I never knew a pet could become such a big part of your routine, your life, your family. Thank you Max for the unconditional love and all you have taught us. We will never forget you!
Here is a post I wrote about Max back in 2008....
Max and Me"
Today Daryl and I saw the movie Marley and Me. It's about Marley, the lab who gets into alot of trouble! We were anxious to see it because we had both read the book and because we have Marley's twin...Max.
Daryl moved into his townhouse in 2003. Shortly after that, his parents got 2 free puppies. They were a lab/golden retriever mix and came from an abused home. Their plan-keep one and give one to Daryl. Daryl had wanted to get a dog in time, but wasn't planning to get one that quickly!
They were so cute though! How could he resist?? Daryl's niece and nephews named them-Max and Bear. 
Daryl moved into his townhouse in 2003. Shortly after that, his parents got 2 free puppies. They were a lab/golden retriever mix and came from an abused home. Their plan-keep one and give one to Daryl. Daryl had wanted to get a dog in time, but wasn't planning to get one that quickly!
They were so cute though! How could he resist?? Daryl's niece and nephews named them-Max and Bear. 
Both pups were very friendly and took a liking to his dad, grandpa and the kids. Once Daryl was a little settled into his house, he decided to take one of the puppies home. 
How did he decided which one? Whichever dog jumped into his car first...and the winner was Max!
Max needed to be right where you were. He followed closely at your heels and often caused you to trip! If you were sitting down, he would jump right in your lap or nudge his head under your hand so you would pet him. It was all very cute.
Daryl wanted to train Max correctly, so he immediately started potty training and simple commands such as "sit" and "down." He was doing pretty well with these tasks. Max was pretty much with us all the time initially. Daryl worked overnights at that point, so during the day while he slept, Max slept in his crate in Daryl's room. He seemed to like his crate-it was sort of his safe place and he would often just go in there to play or nap. Once things got back to a more normal routine, Daryl started having some problems with him. Whenever Daryl would get ready to leave the house, Max became very anxious-pacing, making sad, puppy dog noises and following even closer at your heels. Daryl would put him in his crate and off he went. The problems started with his next door neighbor. She complained to Daryl, very nicely, that Max was barking and making noises "that sounded like he was being murdered" every time Daryl left. This was especially annoying to the neighbor, since Daryl was gone during the night, when most people are trying to sleep! At first, Daryl tried simple solutions-putting one of his T-shirts in Max's crate (we heard his scent would be calming to the dog), providing him with lots of exercise, keeping a radio on, reading several obedience books, putting a ticking clock next to him, giving him chew toys or bones. Nothing seemed to work and the neighbor's complaints became less friendly and more harsh. Threats to turn him into the dog warden and the townhome community came true. Daryl got several warnings. 
Now is a good time to also point out, that Max was no longer just barking or crying...he was escaping from his crate and chewing everything! He also had another favorite trick...pooping all over, even though he was fully trained at this point and was always let out right before Daryl went anywhere. Daryl would come home to chewed stereos, couch cushions, recliners, carpets, curtains, paper, Christmas lights, Christmas ornaments, picture frames, wall molding, dressers, remotes (3 to be exact)and pillows, to name a few. We had no idea how he could digest some of the things he ate. No matter where he put Max's crate or how hard he tried to hide things from him, Max would find a way to escape from the tiniest opening and destroy whatever he wanted! If Daryl left him out of the crate when he left, Max would do the same thing...it was a lose lose situation. Each time he left, he dreaded coming home to his house not knowing what Max got into that time. Everytime he got home, Max greeted him at the door with his head down knowing that he had been a very bad boy. Daryl tried different forms of punishment-scolding him, rubbing his nose in his "mess", ignoring him, putting him in his crate...but nothing worked! It was the same every time he left. And everytime, once Daryl cleaned up the mess and cooled down, Max was right there loving him up. The thing was, he was such a good dog when you were around-very smart and obedient...but when you left...oh boy! So, Daryl decided to try something new...he would place a tape recorder out of Max's reach so that he could find out exactly how long Max barked, when it started and to see if there was anything else he could figure out from the tape. He had the perfect set-up and then he came home to find the tape recorder chewed to shreds. He tried that twice with the same result. 
