Not every story has a happy ending, but the journey can be very gratifying.
Take one special dog named Maxx. He was a wonderful 7-year-old Golden Retriever that started having health problems that his owner could not manage. She was very concerned about his well-being, but was not able to provide the medical care he needed. Her love sent her to call GRRIN to get him the care that she was not able to.
The wonderful family of GRRIN volunteers, each with their special talents, took over and got Maxx into a foster home. He spent some time at the vet initially, getting worked up for his medical problems and treatment was begun. His final diagnosis of cancer was not initially known due to some other medical problems that had to be taken care of first, including getting caught up on vaccinations and treating an infection.
Then the work began; diagnosing his underlying problem. After some time and more in-depth testing, it was found that he had a rare type of cancer. After much discussion between GRRIN members, the vet and the foster family, it was decided that keeping Maxx comfortable for the duration of his life was the best thing to do. The treatment for the cancer would not have provided him any longer or better quality of life. He was treated with steroids and lots of love and care for several months until it was obvious that the cancer had taken over and he was very uncomfortable.
His foster family was the key to giving him a wonderful few months at the end of his life. He was a member of their family and they treated him with great care, love and respect.
GRRIN cares for all dogs, young and old, sick and healthy, to improve the quality of their lives. Most dogs are adopted but a few live out their lives with foster families due to age or illness.
