| MEET: MAXINE |
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| STATE:
MA AGE: 6 yrs DOB: WEIGHT: 56 lbs SEX: Female NEUT/UTD: Yes/Yes COAT COLOR: Red Fawn DOCKED TAIL: Yes CROPPED EARS: No CHILDREN UNDER 4: Yes CHILDREN OVER 4: Yes SEPARATION ANXIETY: No OTHER DOGS: Yes CATS: Yes CRATE TRAINED: Yes HOUSE TRAINED: Yes LEASH TRAINED: Yes OBEDIENCE TRAINED: ? MICROCHIPPED: Yes ADOPTION FEE: $320 (includes $20 microchip fee) |
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| UPDATE 5/31/11 - The Ladies are doing just fine. A couple of months ago, Lucy had surgery to remove a large tumor from her rectum. I'm happy to report that it was benign. She lost some weight during this time and has kept it off. She's so energetic! She pops like pop corn when I get home from work. The ordeal was difficult for Maxine, her daughter. She spent the days that Lucy was in the hospital moping around the house issuing deep, sad sighs. We have a wonderful veterinary hospital nearby that took very good care of Lucy but it costs thousands of dollars! That was a surprise. Anyway, she's her usual self again - a bit of a bully who always gets the toy she wants, the best spot on the couch, etc. Max seems happy to oblige her.
We're back to our long, morning walks. We leave at about 4:30 and walk for about two miles before breakfast. The ladies are going to have an adventure this week end. My son is getting married out in the western part of Massachusetts. Originally, I had planned to bring the dogs with me but the more I thought about this the sillier it seemed. They would have been left alone, crated in an unfamiliar room for much of the time. I finally decided to take them to a kennel for 3 days. They'll get a "spa treatment" - bath, nails, ears, and other parts - as they relax. The people who run the kennel assure me that they've had many rescue dogs who done just fine. Happy to report that we are all still very happy with each other. UPDATE 1/24/11 - I'm just back from one of Lucy's new games. She likes to interact (on her terms, of course) so she makes up little games at every opportunity. This morning, I dropped a head of garlic on the floor. I quickly picked up the head and returned to pick up the small paper-like pieces of skin that had fallen off but Lucy got there first. She sniffed and snorted and the garlic paper jumped ahead several inches. She cocked her head, thinking maybe. I moved to pick up the garlic paper from its new location. Just as I reached down, it jumped ahead to a different spot. Lucy had come up from behind and snorted again on the dry, little paper. The game was on. I followed the paper around the kitchen trying to remove it from the floor. Each attempt was foiled by Lucy's snort. Maxine sat on the small rug in the kitchen and watched the antics. Finally, I sent the girls to their crate so I could pick up this small piece of garlic paper. Lucky that today is Saturday and I have time to chase garlic skins around the kitchen to amuse the ladies. Lucy has a set of games she plays with Max. One of her favorites is “It's All Mine”. She will of collect all of their tennis balls, toys, and any other mouth-sized item that's not nailed down and put her stash in Max's crate. Then she parks herself in the entrance of the crate. From this spot she watches as Max paces back and forth in front of her own crate. If she passes too close, Queen Lucy will harrumph – not quite a grow but clearly a warning. Eventually, Max comes to me with her “Mom, Lucy's not sharing the toys” look. I recover some of the toys for Max. As soon as I turn away, Lucy gathers the items from Max and returns to guarding her stash. Lucy enjoys this game more than Max does. Lucy has the upper hand in games of the mind but Max is the winner of physical games. Max's favorite move is to pull one of Lucy's rear legs until she falls on her bottom. I like to imagine there's a little payback involved but that's probably not the case. Max is a sweetheart and doesn't hold a grudge. Max always has a sweet, even temperament except when we're out walking on the leash and encounter other dogs. Lucy becomes very tense and this seems to be Max's cue to go crazy. The result of this crazy has been for her to attack Lucy, the nearest dog. We have been working with Bette Yip, a highly regarded local trainer, on analyzing and solving this problem in private sessions. We have seen that there is not a problem when Lucy is not present. Interesting isn't it. Over the past couple of months, the girls have improved immensely. Most of the training has been to enhance my awareness of what triggers these episodes. In fact, Max is going to her first doggie play group tomorrow afternoon. I think she'll enjoy it. I hope that Lucy will be able to go to these play groups soon. I'm planning to introduce them to the other dogs separately before I bring them together. I need better control their unpredictable dynamic before I do this. Needless to say, the girls keep me busy. They also keep me very happy. I'm as happy to come home to see them as they are to see me after a day of work. UPDATE 11/1/10 - Lucy & Maxine graduated from their obedience training. They can sit, stay, and get down very nicely especially if they know a treat is involved. I'm planning to find someone to work with them on interacting with other dogs. They seem to mirror the