I seriously do not know how Daryl kept Max with all of the damage he had done to his house and all of the stress and frustration he had caused. I know the thought of getting rid of him went through his head, but Daryl always told me "what would that say about me, if I can't get through a hard time with mydog? What would that say about the kind of father I will be to my kids when they do stupid things?" Now comes a couple more chapters to this story...it got to the point where I would keep Max at my house overnight while Daryl was working. We would also try to bring him with us when we went somewhere. He usually did well in the car until one day when I took him with me to the store. When I came back out, Max had chewed through my seatbelt, both visors and nibbled on my emergency brake handle. That $200 repair Daryl had to pay for, led to the last time Max was in the car alone! We also took him with us to Buffalo when we would go visit my family. 
He enjoyed running in the backyard with our family dog, Emma. One time we were there, my mom wanted to meet Patti and the kids for lunch at the river. We were very hesitant to leave Max at my parent's house. His chewing had calmed down a bit, and my parent's had a sturdy crate so figured we would try it. We were only going to be gone for an hour at most. What's the worst that could happen? We found out! I was the first in the door and immediately saw blood in the kitchen where we left the crate and in the family room...no Max. I quietly called to Daryl not knowing what to expect. I told Patti to try and stall my mom. The kids came in and ran upstairs and found Max. As my mom came in the house yelling some profanities about of the horror she saw in the kitchen, Spencer shouted from upstairs "oh man, Max pooped all over up here!!" It was not a good scene! I told Daryl to take Max outside while Patti and I cleaned up inside. The crate door was still locked...Max had squeezed out a tiny, and I mean tiny, opening and cut his neck. Only our Max! 
I eventually found out about the pet peeves line at Lollypop Farm. Daryl's vet had been of no help, so I tried this. As it turns out, Max was "diagnosed" with seperation anxiety. As the lady described to me the symptoms, it was totally Max. It made us feel really bad now that we understood what he was going through and why he was acting the way he did when we left. She gave us some very helpful information. It was a long process. Every time Daryl left, he would have to start the process about 10 minutes before. He'd have to get his keys out, sit down and wait. Put his coat on, sit down and wait. Leave for 1 minute, come back in. Leave for a few minutes, come back in...all this, plus zip ties on his crate finally helped! Max still has his quirks and regresses at times. 
He loves people food even though we don't give him any. He has eaten a batch of corn muffins (where he gently peeled back all 12 paper liners being sure not to eat the paper), an entire pizza, a plate of raw chicken and an entire bag of chocolate also peeling back all of the wrappers. Thankfully, milk chocolate is not all that dangerous for a dog Max's size-he'd have to eat more than anyone should keep in a house to make it dangerous. After things settled down, I bought Daryl the book Marley and Me thinking it would provide some comic relief. He really enjoyed it and told me that I should read it. He said that he was going to leave it on the table so that next time I was over I could take it. Unfortunately, Max shred the book before I got to it! How ironic! Through all of this, we really came to love Max for who he was. Daryl and Max in particular formed a close bond. He became our best friend and we forgot what life was like before crazy Max. He was there when Daryl proposed to me, 
there for Christmases and birthdays, he knows when you are sad or upset and will sit quietly with you, he is the best guard dog and makes me feel safe when I am home alone. When I was trying to sell my townhouse right before we got married, I brought Max home with me that night as usual when Daryl left for work. I hadn't been at my house since I left in the morning...someone was coming to look at my house in the evening and Daryl and I were busy with wedding things. As soon as I pulled into my garage with Max in the backseat, he started barking-his scary bark. I got to my door and he was still barking. I was a little scared at this point. I got on the phone with my mom as I unlocked the door. Max, all the while still barking and growling, did a full survey of the house-basement, upstairs...I could hear him checking out every room. He then came back to me where I was still standing in the door and sat down telling me things were all clear. He led me upstairs and waited for me as I got ready for bed. Usually, he slept on the floor next to my bed. But not that night...he was still not very happy about someone else being in our house. Instead, he sat at the top of the stairs and every few minutes let out a bark. In the morning, he was still lying at the top of the stairs. I felt totally comfortable with him there. 
