Max and his beloved basketball.
(Click picture for larger view) 
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." ~ Anatole France
I haven't done an update on Max for some time. He is now one year and two months on his oral chemotherapy for cutaneous lymphoma. (Same as human mycosis fungoides) One nodule has popped up, but it has not grown and feels movable and not attached to underlying muscle. It will be removed soon. Max has the cocker skin troubles with small sebaceous adenomas popping up and then resolving and it is grass season when his skin allergies are at their worst, but he eats well and still knows how to sucker people into giving him two meals. That is a lack of communication on our part that he profits from. I have been struggling with his eyes. One cleared up but the other is constantly matted and all the antibiotics in the world don't seem to help. Then this week he has suddenly developed idiopathic facial nerve paralysis on his left side... he's had this twice on the right side before. Bless his heart, his muzzle is droopy and his ear floppy and he is drooling a bit from that side. The hardest thing is that his eye won't blink... so for two weeks it will be extra tears for him. It should resolve as the other episodes did. Max amazes his vets and I am just glad that he still loves his biscuits, chewy rawhides and the ever present basketball.
Max has surpassed my expectations and continues to love life, so we take it one day at a time, one biscuit at a time, one doggy kiss at a time.
Max will be going over to visit his friends at the Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey's Musings and will see if any other puppies are boarding Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator. (end of post)
Tanya flashes a look with her amber eyes.
(Click picture for larger view) "Her amiable amber eyes
Are very friendly, very wise;
Like Buddha, grave and fat,
She sits, regardless of applause,
And thinking, as she kneads her paws,
What fun to be a cat!"
~ Christopher Morley
All of my cats have blue eyes and all my previous cats had blue eyes. I was looking in my files for a cat with amber eyes. Tucker had green eyes but his companion of many years, Tanya, has big amber yellow eyes that glow from her black as midnight face. It is difficult to photograph a black cat, usually distinct facial shapes and features simply blend in together with the end result, a blob of black. Only when their eyes are open can you glimpse not only the curve of their whiskers or the triangular nose from the light reflected in their eyes, but also the fire that burns inside. Tanya really wanted me to leave her alone; she was resting and you know how cats dislike being disturbed from a nap! She was a bit annoyed; but well versed in the shortcomings of humans, she simply glared a bit and returned to her dreams.
PS: Tanya lives with Diane and Alec and I've heard that Tanya is not feeling well. She is getting on up there in age and as such, has good days and bad days... here's hoping that this will be a very, very good day.
Submission for PhotoFriday topic "amber".
Tanya will be boarding Friday's Ark at the Modulator today and will visit the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday. (end of post)
Chihuahua with an attitude... chases cars, headstrong.
(Click pictures for larger view) "What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
This is the neighbor dog from across the street. When he was a puppy he could get lost in the tall grass in the front yard. He definitely has the "little man syndrome" often known as the "Tom Cruise syndrome". He thinks he is something. His mom looks like a teenager and has no control over this dog. He runs into the street and stands there; he chases cars. I was taking pictures and he ran half way across the street, stopped and barked then growled. I just looked at him and growled back. He ran... oh, yes. "Little man syndrome."
Oh, what a fierce face.. I'm so scared!
When I was three, I had a Chihuahua named Tippy. He had "little man syndrome" too. He was a thief. If I were playing in the grass with a blocks or other toys, he would run over and steal one, take it to a tree across the yard and sit down. He didn't chew it or play with it; Tippy just wanted to make sure I couldn't play with it. Chihuahuas and three year olds don't go together. He was always under foot and one day I stepped on his toes. The vet tried to fix them but he had a reaction to anesthesia and died. They have such small bones, even a tiny child with soft sneakers on will crush them.
My friend Miss M, in Mississippi has a Chihuahua named (would you believe) Little Man. He has this same syndrome, although I understand he now weighs 16 pounds. I don't think I've ever known of a Chihuahua weighing that much. I doubt she'll be carrying him around in her purse any time soon....
This fierce (and very, very stupid to hang out in the street) little fellow will be visiting Friday's Ark and the Carnival of the Dogs this week. I do wish I knew his name. (end of post)
Maxwell (Max), the cute and fluffy version.
(Click picture for larger view) "A dog will steal your heart and give you theirs." ~ Unknown
Angelic and cute in his fuzzy-wuzzy state, Max is still doing well, considering he has now lived with cutaneous lymphoma for a full year. Each day he can run and play, chase his ball, chew his chewbies, bark at the squirrels, irritate his buddies next door by peeing through the fence, gobble down his food and beg for treats is a good one. He has his share of Cocker Mix problems besides his cancer but this hasn't stopped him yet. His "cute" expression is fine tuned and Max, can pull it out at the drop of a hat whenever he spies my mom in the sunroom. He is also quite good at persuading someone to feed him.... even if he had his supper only an hour before. We may have to start calling him "Piglet".
Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "cute" and though it is really hard to beat out Nyssa's baby pictures as an expample of "cute", Max did with this one. Max hasn't been to the Friday's Ark lately and he also wants to let the dogs at Carnival of the Dogs know he is still alive and kicking, or rather, chasing his basketball. So he'll see you there. The carnival is hosted at Mickeys Musings.
(end of post)
