After their rescued dog was diagnosed with terminal cancer, a DeLand, Florida, couple decided to make his final days as enjoyable as possible. They withdrew the last of their savings to purchase a wagon and took their ailing pup on an outing.
That outing really changed everything.
Joey Maxwell and his wife, Allison, adopted a golden retriever named Maverick in 2008 from an open-admission shelter in North Carolina. Maverick had been abandoned in the woods as a puppy and may have faced euthanasia if the Maxwells hadn’t adopted him in the nick of time.
The couple described Maverick’s behavior as “spectacular” despite the trauma of his past, and enjoyed six happy years with the loving dog before they received devastating news.
Maverick was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2014. The Maxwells decided to help their beloved pet fight the disease, and after a course of chemotherapy, Maverick went into remission for two years.
However, unfortunately, in 2016, the cancer returned.
One fall morning, Joey and Allison woke up to find that Maverick couldn’t walk. “He laid there on the floor and could barely lift his head,” Joey recalled. “He wouldn’t eat or drink. He was shaking.”
Maverick’s veterinarian diagnosed anemia and low-grade fever; the dog spent a few days under the vet’s watchful eye, but his prognosis was not good. Maverick returned home to spend the remaining time he had left with his family.
That was when Joey had the bright idea to take Maverick on a jaunt around town. “We wanted him to go out and do what he loves to do, and that’s being outside, getting attention,” said Joey. “He loves being loved.”
Despite struggling with Maverick’s mounting medical bills, Joey withdrew the last of his savings and headed to a local Lowe’s hardware store to buy a wagon big enough to fit Maverick, as he was too weak to walk on his own.
The store had sold out of wagons in the wake of Hurricane Matthew; however, after Joey shared Maverick’s story to the store manager, Lowe’s pulled in a favor.
Back at home, Joey embellished the wagon with a blanket and toys before positioning his ailing dog comfortably. Photos of Maverick’s wagon ride show the golden retriever looking calm and content with his tongue lolling out of his mouth as Joey pulls him along.
Before long, Maverick was a local celebrity. People stopped to say hello and wish the dog well, days turned into weeks, and Maverick began sitting on his own again. The vet even declared that he was in remission.
Despite the dog’s renewed spirits, the cancer returned a third time in December 2016. However, Maverick lost his fight on Jan. 21, 2017. He was 9-and-a-half years old.
Joey and Allison have since rescued another golden retriever. They named her Ellie. “She’s 3 years old and just as wonderful as Maverick,” Joey told The Epoch Times.
As of 2020, the Maxwells also have a daughter, who is fast approaching her second birthday. She and Ellie are the best of friends.
