Max & Milo

Almost a year ago Max became a member of our family. In that year he has enriched our lives in more ways than my words can express. Max had a terrible life before he came to LRR and it was fate that brought him to us. We'll never forget how his story moved us and set us on a mission to get a brother for our younger lab, Milo.

This year has brought new challenges for our family as well. Who knew we could make rugs out of one days worth of shedding, or that drool created such a giant puddle. We didn't know that it was humanly possible to go through 5 pairs of shoes before they even came out of the box, or that Labradors loved to read Vanity Fair magazine as much as our Max does. We still don't know if it's normal that Max doesn't just wag his tail, he shakes his whole back end. We don't think it's normal that Max grins like a person, especially when he's running in the backyard and tormenting his baby brother. We think that Max is a human stuck in a dogs body... and the best part is, he doesn't know he's stuck in that body.

The most endearing quality of Max is that he has become my shadow. When I'm cooking, he doesn't leave my feet. I don't know if it's because he's waiting for his daily dose of cucumbers and carrots or because he loves the company. When I'm having a bad day and I get on the floor with him, he always reaches out to touch me with his paw, as if he knows that's all I need to feel better.

With all of his human characteristics, I believe he's my kindred dog. That we were always meant to be. Lately, Max seems to be coming out of a shell. He's really living up to our nickname of "Mad Max"... he runs around the backyard with that grin and barks at Milo when he can't catch him, he goes crazy on his walks - pulling madly. Most recently we were at Petsmart and Max was fascinated by the Guinea Pigs. He was barking at them, hysterically and cracking everyone up.

Max is going to have a wonderful life with us until he's an old man with a gray beard. We look forward to sharing many moments with Max and watching his reaction to all of life's good things, like children. I think one day, he's going to make a child very happy, because he has that ability - like our Labs do, to reach out to humans and love them in a very special way. We have truly been blessed with Max - and we thank LRR for saving him and giving him a good start at a new life. We are eternally grateful for the role you played in bringing us our beautiful boy!