Yes he was difficult, you would be too if you spent 5+ years in a back yard without much attention, crummy food and no health care.   So when Max finally got the attention of a smart person at the animal control shelter, his life path was dramatically altered.  

The paperwork didn’t look right, he was in deed very, very thin but did he need to be “put down” as the only option?  He was only 51/2 years old and his mouth didn’t look incapable of eating.   So with a call to an investigator, Max was seized from the home before he could die of starvation.  He was loved by a foster family for a few months. They had to hand feed him extra yummy food to get his weight climbing and help him build confidence.    

He got attention and started to trust again.  He wanted to chase their cats, which stopped him from being a foster “failure” and gave us the opportunity to share his adventure.   The foster family wrote up a beautiful story of a dog that wanted to be with his people on a bed near by at all times.   We were the perfect family for him, around a lot, willing to nurture Max back to health. 

A five year old dog that isn’t house broken and is frightened of being left alone comes with baggage.  We learned a lot about love and rewards during our 4 plus years with Max.   It took him longer then most to bond, but he did bond and he did love us with all his heart.  We felt his love and it meant so much because we knew it wasn’t easy for him to let go of the fear that had defined his early life.  We enjoyed how much people loved his story and went out of their way to offer up encouragement to us and to Max for working so hard.

When Max could not get up after a week or so of not feeling well, we knew it could be serious.  We knew that an early life without good nutrition, exercise and love takes its toll.  When the vet said a tumor had burst his spleen, we gathered to wish him well and begged him to find Comet our first love dog so they could partner up in doggie after life land.  

We cried, but we also went back to the humane society and found another wonderful addition.  In honor of our love of Comet and Max, we found another perfect dog Tye.   Our friends and neighbors wonder at our good luck in finding “great dogs”, we know it’s not luck, dogs are just great.   Tye begins a new chapter.  She is a lovely girl, full of love with bounding energy and an easy going wag. 

Thanks for reading my blog.  I look forward to your Comments.

In Memory of Max,

Momofmax