Sweet Maximus

Yes, the Haney blog project has failed miserably. You'll understand why soon enough, we have been busy with plenty of family matters to keep us busy and too exhausted to compose a blog.
The past 7 days have been horrid. There was all the devastation with the awful storms that ripped through the hometowns of too many people I know personally, missing my dear hometown by just a few miles. That, in itself, had me in an array of sad, thankful, and heartbroken emotions.
A few days before all this happened, we made a special trip to the vet with my sweet Maximus. We had recently been noticing a slight deformation forming on the left side of his head. We were visiting my family in Corner and decided to go ahead and take him to his former vet there who we knew we could get in and see that day without having to wait days for an appointment. She was optimistic that Max was just suffering from muscle atrophy, he wasn't in pain, and he may stay pain free forever and just have a silly shaped head. She recommended we make an appointment with the small animal hospital here in Auburn and see the neurologist for an MRI. My sweet boy, I was on pins and needles the rest of the week. I was terrified because once I called to maket the appointment I found out Max would have to stay alone overnight at the hospital. At least I knew he would be recieving the best care on this side of the nation!
Here's a condensed history of me and my sweet boy. If you have never had pups or don't have a pet that is treated better than some children, you might as well read no further- you won't understand. This little boy has a huge piece of my heart and I see nothing wrong with this.... I have had Max for 3 years. I will never forget the day I rescued him. The night before, I was watching the local news in Auburn and they mentioned a local humane society in Columbus, GA who had just recieved a large rescue of puppy mill puppies. I had recently decided that I needed a companion, I lived by myself and was taking an easy load in school and working a few hours a week at one job- I finally had the perfect amount of time to add a roommate. I got on the humane society's website and started looking at the dogs they had available. That is when I found my perfect match. He was a handsome 2 year old dachshund/miniature pinscher mix, and he had a ridiculous name of "PJ". I had to have him. First thing the next morning, I called the shelter to make sure this PJ was still available for adoption, and I was so excited to hear he was. I told the worker there to not let anyone adopt him, I would be on my way soon! A few hours later I got to the humane society and walked in and told them I was there to see PJ- I wanted to adopt him. They just ooh-ed and ahh-ed over what a sweet boy and he was and told me to make sure I saw him and played with him before I made a final decision, I knew this little runt had my heart before meeting him. They took me back to where he was kept- in a tiny cage he could barely stand up in with cats (his worst enemy) above and below him. He had a little, worn red collar on and they had a yellow leash to keep the sweet boy from running away too far- he was a ball of energy! As soon as he was out of the cage he jumped up on me and tinkled in the floor from excitement, I knew if he could talk he would be saying "PLEASE be my mama and take me home!!" Of course, I adopted this little angel and brought him home that day- February 20, 2008.  I hated the name PJ and didn't want him to remember anything about that stinkin' family who no longer wanted him and left him at a humane society, so I changed his name to Maximus- which he has lived up to very well :) Maximus and I have been through a lot together, there was long stretch when all of my friends were graduating (on time) and I still had years left here at Auburn, Max was my best friend during most of those days. He always HATED boys, any guy I tried to date he would growl, snap and bark continuously until they were gone UNTIL he met Lance. The first time Max met Lance I was terrified at how he would react, he barked at first just because some stranger was in our home, but within a few minutes he was in Lance's lap, curled up in a little ball asleep. I knew I had to marry him if Max like him :) We were both pretty crazy about him.
Over the past 3 years, Max has just become sweeter and sweeter. He LOVES laying in the sunshine on warm days, dressing up in all the ridiculous clothes him mom buys him, barking at squirrels, looking out the window, sleeping (his favorite nap spot is under Lance's leg pillow under the covers in our bed), eating chicken, chasing the BIG neighborhood dogs, sharing bagels every morning with Lance, and running really fast :) He has fits if he gets really excited and will run around in circles chasing his bone (yes, his bone!) until he gets exhausted. It took him about 2 years to tear up his favorite toy which was a HUGE blue bone with squeakies in BOTH ends! He is ferocious, but such a sweet mama's boy at the same time. As much as his brother, BoJackson, bothers him he really does love him. He really doesn't like baths, but enjoys the warm blanket and treats afterwards. His favorite place in the world is the country ( my parent's house in Corner) where he can run and play for days- plus, Gran give him whatever he wants and there are always new toys! This is my sweet, healthy boy...
Yesterday, we were awaiting the results of his MRI. Around 11, Lance sent me a message to call him as soon as I got a chance. My heart sank, I knew something was wrong. The first words out of Lance's mouth were "There is nothing they can do..." I lost it. Something was wrong with my sweet boy and we were stuck. The neurologist found a tumor around Maxie's brain. They can't operate because of where it is located. Right now, he is not in any pain, but eventually it will start to paralyze the left side of his face and continue until the entire left side of his body is paralyzed. There is no treatment, and our only goal is to make this little puppy the happiest little boy in the world and make him as comfortable as we can once the paralysis starts. There is no timeline, so far the tumor has been very slow growing. I am praying it STOPS growing! That is our update on our sweet boy. I have treasured every second I get to hold and love on him and make sure he knows how much he is loved.