Come See the World ... according to Max

Yup, it's all about ME - my toys, my yard, my people, my life, my world!  Here's a little bit more about me.

I was born on December 21, 2000 and lived in Pennsylvania for 2 years.  In January of 2003, not too long after I was 2, I went to Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (DVGRR).  This is the very special place that I told you about on my home page.  For about 2 months they searched and searched to find the perfect "forever" home for me.  I'll let my Mom tell you this  story.

Thanks Max, I'll tell this part.  For more than 6 months, we had been searching for a "heart wrapped in fur" to join our family.  I had contacted DVGRR and registered with them as a potential parent.  I'll never forget the Tuesday evening when the phone rang and the wonderful folks from DVGRR said "We found your dog".  I lived about 3 hours away, but told them I would be there the next day around 11 am.  I was anxious and excited and could talk of nothing else that evening.  I planned to visit and if it was the right match, I would drive back up on Saturday with my husband to pick the golden boy up.  I arrived the next morning at DVGRR with great anticipation and some hesitance to be too excited since my search had lasted so long.  I spoke with the folks in the office and then the trainer took me to an open acre out back that was completely fenced and covered in snow.  We stood in the middle of the field and he directed an assistant to open the kennel for the potential adoptee.  The door opened and the most beautiful golden I had ever seen came bounding across the snow with his golden fur flying in the wind, just like in the movies!  A little voice inside my head said "This dog is coming home with me today."

 After playing with him for a while, we went in to the office to do the adoption paperwork and Max came with us.  Inside he had to be restrained as he bolted after a cat, then he ran into the office and jumped up on the couch.  He dove off the couch and headed for the water bowls.  He splashed water all over the walls and floor and then jumped back up on the couch.  “He’s just a little excited” I told myself.  I have always owned dogs.  My last two were a golden retriever and a chocolate lab.  The behavior exhibited by Max was not consistent with theirs.  I started to have slight concerns over my hasty decision to adopt.  Nevertheless, I wrote the hefty check (adoption is not cheap) and signed on the dotted line.  Max and I were going home. 

 It was time to head to the car.  The trainer told me that Max didn't walk well on a leash so he would try to get the "gentle leader" on him.  For those of you unfamiliar, it is a very safe and gentle way to help dogs who are learning to walk properly on a leash.  The trainer was able to get the lead on and Max jumped and pulled like a bucking bronco.  Somehow we were able to get him in the back of the Explorer.  My other dogs would then sit or lie down quietly.  Max, on the other hand, bounded over the back seat, over the front seat and ripped open the bag with my muffin from Starbucks, ate it and then knocked over my coffee.

Undaunted, I coaxed him back to his area and told him “Stay”, a command he supposedly knew.  And he did, until we got out of the driveway.  I turned the corner and he leaped again over the back seat and into the front passenger seat.  I quickly pulled over, stopped the car and repositioned him behind the back seat.  “Stay”.  This time he stayed for almost a mile before I had to stop and repeat the process.  I stopped 2 more times before reaching the freeway after which there was no pulling off.  For the remainder of the 3 hour drive he sat in the front seat pawing my right arm to “Pet me, pet me, pet me.”  Was this an omen?

On the long drive home I examined the rash decision I had made that day and wondered what challenges I had unwittingly welcomed into our home.  Exhausted, I managed to get the bucking bronco out of the car and into the backyard where he ran and ran.  After a while and with much trepidation, we headed inside.  He ran upstairs and downstairs jumping on every piece of furniture.  He finally ended up in the family room and jumped on the couch.  I walked over and told him “off”.  With a devilish look, he jumped off the couch, ran to the other end and got up again.  We repeated the process a few more times and that was it.  Really, that was it.  He never again tried to get on any furniture without an invitation.  Hey, I thought, this won’t be too bad. 

Later that night, as Max sat on the floor next to me so I could pet him, I read through all the paperwork I signed before leaving DVGRR.  The first paper was from the veterinarian.  Under "comments", he had written “this dog is very wild and undisciplined”.  He was characterized as food aggressive, he counter-surfed, he didn’t play well with others.  And I didn’t read all this before adopting him because…??? 

Because I was a moron!  Since he was 2 years old and nearly 80 pounds, I was extremely grateful that he was house broken.  Being a big boy, I knew his perception of me was my most important training tool.  From day one, I was Alpha.  I ate first (even if I wasn’t hungry), then I fed him.  I went out the door first and I went up and down the stairs first.  With a huge sigh of relief I can tell you - that was just about all it took.  To this day, anyone can walk up and take his food, he’s never taken anything off a counter and he loves going to the dog park to play with other dogs (and also maybe to have someone else pet him).  He is very responsive off leash and if we could always be in safe areas, he wouldn’t need one.  But the hazards of our world require him to be on a leash often.  I have to admit, he is still not perfect on a lead.  He will pull if the incentive is great enough.  But no more bucking bronco and I don’t worry about dislocating my shoulder.  He gets in the back of the SUV and stays there.  He is an absolute gentleman and another success story for DVGRR.  They were looking for someone who had no other pets, no small children and had the time to spend with him.  They certainly found my boy his perfect “forever” home.

So Mom, do I get a turn now?  I just wanted to say that DVGRR was really good to me and I will always be grateful to them.  And also, I get to celebrate 2 times every year.  I get a party on my birthday and then another party on March 26th.  That's the day I came to live with my "forever" pack.  Here's a picture of my Adoption celebration in 2008.

 

 

My Aunt Jerry sent me cupcakes and brownies for my celebration!  See the cupcakes in the bag?  Mom let me open the bag, but I only ate one cupcake and saved the rest for later.  Cause after dinner, we had the party and I had one of the brownies and ice cream and ... well, just look at the next picture. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See!  There's a candle in my brownie and I'm eating the ice cream.  It was all really yummy!

 

Note from Mom: The cupcakes and brownies are from Cosmopawlitan, a specialty store that bakes just for dogs.