behavior that they encounter whether it s friendly or not. I want them to learn to ignore yappy little dogs rather than to respond aggressively. Both dogs run with the Doggie Jogger once a week. They really look forward to his visits. We are hoping to introduce other dogs for these runs. They are also happy to join me on my slower walks. We make up in distance what we can't manage in speed. Both dogs have adjusted wonderfully. Max was very excited by Halloween and sat by the door waiting for our local visitors. I think she wanted to join them. Lucy dozed on the couch. They are delightful companions and I'm very lucky to have them. UPDATE 10/2/10 - Lucy and Maxine are together once again. It was quite a reunion of squealing, wriggling boxers jumping and dropping onto each other. We need a long walk to calm down. Long walks are their specialty. Our first Saturday, we walked along the paths of Minuteman National Park for 4 hours. Both girls ignore joggers running towards them or up from behind. The same is true for bicyclists and squeaky carriages. Nothing stops them – they just keep walking. They have begun their obedience training where they are quite a hit. Maxine will do anything for a food reward. Lucy is more circumspect. If the treat is very special and she wants to, she'll obey. If not, she won't. This difference between them is also evident when they encounter a new person. Maxine is ready to be everyone's best friend. Lucy, though friendly, is far more reserved in her response. She comes over an let you pet her but then she comes right back to me. Both girls are getting the rhythm of their new life. We're usually in the car on our way to a park by 5 AM. After a one hour walk, we come home for a meal and bathroom break. They spend a few 3 or 4 hours in their crates until I return for their midday visit to the back yard. They are out of their crates for the rest of the day by about mid-afternoon when it's time for another meal. They relax for a while before we go out for an evening walk, again for about an hour. Maxine adjusted to this schedule very easily. Lucy had a harder time understanding what the visits to the backyard were for. She had the freedom to use the backyard at her foster home on her own schedule. She's now getting the hang of it. We had our first visit to the vet yesterday. Our vet had a boxer of her own so she understands the breed from an owner's perspective. She said that both girls were in excellent shape. She also said that most rescue dogs don't come in looking so healthy and well-cared for. Thank you for taking such good care of them. 9/24/10 - Maxine has been adopted! 9/14/10 - Maxine has ben here since Saturday. She does not come to "Maxine", she comes to "Max" and her paper work says, "Max", so that's what we've been calling her. What a gem she is!! She wiggles from her nose to the tip of her nub. She is the sweetest thing! She is so mild and gentle. Loves to give kisses. We put up the crate because I have to go to work for few hours in the morning and afternoon. She loves it! She even lays in it during the day with the door open. She is so happy when the kids come home from school she is good with all my kids ages 3 to 16. She has not had one accident in the house. She knows "sit" we are working on "paw". She's so respectful of the current dogs in the home. She will wait her turn for a drink. She even gives them gentle kisses- too cute. So far I haven't seen and aggression at all towards food or toys. She doesn't beg, counter surf, or try to get food from my 3 year old. We haven't even heard her bark.. She only will play with the dogs outside, not in house. Maxine is a special girl. She is a mild, care-free, girl who just wants to be smooched and if you would hold her like a baby she probably would love that. For all she's been through, she's a real trooper. She looking for a forever home of her own one that will love her forever. She deserves it!!! 9/12/10 - Meet Maxine the princess. She came in yesterday, what a beauty she is. She came into my pack without one stress. She was so happy to meet my kids and my other boxers as well as Alice the yappy dog. She played outside for hours playing ball and rolling down the hill being silly. She ate her dinner and has done all her business outside. She came in, explored the inside, found her way to the couch and sprawled out. She was happy. Last night she slept in bed with my husband and I and every now and then she would put her head on my chest. She got up went pee outside had her breakfast and played. She is very loving, very laid back, gentle and ready to please you. She has the most beautiful rusty red coat on her. She's petite but very healthy looking for all she's been through. She will not last long so get your applications in for her because she truly is a gem. 9/11/10 - Maxine is here, what a doll. she is so sweet and calm and so happy to be out of the shelter, she been outside playing ball drinking water playing with the kids, she met my boxers and shes loves them they played so well, shes such a layed back girl with lots of kisses. she will not be around long she perfect in every way and beautiful will send pics in a bit. Maxine was in a shelter in MA where she was treated for heartworm, brought up to date on shots, and temperment tested. |
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