Max is a sweet old boy that came into our rescue in June of 2002.
He had been a stray, found along the roadside iin Indiana by an animal control worker.
Having no collar or tags on, and no micro-chip identification, he was taken to the shelter to wait for someone to claim him.
Well, the hold time for Max was coming to a close, and no had called looking for him.
Thank goodness a gal from the Indiana Lab Rescue was there picking up a Lab for her group
and she spotted this very sick Pug.
She asked the AC worker if she could take Max too and get him some help.
They agreed, so off Max went with the Lab Rescue.


Max was real sickly when he was pulled from the shelter.
He weighed only 8 pounds - all skin and bones. His breathing was very labored and raspy.
To be honest, the lab rescuer doubted he would survive more than a day or two,
but wanted to make sure if he passed away it would be in a comfortable home, not a shelter cage.
She put him on some antibiotics and wormed him. Max surprised her and started responding and
gaining weight little by little. The rescuer felt he would have a better chance if he were
with a Pug group as he was not comfortable around her Labs. She was unable to get a response
back from the only group she found in Indiana, so she called us.
We were more than happy to try and help Max.

The road trip from Indiana to Michigan was not an easy one. Max was repeatedly vomiting along the way, and gasping as he drew in each breath.

A call was placed to our vet asking if we could bring him right in. They were able to see him as soon as we got into town. The prognosis was not good. Xrays revealed his heart was three times normal size, and his lungs were filled with fluid, leaving only a small space in the left lung for oxygen. We were told even with aggressive treatment, Max may not survive more than a month or two. Any longer than that would simply be a gift. He was put on some heavy-duty antibiotics, and Lasix for his heart. We also determined that Max was totally deaf. His odd bark indicates he may have been born that way.

Well, two months went by....then three, four, five, six..... Max had made great improvemnt! His lungs were now clear and his breathing back to normal. Sadly his heart remained enlarged, most likely damaged by disease. A dental was performed now that we felt he could withstand the anesthesa, as the infection in his mouth kept making him sick again. He had over half of his teeth removed. Max has felt so much better since his dental - no more infections!

Almost a year has passed....Max remains in rescue. No one has inquired about adopting this old boy, mostly afraid they will fall in love with him and then lose him due to his age. Meanwhile, he continues to thrive in his foster home. A wonderful couple who adopted one of our other rescues has decided they wish to help sponsor Max. Their generousity greatly helps us to contiue with only the best care for Max. Max has developed some severe arthritis in his joints over this past year and is now on medication to keep him comfortable.

January, 2004: Max has recently been diagnosed with mass cell tumors on his left front leg. The larger mass is on his left ankle, and cannot be operated on due to it's location and the amout of tissue that would need to be removed. Max is not in any discomfort at this time, and will staying in his present foster home in a hospice status. As long as Max is not in pain and is enjoying a quality of life he will remain with us. Some dogs live many years without any further complications from this type tumor, others are not so lucky. We have no way of knowing what is in store for Max. When the day does come that his creator calls him home, he will go there knowing that he was loved here on earth.

July, 2004: Max moved with us, his foster family, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He recently saw the vet for a slight upper respiratory infection, but that has since cleared up and he is doing well. The mass cell tumors have not gotten any larger, nor have they appeared to have spread elsewhere. This sweet old man pug is enjoying his new life as a "Yooper Pug".

April 2006: Max was adopted by his long time foster mom. He has been with the same foster for 4 years and become such an important part of the pack. He is where he truly belongs. Max will still be the poster pug for rescue, but now has a true mommy of his own.

September 1, 2006: Today was a sad day. Max simply could no longer fight the on going problems he had with heart failure, kidney failure, and cancer. He became very ill over a 24 hour period to the point that he could not even stand up. He was rushed to the vet, but it was felt to be in his best interest to let him go to the bridge. Max now runs again, painlessly and free with the others at Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again Max.......take care.