HONEY, DAD’S BEST FRIEND

Honey is an eight-year-old pit-bull who loves to chase after the wheels on skateboards and walk on the beach watching seagulls. Needless to say, she has a very sweet disposition. Honey originally received her name from her previous owner, who was serving in the army. He was stationed in the Monterey area while awaiting deployment to Afghanistan. It was in this Central Coast region six years ago that this army man met Honey’s current owner, Ron Thompson one day in the park. Now in most cases, it’s the owner who rescues their furry companion; but in this story, it was Honey who really rescued Ron. At the time when Honey came into Ron’s life, Ron was in a program called ‘I HELP,’ which stands for ‘Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program.’ Ron had lost his job in 2009 due to a workplace accident, and throughout the next eight years, would find himself living out of his car at times. Honey quickly became Ron’s baby and closest companion, as there is nothing he wouldn’t do for her. One day, Ron noticed that Honey had begun limping and took her to the vet, where they discovered that one of Honey’s teeth was fractured. With some of Honey’s teeth already decaying and roots beginning to be exposed, it wouldn’t be long before this issue became more emergent and dangerous to her health. Considering Ron’s current financial situation, he let Honey’s teeth be for a little while as he was not able to afford surgery at the time.



Ron had heard about the work of Max’s Helping Paws Foundation (MHPF) through partner A.W.A.G. So, with a good prognosis from the family veterinarian at Cottage Veterinary Care, they sponsored Honey to receive initial diagnostics, and then transferred her to Carmel Valley Veterinary Hospital, where she finalized her treatment. MHPF was able to help provide funds to help pay the cost of surgery, without which Mr. Thompson would have been forced to consider much more difficult options. Ron said, “she is my baby and I do not want her to suffer.” Luckily Honey doesn’t have to.