Max

Max is a first cross Dalmatian/ English Bull Terrier and was the product of the careless owners of a Dalmatian bitch, allowing her to roam free when in season, who then came across a male Bull Terrier on a walk. The Bull Terrier owner responsibly homed all the puppies apart from Max who was unfortunately for him, retained by the original owners of the bitch.

Max lived with his mother and another Dalmatian bitch and was not walked or taken into the world. He occasionally escaped from the garden and was understandably frightened of people, dogs and most things in the world that he had not encountered. By the time Max reached twelve months, he escaped one more time, encountered a child, and grabbed his arm in fear, doing no damage. The child’s parents were most understanding and Max’s owners then decided they did not want him anymore. Once more, the owner of his father stepped in and brought Max to us.

Max was too terrified to get out of the car, never having traveled in one before and we both spent some time coaxing him whilst avoiding getting bitten. The future for Max looked uncertain. He was a beautiful, terrified fully grown dog who had no coping mechanism in the world at all. He had been totally let down by his owners. Max spent nine months or so in our care, quickly learning to trust us via the medium of ball throwing and more slowly, learning how to interact with other dogs. We then, through the help of our volunteers began to send Max out with our trusted volunteers. to begin his transitional journey into the world . We muzzle trained Max because he would lunge at people fearfully, never biting but we did not want to compromise the safety of the public or Max to make a mistake. The muzzle also meant that he could be given treats safely by people and learn that they were not to be feared.

Our volunteers where hugely helpful in the journey to a home for Max. They tirelessly took him out on excursions, to pubs, beaches and cafes, showing him the world he would one day inhabit and helping him learn about it safely. Without them, we would have had a much harder task finding Max a home.

Max is now in a home with owners who adore him, have worked tirelessly to help him with the rest of his journey, such as a fear of livestock as he lives on the moors. They have returned to us for help when needed and Max is now much loved, safely lives in the world and and is a happy, healthy dog.