Adopter Name

M. Riley

Rescue Dog's Name

Maxine

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

Maxine entered my life on September 21, 2011. I had offered to foster a pregnant beagle momma for Louie's Legacy Animal Rescue but she was "adopted" out of the pound. Emily contacted me about possibly fostering a pregnant Chihuahua.

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

At first I was unsure. I was used to BIG dogs (St. Bernards and the like) so even a beagle was tiny. How was I going to deal with an ankle biter?! And then I met Maxine. When we got to Emily's, she was unloading her latest treasures. A van full of fuzzy love. Maxine was one of the last to be unloaded. When we got to her crate, she was so scared, she had peed all over herself. She was covered in fleas and, although pregnant, was skinny. We drove home and she sat in my lap the entire way. After her bath, we went in to the bedroom to get her cage set up (so she could have peace and quiet with her pregnancy), she crawled up on my bed, snuggled into my pillow, and slept. I didn't have the heart to wake her. We had our scares with her during her pregnancy, but the scariest was when she went into delivery. The first puppy wouldn't come out and we didn't know how many she was going to have. Long story short, they cleared the first puppy of the birth canal and then did an emergency C-section on her. I had never been so scared in my LIFE! Needless to say, she made it through and had 5 healthy, happy puppies. When it came time to start the Petsmart visits, I wasn't sure if I could let her go! Every night before she had the puppies and when the puppies weren't nursing, Maxi was in my lap. I realized I would have to adopt her when she freaked out at her first adoption event and just kept looking at me like I was abandoning her. She would just stare out of her cage at me and I realized she had already found her home. She is still my little Chi-chi (even though we found she's more of a Fox terrier) and still spends every night cuddled up to my side. She is my constant companion.

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

No matter what happens during the day, I can count on coming home to the best kisses in the world and on the days that just suck, she is there to comfort me and let me know that everything will be alright.