Max loves life, swimming and running in the park, 
the snow, wrestling with Daryl, kids or Ruby and hanging his head as far out the window as he can. He isn't the best at playing fetch, but he'll always come running back to you. He gets sooo excited whenever anyone comes over. He just wants you to pet him nonstop. Max knows how to play dead on command when Daryl pretends to shoot him, gives high 5's and low 5's, knows the word walk, dinner and dreads the word bath. He is a big wimp despite his big, scary bark and will hide behind you when he is scared. Max is 60 lbs. but thinks he is a lap dog and will take up the whole couch if you let him. Max is just great. We have learned so much from our life with Max. Can't help but love him!
How did he decided which one? Whichever dog jumped into his car first...and the winner was Max!
Max needed to be right where you were. He followed closely at your heels and often caused you to trip! If you were sitting down, he would jump right in your lap or nudge his head under your hand so you would pet him. It was all very cute.
Daryl wanted to train Max correctly, so he immediately started potty training and simple commands such as "sit" and "down." He was doing pretty well with these tasks. Max was pretty much with us all the time initially. Daryl worked overnights at that point, so during the day while he slept, Max slept in his crate in Daryl's room. He seemed to like his crate-it was sort of his safe place and he would often just go in there to play or nap. Once things got back to a more normal routine, Daryl started having some problems with him. Whenever Daryl would get ready to leave the house, Max became very anxious-pacing, making sad, puppy dog noises and following even closer at your heels. Daryl would put him in his crate and off he went. The problems started with his next door neighbor. She complained to Daryl, very nicely, that Max was barking and making noises "that sounded like he was being murdered" every time Daryl left. This was especially annoying to the neighbor, since Daryl was gone during the night, when most people are trying to sleep! At first, Daryl tried simple solutions-putting one of his T-shirts in Max's crate (we heard his scent would be calming to the dog), providing him with lots of exercise, keeping a radio on, reading several obedience books, putting a ticking clock next to him, giving him chew toys or bones. Nothing seemed to work and the neighbor's complaints became less friendly and more harsh. Threats to turn him into the dog warden and the townhome community came true. Daryl got several warnings. 
Now is a good time to also point out, that Max was no longer just barking or crying...he was escaping from his crate and chewing everything! He also had another favorite trick...pooping all over, even though he was fully trained at this point and was always let out right before Daryl went anywhere. Daryl would come home to chewed stereos, couch cushions, recliners, carpets, curtains, paper, Christmas lights, Christmas ornaments, picture frames, wall molding, dressers, remotes (3 to be exact)and pillows, to name a few. We had no idea how he could digest some of the things he ate. No matter where he put Max's crate or how hard he tried to hide things from him, Max would find a way to escape from the tiniest opening and destroy whatever he wanted! If Daryl left him out of the crate when he left, Max would do the same thing...it was a lose lose situation. Each time he left, he dreaded coming home to his house not knowing what Max got into that time. Everytime he got home, Max greeted him at the door with his head down knowing that he had been a very bad boy. Daryl tried different forms of punishment-scolding him, rubbing his nose in his "mess", ignoring him, putting him in his crate...but nothing worked! It was the same every time he left. And everytime, once Daryl cleaned up the mess and cooled down, Max was right there loving him up. The thing was, he was such a good dog when you were around-very smart and obedient...but when you left...oh boy! So, Daryl decided to try something new...he would place a tape recorder out of Max's reach so that he could find out exactly how long Max barked, when it started and to see if there was anything else he could figure out from the tape. He had the perfect set-up and then he came home to find the tape recorder chewed to shreds. He tried that twice with the same result. 
I seriously do not know how Daryl kept Max with all of the damage he had done to his house and all of the stress and frustration he had caused. I know the thought of getting rid of him went through his head, but Daryl always told me "what would that say about me, if I can't get through a hard time with mydog? What would that say about the kind of father I will be to my kids when they do stupid things?" Now comes a couple more chapters to this story...it got to the point where I would keep Max at my house overnight while Daryl was working. We would also try to bring him with us when we went somewhere. He usually did well in the car until one day when I took him with me to the store. When I came back out, Max had chewed through my seatbelt, both visors and nibbled on my emergency brake handle. That $200 repair Daryl had to pay for, led to the last time Max was in the car alone! We also took him with us to Buffalo when we would go visit my family. 
