Maximus, My Little Warrior In The End

I want to share a deeply emotional connection I had with one of my dogs. I want you to know about one of the best dogs I have ever had. His name was Maximus, a black and tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. When I got Maximus, I had been a dog owner for over 15 years. I was raised with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel females, I had never had a male dog.

Maximus came into my life when my kids were 5 and 10. They were busy with camp, school, and friends. I felt the need to get another dog to keep me busy when the kids were at school.

Even though we had another female Cavalier in the house, Isabella, she was quiet and didn't play as much. So when I got Maximus, it was an instant connection. We developed such a strong and powerful bond that I really couldn't believe the feelings best friends vibes he gave to me.

Our girl, Isabella, never followed me around the way Maximus did. If I went to the bathroom, so did he. If I went to the kitchen to cook, he positioned himself in the bed to stare at me.

We had a very happy life together. Maximus loved to romp in the snow, chase after toys, jump onto furniture. Maximus walked with a gentlemen elegance on the leash. When he was around seven years old, we sometimes noticed a few stumbling up the stairs. We thought nothing of it as it looked like he tried to run up the stairs too fast. It wasn’t until he was 8 1/2 years old that the stumbling increased, now with wobbling or looking like he was having difficulty getting up.

He never looked in pain; he kept going as if nothing bothered him. You need to understand that Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for heart disease. That’s their primary problem. I had had 2 Cavaliers before Maximus, so I saw how they aged. What was going on with Maximus was different.

My husband and I took him to the Vet, and after doing an examination, seeing that he was in no pain, he failed the neurological test. Our Vet sent Maximus for an MRI and consult with a well-known neurologist. After the test, the neurologist asked us to sit down so he could go over the results.

The results were devastating. Maximus was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy, a spinal cord disease that slowly causes paralyzation from the hind legs to the lower back.

Sitting there numb with Maximus in my lap. What did this mean? We asked the neurologist question after question. Pain meds? PT? Vitamins? We pondered what we could do.

No cure.

We had 6 to 18 months, depending on if we could keep Maximus moving as long as possible. He told us if we did PT, water treadmill therapy, certain exercises, and wheelchair walks, maybe we could have Maximus longer than shorter. With our hearts broken, my husband and I knew a few things about us as dog parents.

First, we knew we would do what was best for Maximus; two, we would try to make whatever time Maximus had left fun for him. I am an artist and photographer; I would document him so we would never forget him. My mission in life became to keep his legacy alive. Because you see, Maximus taught us a precious lesson. To live in the present moment, not taking things for granted, and not losing hope.

We managed to keep Maximus with us for 17 months. He was 10 years old.

This story was original posted on Medium.