Max is Home 🐶

The kids have been wishing and hoping and begging for a dog for a while now, and when the school year started and our travels were behind us, we started the search for a new dog to bring home. 

We started reading through the profiles of adoptable dogs on the websites of the county animal shelter and the humane society near us, and told our friends to keep an eye out for dogs on their social media and neighborhood email lists. Our two must-have were: (a) a gentle and friendly temperament and (b) one who would be content to nap while we were at work/school, knowing that there would be plenty of walks and playtime the rest of the time. 

Sadly, there is no shortage of dogs- there must be about 50 or more dogs waiting for a home within just a 10 mile radius of us. Young/old, big/small, active/lazy...there are dogs of every stripe waiting for families. 

Big smiles

One dog's profile caught my eye- Max. It said things like-

• 7 year old gentle giant in need of a home, stat!
• ...simple man with simple needs....chill, lazy guy
• ...friendly with kids of all ages
• ...loves pets and being told he's a good boy
• We want to keep Max out of the overcrowded shelter at all costs. Unfortunately, his fate is uncertain there, since there are plenty of days when there are more dogs than kennels. 

Max likes to shake paws

What I know of Max's story is this- 

• In mid-July, his previous owner surrendered him to the shelter for financial reasons.
• He struggled with life in the shelter and started deteriorating straight-away. His medical record tells the story of how he had to be heavily medicated (sedated) while in the shelter. It was obviously traumatic for him. He was neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped in there.
• Shelter staff recognized his struggle and found him a temporary foster home, where he did great BUT did not get along with the cat (or vice versa).
• They moved him to a different foster home; this one had two dogs. The foster parents adored him and wanted to keep him, but realized that Max preferred to be an only dog and also their two dogs didn't take to him. 
• At this point, we saw the website profile, thought it might be a good fit, and reached out to the shelter.
• We had a meet and greet with Max in the shelter parking lot. The foster parents were amazing and gave us lots of info. (We could also see them evaluating us critically as a potential family, which is a good thing as they wanted Max to go to a good home.)
• All four of us loved Max and we adopted him on Friday, Sept 4, signing the papers at the shelter. That evening, the foster mom brought him to our house, along with a bag of toys and treats and a beautiful harness and leash- how generous they are. I could see that it was breaking her heart to leave him, but we assured her that we would take care of Max. I've been texting them updates. She told us that if we ever found that it isn't a good fit, they would take Max back. They are very invested in not seeing him return to the shelter under any circumstances.

So, Max has been here for a week now, and we love him. He is a big boy at 95 lbs. According to the Photos app, he is a breed called a black-mouth cur, a Southern hunting dog. Looking at pictures of this breed, I can see it. He could be a mix of this breed and some other big breed. He has the black muzzle for sure, but it is turning grey as he is 7 years old. 

Our daughter wanted to change his name, saying Max is "too basic". It is definitely the most common name for boy dogs in the US! But nah, he's a pretty basic dog, and there's nothing wrong with being basic. I am basic and proud of it. So Max is it. Or Maxim (pronounced the French way- Maxime) or Maximus as the kids tend to call him. Maybe we can give Max a "younique" spelling like Maxx or Makks? Big Macs, perhaps? 

Expressive and soulful eyes

A parade of friends has already come by to meet him, and they all adore him. He sleeps soundly through the night. Loves long walks; does not yet understand the concept of wandering around our fenced backyard. Loves car rides, except he gets excited and bounces around, which is dangerous, and we need to find some way to restrain him safely in the car. He tries his best to be the goodest boi. 

Except he did find a big box of homemade cookies with the lid carelessly left open on the dining table today, and polished off all but two, leaving a big mess of crumbs behind! (Max is the messiest eater.) He is getting comfortable enough to be naughty. 

* * *

Labor day weekend was spent Max-maxxing, but I did get to try a new recipe- multigrain protein bread from King Arthur. In fact, I bought bread flour and pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to make this recipe, and then left for months of travel. I had to use up those ingredients and quickly, since apparently I was serious about making it a while ago. 

Using the stand mixer, the bread dough came together very quickly, and being as warm as it is, it rose beautifully. The bread tasted wonderful! It was a bit crumbly, making me wonder if I did not knead it long enough. I will make this again.

* * *

My cousin Rani tai, an art therapist, was involved in making a wonderful documentary called Every Stitch Tells a Story. It is a short film, about 33 minutes long, and features stories about two types of embroidery found in Karnataka, Kasuti and Lambani.

I love the fiber arts and enjoyed this documentary for many reasons, but particularly because I got to see family members talk about their passion. Among the people interviewed is my aunt Geeta kaki. And my cousin Rani tai who talks about my grand-aunt (her grandmother) Anu aji who lived to be 99 and was a legend in her own right. Watch it here!

While I was in India, my mother in fact gifted me a Kasuti-embroidered fabric piece that she had bought in Karnataka, and I had it sewn into a kameez/ tunic that I enjoy wearing.

Yoke of my kasuti tunic,
featuring different styles of peacocks!

* * * 

Many thanks to Vishakha for recommending a "gateway" audiobook to me- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I finished listening to it this morning and I absolutely loved it! It is an epistolary novel, told entirely through letters. The main character, Sybil Van Antwerp, is a retired lawyer and the book covers her correspondence over 10 years while she is in her 70s. The audiobook has a great cast, and the voices of Sybil and her various people she writes letters to- everyone from a teenage boy to a customer service rep to her best friend to the authors of books she likes- brings her story to life. This book feels all the feels. It is a gem and I highly recommend it.

If, like me, you are a newcomer to audiobooks, let me tell you about the Libby app. I've had a US public library card for 25 years but only starting using this app a few months ago. It is so great. You just download the app and sign it using your regular library card credentials. There are thousands of audiobooks available and you can put a hold on them, just like for regular library books. Libby also has e-magazines- all the popular ones. (I am a big magazine junkie but rarely get my hands on them.)

I will have plenty of listening time while I walk Max. I've put Born a Crime by Trevor Noah on hold because I've read strong reviews for this audiobook. Happy to get other recommendations!