You might remember Max. He’s the impossibly handsome Lab with the shiny eyes who’s made several appearances in my posts. He went home on Sunday, Valentine’s Day. Yes, he sure has my heart. Max is a joyful boy with an intense curiosity about everything in his world. He is big and strong and sometimes a lot to handle. On the outside. On the inside he is still just a little boy. But that little boy could put up a ferocious front when faced with a situation that scared him — like another barking at him. Max worked through his issues with the help of the volunteers at Homeward Bound and my Scrappy.

It took a while for Max to find his forever home. And that’s okay. I never expected Max to be adopted quickly due to his past issues and the fact that he still needed some work. We put some restrictions on who could adopt him and that made it a little harder too. Sure, we wanted to get Max home as soon as we could. But it’s just as important that he stay home so as not to disrupt his life again. Max’s patience was rewarded in spades. His new people were clearly able to see through all the “stuff” and recognize what an awesome dog Max is, a true diamond in the rough.

Before his new people came back to get him, I made sure Max got to spend lots of time with his friend, Scrappy.

And Max had to say goodbye to lots of two-legged friends at Homeward Bound as well. I should add that he has more than three friends. These are just the ones that made it into photos.

It’s hard to tell her but Max is doing his full-body wag here.

It’s hard to tell in a photo but Max is doing his full-body wag here.

Photo credit: Audrey Farrington

Photo credit: Audrey Farrington

For me this is yet another bittersweet moment. I am overjoyed that Max has found the home he deserves. At the same time my heart aches to think he’s gone. I hope he comes back for a visit. I want to thank him again for everything he taught me and all the joy he brought me.