Max came to us via a conversation I had with his owner during a communication course. The class, which Jerry and I participated in, had about 20 or so individuals. I was paired up with an international criminal lawyer from North Carolina, Walt. The assignment was to share with your partner for 5 minutes each a summary of “you”. Walt quickly said a couple of sentences, then launched into his and his ex-wife’s shared custody of their 4-year old black Standard Poodle, Maxwell (Max). He thought it was best to rehome his friend, because Max did not like his ex-wife. He went on to say that his ex-wife would take off to Europe or Australia, etc. for a couple of months, give him Max and return and pick up Max. He said he loved his dog, but said it wasn’t healthy for him, because Max would get all stressed out when his ex-wife would pick up Max.
Walt said Max would hide under the bed and wouldn’t come out when called, so he would have to drag him out from under the bed. So, he said he talked to his ex-wife about rehoming Max, and she finally agreed that was best for the dog. So, he said he was looking for a home for him. Without missing a beat, I said “we” would take Max. So, the following weekend, Walt drove Max up from North Carolina. Max scampered around our house and backyard like he had always lived with us. Nothing more was said except that Max found his home for the next 8 years.
He was such a wonderful pup and highly intelligent. He played with the rest of our crew and cat and just thought he was in paradise. Walt came up to visit with him from time-to-time. When Max’s health was failing and we knew his passing was imminent, without fail, Walt came up from NC to spend some time with him.