steam by 8pm some days. If we could get a walker, I wouldn’t feel the one hour morning walk is so critical. I remain hopeful we can find a way to get him more open to engaging with dogs or humans. I want him to have friends and hope we can find a way.
