In Memory Of

Maximilian has come to us from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter and we are thrilled to have him with us. This boy is so loving and gentle which is a real blessing since he weighs in at 104.8 pounds. He is a nine year old black lab mix and we all agree that the mix is Mastiff. Maximilian has a lot of health issues that he is dealing with. He was admitted to clinic before coming to
Dog Lodge. While he was there, he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma resulting in the amputation of a toe. The entire malignancy was captured but we will have to constantly monitor his lymph nodes and lungs to watch for any metasisis. He has a problematic enlarged gall bladder, a significantly enlarged bladder resulting in incontinence, and some serious bowel issues amongst other problems. He has severe spondylosis of the spine and additionally, it appears that he may have suffered some trauma to his hind end.

Needless to say, Maximilian requires a great deal of maintenance and medications and we have visited clinic at least once a week for a variety of tests, follow-ups and consultations. Despite all of this, despite often times not feeling well, despite having to adjust to new people in his life, new surroundings and new four-legged friends, he continues to be the sweetest fellow. I’m not sure if there are many things cuter than Maximilian’s ‘Yoda’ ears flapping in the wind. His soft eyes are windows to a beautiful soul. He has settled in beautifully at Dog Lodge and fits into the group
as if he has been with the other dogs for all of his life. We feel blessed to have Maximilian as part of our family….

Mia is a Pug/Schnauzer mix (a Schnuggie) who is 13 y.o. and has all kinds of personality. Sadly, she has a neurological condition which causes her to have seizures. Luckily, the medications that have been prescribed for her keep her relatively seizure free for now. Mia seeks out rubs and pats every once in a while but most of the time she prefers to sleep. She is not like some of the others who would rather be in a lap than anywhere else.

Mia loves to go for walks. She seems to perk up tremendously when she sees that the leash is for her. She trots along with her nose on the ground picking up the scents obviously getting great joy from the outdoors.

Mia has come to us with her full sister and littermate Bella. They are a welcome pair.

A loving foster by the name of Molly, was taking care of Keats while looking for a permanent home for her. Keats had been picked up by Montgomery County Animal Control. Keats is a German Shepherd. Upon admission to our Sugar Land clinic, it was determined that she is severely disabled by spinal stenosis. She has great difficulty walking and is bowel incontinent. But…. it would be hard to find a more loving dog.  Keats has fit in well with the rest of our dogs and gets lots and lots of loving from our staff and volunteers. However, even though she is living at Dog Lodge, her medical evaluation continues. It is going to take a while to get her pain permanently under control in order for her to enjoy the quality of life that we strive to achieve for each and every one of our dogs.  Thank you to Molly for reaching out to us and giving us the opportunity to bring Keats into our program.

Cleo comes to us from Irving Animal Services in Irving, TX where she was surrendered by her owner, and then via Camo Rescue in Houston.  She is a tri-color Yorkshire terrier mix, approximately 7 years old. She weighs right around 11 pounds. Cleo is diabetic and has very opaque bilateral cataracts which significantly impair her vision.  What a sweetheart this little girl is!!  She is so quiet and calm. She gets along with all of her Sanctuary mates and loves the attention of all of the volunteers.  Cleo loves her time outside in the big yard.  It is almost an acre and she loves to sniff her way around exploring everything that she can.  She also likes to follow closely on the heels of the volunteers. She may be vision impaired but she doesn’t want to miss out on any of the action.

Houston Humane Society contacted us about Maxx who was an owner surrender.  He was continually passed over by adopters, possibly because of his advanced age of 9-10 years, his really bad hips and his heartworm positive status.

We call Maxx a wooly mammoth because of all his hair and, though he is not a giant breed, he is certainly not small.  Picture a leonberger with shorter legs and that is kind of what Maxx looks like. Maxx has just had his first heartworm treatment and so we are keeping him very quiet right now.  Once we get past that, we can start working on an in-depth evaluation of his hind end. He has great difficulty walking, very little strength and intermittent pain.

Maxx, like our other residents, loves the attention he gets from the volunteers.  He likes to sniff around outside in the dog paddocks, enjoys his leashed walks and has no problem with taking regular naps.  This darling boy has won our hearts and we love having him as part of our group. Thank you to HHS for contacting us.

We’ll keep you posted….