Maxine

Maxine, age 9

AVAILABLE 

Update 5/24/12:

Wow! It’s been an eventful two months since we first posted Maxine’s story. She was doing pretty well at her foster home, “but she just seems kind of droopy,” worried her foster mom. She expected a week or so of low energy as Max recovered from her time at the shelter, but the girl just wasn’t perking up. Then, right at the beginning of April, Mom noticed a few marble-sized lumps on Maxine’s tummy and took her to the vet. An aspirate revealed a mast cell tumor – a common cancerous tumor in canines. That’s the bad news—but the good news is that surgery, which was performed pronto, successfully removed the whole mass. The histopathology was encouraging, too: “It’s well differentiated cytologically, and has a low mitotic index [in other words, it’s not proliferating aggressively],” read the report. Max’s vet feels that her prognosis is pretty darn good. 

One thing’s for sure: 6 weeks down the road, Maxine feels way better! She has more energy for her walks—and while she used to “hunker down”  when the leash came out, she’s a lot more willing to have the lead put on, and she doesn’t keep her tail tucked the entire time, either. “More and more, she’s loosening up that tail,” reports her foster mom.  

As a calm & happy senior, Maxine doesn’t need crating; she is perfectly reliable left loose in the house when nobody is home. She likes kids and reaches out with her paws for petting, which is very cute! She’s not that interested in other dogs and can occasionally be grumpy with them, and she barks at cats – this girl is a definitely a People Person.

Sudden noises startle Maxine –  tearing aluminum foil, shutting cupboard doors, dropping things.  Her foster folks are trying to get her used to normal household noises by just letting them happen. “We aren’t trying to be quiet.”

A low to moderately active household would suit Maxine to a tee, and she’d likely do best and be happiest with an individual or couple who is home most of the time. She loves and needs attention; she’s content to lie at your feet and be stroked as she hears all about your day, your to-do list, your dinner plans, you name it. You won’t find a better listener!

In the pictures below, Maxine is the red-head :-)

Update 3/14/12:

“Max is actually a female. Her owner surrendered her... she just didn't want her any more. Max is 9 years old, very sweet, and quiet. She is spayed and said to be an outside dog. She needs someone that will give her the love she deserves as she acts like she may have been mistreated. Please give her a home!!”

When a rescue volunteer spotted Maxine’s posting on Petfinders, she quickly shot us an e-mail to make sure we knew about this pretty senior. We got right on it and showed up at the shelter next day at opening time to bail Miss Maxie out.  “This is a really, really sweet old girl,” reported our volunteer.  “She's a little shy at first but warms up quickly if you are calm and gentle with her.  The surrendering owner said she’s very good with kids and other dogs. She’s a petite Golden, a little plump at 65 pounds. She has a scar on her nose—maybe an old bite wound?”

The vet gave Maxie a clean bill of health, except for a mild ear infection. “Cute girl! She is a sweetheart! She looks really good for age 9… I would have guessed her at more like seven.”

Maxine will be arriving at her foster home soon. More photos and more news to come!

Adoption Procedures