One dog's video of going for a walk has gone viral, and for good reason. Maverick has lymphoma, but the lovable senior pup doesn't let anything keep him down.
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
His family adopted him as a puppy at a kill shelter in North Carolina eight years ago. He has been the best companion ever since. His human, Joey Maxwell explained the joy that he brings to CBS News:
He is the kind of dog who makes even non-dog people fall in love with him – my mother in law, for example. She is terrified of dogs, especially big dogs. But Mav is just a giant baby, so she loves him. He is the kind of dog who, if we take him out, he barks at everyone who passes until they pet him because he thinks the whole world is there just to love on him.
This just amplified the devastation that people felt when the Maxwell's found out about Mav's lymphoma two years ago. However, they decided to fight.
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
The sick pup got chemotherapy, and he went into remission. During his first bout with cancer, Maverick remained the happy-go-lucky dog he had always been.This past August, he relapsed, and he changed. Gone were the energy and spunk of before. The Maxwell's signed him up for chemo again, but they woke up one morning and realized that their boy was no longer able to sit up or walk. They rushed him to the vet.
He was anemic, had an infection, and we really thought we were going to lose him. He spent two nights and three days in the ICU, then they told us that we were bringing him home for hospice care.
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
The family decided that instead of sitting around crying and being depressed, they would give Maverick the best last time on Earth that they could.They went to their local Lowe's to search for a wagon to take him to his favorite place - the local town square - so he could get the pets and attention he loved so much.Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Matthew, the Florida couple realized that the store wasout. They decided to speak to a manager and share the reasons behind their search.
Before I could even finish the story, this man picked the phone up out of his pocket and started calling other stores, saying this was absolute top priority. He needed this wagon right now. Then he looked at me and said, ‘I got one. It’s coming. Can you be back in an hour?'
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
The even better news for the family who had spent most of their savings on Mav's treatment, was that Lowe's decided to give them the wagon for half price.
I, of course, lost it, blubbering there at the cash register. Then, the cashier broke down too and we had a nice little cry together.
The couple made the dog's new ride nice and comfortable for him - adding a memory foam mattress and blankets on top. Maxwell told The Dodo:
As soon as I started rolling that cart, the second we started moving, his mouth flopped open and his tongue hung out. He lifts his head off the bed and has this big dog grin from ear to ear.
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
What had started out as a sort of "last ride" for the pup turned into a momentum shift in his health. Residents started to recognize him and come over to say hello.Maverick reveled in the attention, and little by little he has been regaining some strength. He was soon able to sit up on his own and restarted chemo.Amazingly, just last week he was able to run around in his very own wheel chair. His parents say that he has been receiving acupuncture and hydrotherapy as well. The improvement is truly incredible.
Source: Everybody Loves Maverick
The Maxwell family set up a Facebook page for him called "Everybody Loves Maverick" to follow his updates, and you can donate to his treatment through their GoFundMe page.No one knows how much time he has left, but the outpouring of support from people around the world has boosted the spirits of both Mav and his parents, giving them all a reason to keep moving forward.
H/t: The Dodo
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