|
Meet Max, aka Maxi, Maximus or Maximillion. This guy doesn't care what name you call him as long as he gets to snuggle when called over!
Maxi spent the first 3.5yrs of his life on a chain or running at large through town, sometimes bedding down with the local feral cat colony. He had a person and an address but not a family or a home. Being turned into the local animal shelter was the best thing that ever happened to Max b/c there, for the first time in his life, he received only kind words, gentle touches, a constant roof over his head and a steady supply of food & fresh water. As positive as these changes were for Max, he wasn't doing well in the shelter setting, he cowered in the back of his kennel and quivered for most of his time there. Lucky for Max one of the volunteers at the shelter regularly fosters the dogs who need a little 'polishing up' and is also an eskie lover.
Once out of the shelter, bathed, fed, vetted and regularly snuggled Max turned into the fantastic little dog all eskies can be!!!
Max is currently in foster care with anywhere from 3 to 7 other dogs at a time. He does well in this multi-dog setting and enjoys the company of cats as well. He is crate & housetrained, currently uses a dog door (to a fenced yard) to come/go as he wishes for potty time and has never had an accident in the house. However, being an unaltered male at the time of his arrival, Max did mark several corners in the house. Since his neuter this behavior is almost gone. If Max is spotted 'lining up a shot' a sharp "No" cuts him off and he scampers away from the spot like he was never going to do anything in the first place.
Max's only downfall is that he is posessive of his food. He will allow humans to share with him but not other dogs. If Max is loose and other dogs are in crates eating Max will stand at the crate door and growl for the other dog to share it's food w/ him - however if Max is the one in the crate and another dog walks by he doesn't growl, simply puts himself between the other dog & the food. So Max gets fed in a crate w/ the door closed so there are no arguments at dinner time. Problem solved! B/c of this behavir Max would do best w/ a feeding schedule instead of a free feeding household.
Being a neglected, chained 'yard dog' Max never learned how to play. He is just now, at almost 4yrs old, learning to wrestle w/ other dogs and play w/ toys. Max's favorite thing is a rope bone, he will carry them, shake them, chew them, toss them! Max's next favorite thing is to watch the other dogs play. When inside and the puppies start to wrestle Max stands on the sidelines, wanting to be involved but not quite sure how - so he goes and grabs a rope bone and wrestles w/ that! When outside Max will interact more b/c the games involve running and wrestling both, so he will run w/ the group then excitedly dance around as the others wrestle. He is quite the character and it's wonderful to watch him blooming out into a happy, well adjusted dog.
Max is missing his lower left K9 from a car accident several yrs ago (there was no other damage done and he was treated by a vet at the time of the accident). This adds to his goofy guy charm b/c his tounge lolls out to one side when he is panting after all his butt wiggling & bone throwing play.
Max was at first crated at night but has proven himself trustworthy in the dog's room overnight so is no longer being crated, however he would LOVE to be permitted to sleep closer to his people.
Max doesn't get on the furniture, he seems too impressed w/ soft dog beds and central A/C to need human furniture. He stands nicely for brushing, provided you stop on occasion to tell him what a georgeous boy he is. He isn't crazy about having his nails trimmed but w/ just a little patience and some treats & snuggles he allows pedicures.
Max is a fantastic little guy who is ready to find a family of his ow
|
