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My name is Max!

Posted over 11 years ago

My basic info

Breed
Labrador Retriever
Color
White - with Tan, Yellow or Fawn
Age
Adult
Size
Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg) (when grown)
Weight
Sex
Male
Pet ID
012-0620

My details

Checkmark in teal circle Good with kids
Checkmark in teal circle Good with dogs
Checkmark in teal circle Good with cats
Checkmark in teal circle Shots current
Checkmark in teal circle Spayed / Neutered
Checkmark in teal circle Housetrained

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

Max is a big, loveable, bear of a dog. He is calm, laid back and patient, affectionate and eager to please. He would do well with a loving family and respectable children of any age. He is fine with other pets including cats, and will make an amazing companion. Max is a big boy weighing almost 90 lbs and with still a few more pounds to gain. He is approximately 3 – 4 years old.

Here is what Max’s foster family had to say about him:

Max is a big lovable bear of a dog who loves to be stroked, petted and brushed. On a walk off leash in the forest he will just pad alongside next to you, never straying from your side. When we stop to speak to a group of “regulars” he just stands there wagging his tail and making friends with the other dogs. After only a week and a half with us he is starting to bond quite strongly with us and rarely leaves our side.

We don’t’ come into contact with children but every indication is that he would be wonderful with respectful children of any age. Max doesn’t know the meaning of the word aggressive, it’s just not in his vocabulary. If another dog was acting aggressively he would just stand there wondering “what’s his problem?”

Max is still learning to trust and needs a short introduction with new people. On first meeting he will hang back until he sees that there is no danger. He is naturally more comfortable with women but a patient man will be well rewarded with a loyal companion in Max. Be prepared for Max to take a month or two to settle in. He wants to be close to you but will still back away until he is comfortable with whatever you are doing.

Max is terrific around other dogs. He is the biggest by far in the family but allows the other dogs to walk up and share his bowl of food, even moving over to make room for them. He is the perfect gentleman. He has only met one cat and was confused as to what it was; he was on a leash at the time and just sniffed at it, nose to nose.

Max has free run of the house at all times and is not crate trained and we would hope that any family will forgo crating him. He can be fully trusted in the home alone. He is fully house trained. He has not had one single accident in the house and can hold it for a long time. He is very quiet both in and out of the house, I have heard one bark out of him in the past week and a half that he has been with us and that was a bark of joy when he realised we were going out for a walk. Max understands “Come” if you pat your leg or crouch down and speak encouragingly. He doesn’t seem to understand any other commands but really it doesn’t matter as he just lies down unless there is some activity going on. He will not go up or down the stairs (he doesn’t know about stairs and I haven’t taught him) so he has free run of the main floor. He could be taught to handle the stairs. Max will not lie down on anything soft or unstable. He will only lie on the hard floor in the house. He will not lie down on a dog bed or a blanket. We suspect that he has been kept in a kennel with a hard floor and so we continue to work with him to encourage him to lie on a mat at least so that the fur on his elbows can grow back. He certainly will never jump up on to a sofa or a bed.

Max walks well on a leash. He doesn’t pull. He does weave slowly from side to side unless you shorten the leash to indicate he should walk on one side next to you and then he does so with no resistance. Max also walks beautifully next to you off the leash.

Max doesn’t try to steal food but you can tell from his face that he would dearly love to!

Max does not try to escape or bolt out the door to get away from you as he wants to be with people. Once when I did go out I left the kitchen window quite wide open (it’s an old fashioned sash window and not very high off the ground) and when I came back noticed that the items on the window sill had been knocked off so I suspect he had put his front paws up on the window sill to try and look out the window to see where I had gone.

Max has no fear of loud noises or traffic. We had a very loud thunderstorm with lots of lightening and I stroked him as he sat beside me and he was fine. We have noticed that he is startled by sudden movements and every time you get up he gets up. This is just a normal part of him being nervous about what is expected of him as he is wondering if he supposed to come with you every time you move. This will pass though with time as he relaxes.

Other than receiving treats (very exciting for him) Max’s favourite thing to do is to go for walks. He doesn’t pull on the leash and never goes faster than a dignified walking pace. At the off leash forest he is amazing; he just walks along with you while the other dogs chase squirrels and never ever goes more than ten feet from your side. He does enjoy meeting and greeting other dogs along the way. Even with the most annoying and exuberant of dogs he doesn’t react except to look up at you with an expression that says “what the heck is the problem with this dude?”

Max’s energy level is low but may pick up with his improved diet and the consistent walking exercise he is getting. Because he has worn the fur from his elbows I suspect he has been lying on a hard kennel floor with little exercise as at first he seemed quite unfit. However with good long daily walks his energy level has picked up and he is becoming livelier and will even run a little out in the back garden.

Max will shed seasonally. We took him to the groomers the day after we got him to remove all the dead hair in his coat that was making him uncomfortably hot. He was hugely relieved about that. Max will shed somewhat throughout the year although frequent brushing will go a long way to keeping it under control.

Max didn’t seem to know how to jump in a car or truck. He is very excited about going to the car as he knows it means we are going to the forest. At first he just stood there but now he can jump in by himself with some verbal encouragement.

Max appears to be very healthy. As mentioned earlier the daily walks are toning him up well and he is a very handsome dog.

Max would be happiest with a family. He loves to be stroked, petted, have his tummy rubbed, brushed and go for walks. Even though he is a big dog, he moves sedately and could be walked by a child. He is a very laid back dog with the exception of being occasionally startled by fast movements. For this reason it would be better if he was with a family with well-behaved and kind children. Max would be fine while the family goes out to work or school after his initial settling in period. He also seems to enjoy the company of other dogs and would be an ideal second or even third addition to a dog loving family.

Max needs a kind encouraging voice to get him to do things. If you try to make him move somewhere by holding his collar and pulling, he will just back up and lie down on the floor, so it appears he may have had some bad experience being forced in the past. It is important to recognise this and to never grab at his collar and pull him. When you are patient with him and give him time to figure out what you want him to do, he always obliges. Max would be good with a laid back family who are patient and loving. He would be distressed in a high performance A type environment.

He does love to wade into a stream and I think he would be the ideal cottage dog. Our family has become very attached to Max in a short time; he is a very lovable and loyal dog who deserves to spend his life with a family who will consider him to be an essential part of their family and will show him consistent love, patience and take him for lots of walks.

Max is one of those dogs that in coming years you will look back at photos and say “Max was such an amazing dog, remember when……….”.

If you would like to make this loveable bear part of your family, please submit an application to http://www.uglymutts.com under "The Dogs" tab for consideration.

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