New Max

Max, a/k/a Mad Max, has been with us for over a year now. I knew that we must be approaching an anniversary and indeed it had recently passed. It's time to get serious about getting him into a home. To recap the past year:  Max, I suspect, is the product of an unscrupulous breeder, but probably one who is a loyal member and supporter of the AKC. He's drop dead gorgeous and absolutely insane, bred for looks to make a buck for the breeder and the AKC, with less genetic diversity than you'd find at an Amish family reunion. (I was going to say "Shifflet family reunion" but only locals would know what I meant.)

He makes eye contact a lot now, that is new.

Max is very high strung, and that's a very much an understatement. The root of his problem seems to be that he can't handle stress or excitement of any kind. The problem manifests itself as tail chasing accompanied by a high-pitched, blood curdling scream. With ten or so dogs around here all the time, this is not a calm, quiet place. I keep many of the dogs outdoors as much as possible so they can romp, play, and tire themselves out. That's not good for Max.


I've had him on medication for a while now and it has helped. He spins less and screams much less. He has even been seen engaging in normal dog behavior occasionally, including playing with other dogs or at least trying to. When his anniversary hit, I knew it was time to try something new. I had exceeded the recommended dose of his medication without seeing much improvement. I took Ochie out of the picture, almost entirely, and that helped because Ochie's neurotic energy makes Max crazy. I started bringing Max indoors to keep him away from Ochie and the other playful dogs.

He smelled too funky to be an indoor dog.
It's much better now. Dawn works wonders.

Facing the dreaded bathtub.

On medication and away from the excitement of the outdoor dog yard, Max is a new dog. He's always been fine being crated indoors, but now he's got the run of the place and he settles right down, often in an open crate. He's good at night in the bedroom too. He listens better, pays attention more, and is as close to normal as I've ever seen him. He still has some OCD behavior, generally licking or gumming a bed cover, but that isn't destructive, so far, and is minimized with a generous quantity of suitable dog toys kept lying about.

At the vet today, getting
vaccines boosted.

It's time to find this dog a home. He's "special needs" and always will be. He won't be a child's dog or a typical "family" dog. He won't be a dog park dog. He's got a strong prey drive, so no small dogs or cats. But he'd be a fine dog for someone who lives a quiet life and wants a companion, particularly if that someone wants to give as much as get something from the relationship.  He needs someone who asks "how can I help this dog?" rather than someone who asks "what can this dog do for me?"

That is a fine looking GSD head.

Sometimes he can look like
he's got a clue.

This was a "get me out of here" kiss,
but I'll take it.

Maya came along to the vet and afterwards we
did five miles on the Rivanna River Trail in
Charlottesville.  And my weight was down!