Max Finds His Forever Home, by Anett Jacobs

Max was fending for himself on the streets of San Bernardino when a good Samaritan brought him to a local shelter. They guessed he was about 1½ years old and he was all alone, frightened, and confused.

We’ve had dogs our whole lives ─ growing up, when we got married, and when we had our kids. Through the years, we’ve had a St. Bernard, a Sheltie, and several Cocker Spaniels. When our last dog died and we moved from San Bruno to Redwood City, we went about 10 years without having a dog. Little did we know that Max was about to change all that.

To New Beginnings 

Our daughter-in-law had an adorable black Cocker Spaniel named Wiggles who stayed with us most days while she was at work. When their son was born, he was highly allergic, so Wiggles had to be rehomed with a friend. Then, when the time came to get another dog, my daughter-in-law and I went together to an animal fair being held by Cal State Rescue in Santa Clara to see who was there. My sister was visiting at the time and came with us. As we were looking around, she said, “Oh, look at this one” pointing to a little dog that everyone was passing by. He was cowering in the corner trying to look invisible and something about this little guy touched our hearts. We hadn’t planned on adopting a dog, but we decided to take him home on the spot.

Settling In

Max turned out to be the sweetest and most affectionate dog. We didn’t know all of his history or what his life had been like before we met him, but we learned pretty quickly that he was shy with people, afraid of loud noises, easily overwhelmed, and needed a quiet and loving environment to thrive.

He looked so sad when we first picked him up, it just broke your heart. But he slowly opened up and is very comfortable now. He is particularly attached to me and very protective, following me everywhere I go. Even though they are buddies, if my husband suddenly walks into the room, Max sometimes barks at him.

He also has a really hard time when I go away for a couple of days. He stops eating, doesn’t want to take walks, pretty much shuts down until I return. He isn’t particularly drawn to other dogs, doesn't play, doesn’t fetch, doesn’t get the zoomies, just hangs out with us. He lets everyone know that he is “my dog” and we are his family.

Smart, Crafty, and Stubborn on Occasion

Max knows that he can use the doggie door to do his business in the backyard, run back in and get a cookie. It’s a little game we play with him. But he has a new routine that he hopes we will fall for. While we’re watching TV, Max goes out the doggie door to go to the bathroom, comes back in, goes to my husband, and waits for a cookie. Then he goes in and out the door several times hoping he’ll get more cookies. Sometimes this even works. 😊 He will stare and wait until he has that extra cookie, not giving up until he gets what he wants.

Max Finds His Forever Home

No one really knows why an animal decides someone is their person, but Max clearly did that with me. When we first met him, he was alone, depressed, and shut down. He’s a completely different dog now – happy and loved and a cherished member of our family. He brings a lot of joy to both of us, and we are so happy that we found each other. We really weren’t looking for a dog that fateful day when we headed off to the adoption fair, but our lives were definitely changed for the better when we did.