He enjoyed running in the backyard with our family dog, Emma. One time we were there, my mom wanted to meet Patti and the kids for lunch at the river. We were very hesitant to leave Max at my parent's house. His chewing had calmed down a bit, and my parent's had a sturdy crate so figured we would try it. We were only going to be gone for an hour at most. What's the worst that could happen? We found out! I was the first in the door and immediately saw blood in the kitchen where we left the crate and in the family room...no Max. I quietly called to Daryl not knowing what to expect. I told Patti to try and stall my mom. The kids came in and ran upstairs and found Max. As my mom came in the house yelling some profanities about of the horror she saw in the kitchen, Spencer shouted from upstairs "oh man, Max pooped all over up here!!" It was not a good scene! I told Daryl to take Max outside while Patti and I cleaned up inside. The crate door was still locked...Max had squeezed out a tiny, and I mean tiny, opening and cut his neck. Only our Max! 
I eventually found out about the pet peeves line at Lollypop Farm. Daryl's vet had been of no help, so I tried this. As it turns out, Max was "diagnosed" with seperation anxiety. As the lady described to me the symptoms, it was totally Max. It made us feel really bad now that we understood what he was going through and why he was acting the way he did when we left. She gave us some very helpful information. It was a long process. Every time Daryl left, he would have to start the process about 10 minutes before. He'd have to get his keys out, sit down and wait. Put his coat on, sit down and wait. Leave for 1 minute, come back in. Leave for a few minutes, come back in...all this, plus zip ties on his crate finally helped! Max still has his quirks and regresses at times. 
He loves people food even though we don't give him any. He has eaten a batch of corn muffins (where he gently peeled back all 12 paper liners being sure not to eat the paper), an entire pizza, a plate of raw chicken and an entire bag of chocolate also peeling back all of the wrappers. Thankfully, milk chocolate is not all that dangerous for a dog Max's size-he'd have to eat more than anyone should keep in a house to make it dangerous. After things settled down, I bought Daryl the book Marley and Me thinking it would provide some comic relief. He really enjoyed it and told me that I should read it. He said that he was going to leave it on the table so that next time I was over I could take it. Unfortunately, Max shred the book before I got to it! How ironic! Through all of this, we really came to love Max for who he was. Daryl and Max in particular formed a close bond. He became our best friend and we forgot what life was like before crazy Max. He was there when Daryl proposed to me, 
there for Christmases and birthdays, he knows when you are sad or upset and will sit quietly with you, he is the best guard dog and makes me feel safe when I am home alone. When I was trying to sell my townhouse right before we got married, I brought Max home with me that night as usual when Daryl left for work. I hadn't been at my house since I left in the morning...someone was coming to look at my house in the evening and Daryl and I were busy with wedding things. As soon as I pulled into my garage with Max in the backseat, he started barking-his scary bark. I got to my door and he was still barking. I was a little scared at this point. I got on the phone with my mom as I unlocked the door. Max, all the while still barking and growling, did a full survey of the house-basement, upstairs...I could hear him checking out every room. He then came back to me where I was still standing in the door and sat down telling me things were all clear. He led me upstairs and waited for me as I got ready for bed. Usually, he slept on the floor next to my bed. But not that night...he was still not very happy about someone else being in our house. Instead, he sat at the top of the stairs and every few minutes let out a bark. In the morning, he was still lying at the top of the stairs. I felt totally comfortable with him there. 
Max loves life, swimming and running in the park, 
the snow, wrestling with Daryl, kids or Ruby and hanging his head as far out the window as he can. He isn't the best at playing fetch, but he'll always come running back to you. He gets sooo excited whenever anyone comes over. He just wants you to pet him nonstop. Max knows how to play dead on command when Daryl pretends to shoot him, gives high 5's and low 5's, knows the word walk, dinner and dreads the word bath. He is a big wimp despite his big, scary bark and will hide behind you when he is scared. Max is 60 lbs. but thinks he is a lap dog and will take up the whole couch if you let him. Max is just great. We have learned so much from our life with Max. Can't help but love him!
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