Featured Pets: The Story of Marshall and Maxwell

A couple of years ago, a Good Samaritan was riding his bike one morning on a secluded trail at the edge of the Rio Grande. He discovered two very young pups, barely weaned. They came out of the brush, dirty and in poor health, and attempted to follow him. The man realized that they had been abandoned so he could not leave them there to die. He picked them both up, brought them to Desert Haven and promised to help care for them and train them until a home was found for them. He was true to his word and the brothers were named Marshall and Maxwell.


Marshall (left) with another dog named Curly-Q and Maxwell (right) as puppies




Maxwell (center) "kisses" Curly-Q



Marshall...
and Maxwell...
...grew up into big happy dogs. Marshall found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in August, 2006 - what seemed to be a happy ending after his sad start in life. A senior lady adopted him and brought him home to live with her. She sent this letter to Desert Haven some weeks later:
"Dear Friends,
Just wanted to tell you how Marshall is doing. He is the nicest dog. He follows me everywhere or lays at my feet. One thing was funny: We have a dog next to us that barks a lot. At the end of the day, he was really barking. Marshall went to the back door and let out the biggest "woof". It surprised me and shut-up the other dog. Marshall had had enough of this barking and he said "NO"! I just sat there and laughed. I really enjoy him and he is smart and well trained. So glad he was the one I picked. "
- E. R.

Unfortunately, Marshall's new mom, who lived alone, became very ill. Her out-of-state daughter convinced her to move in with her and her family. So Marshall was brought back to Desert Haven. He adapted back into the routine of Dog Town, but he longs for his forever loving home, where he can, once again, share his days with a special human friend.

Maxwell, too, was adopted when he was still a growing pup. Within a couple of months, his new owner brought him back to Desert Haven. Maxwell had grown to become a larger dog than anticipated. Beside that, in his new environment Maxwell was being left alone in a fenced yard all day and he was unhappy. Maxwell was used to having several canine playmates at Desert Haven. Finally, his new owner realized that he was not ready to take care of the needs of a dog like Maxwell.

Maxwell is a very lovable dog who enjoys the company of people and who would thrive in an environment where he can be involved in routine activities. Maxwell wants to be an integral part of someone's life, not left alone and forgotten in some backyard. Maxwell gets along with most dogs, as long as he is in charge, but he would much prefer to spend his days with a special person who will show him the affection that he needs and deserves.

If you may have room in your home for either of these wonderful dogs, please contact Frederica (Freddie) at 505-894-2778 for more information. Or if you have room in your heart, but not in your home, consider making a donation of any size toward their care until a "forever family" can be found for them. For your convenience, click the PayPal button (above and to the right) to be taken to our secure server. We can accept MasterCard or Visa and you don't even need a PayPal account. And please, forward this message to every pet lover you know.



Maxwell thanks you. Woof!