Max

Max is our dog. His father, Jackie, is a black, German shepherd, while his mother, Bali, is an albino boxer. As you can see from the photo below, he is a big boy, but a very good boy.



Max was born on December 20, 2001, shortly after we settled down here. When I selected him, over his siblings, it was on the basis of how he crawled toward Nelly's neck. It turned out to be a good sign, as he is both quite affectionate and sociable.

When I named him Max, which is short for Maxmilian, it was with the view that I wanted him to grow into what I consider to be a complete dog, with the following characteristics:

1. affectionate;


2. active;


3. intelligent;


4. sociable;


5. child tolerant;


6. animal tolerant;


7. even tempered; and


8. trainable.

About-Dogs.com has an excellent table on the various characteristics of the various breeds. Note that it is sortable through the columnar headings.

Max turned out to live up to his name. We got him when he was only 5 weeks old. He had a healthy appetite, and grew very quickly. Since Nelly quickly tired of looking after him, I took over the responsibility. At first I tried to put him on the terrace overnight, but he immediately got into the habit of whining so loud that I did not have the heart but to get up, and go down to bring him up to my bed, where he snuggled around my neck, like a warm, soft scarf.

It quickly became obvious that he was not only highly intelligent, but also very trainable. He learned very quickly. You would only have to instruct him once or twice before he knew what to do. I got the idea to use hand movements in connection with my instructions, and he understood immediately, so I only had to use my hand or finger to get him to carry them out correctly. He was not even three months before he knew all the various commands. Jackie's owner, Pepe, told me he had never seen anybody train a puppy that young.

Similarly, he quickly demonstrated how gregarious and sociable he is with other dogs, like Tyson, a Rottweiler, across from us, at the corner of our street. Likewise, he demonstrated how much he loves children, as Stefania, a young girl across the street from us would come and pet him, and he would wag his strong tail whenever she came over to see him.

However, when he was approx. three months old he decided to act like a young macho, by trying to keep Luna away from my bed, and at first he succeeded, because, by that time, he was already quite big and strong, and Luna would leave. However, she has a strong character, and is the most determined dog I have seen, so one day she decided to come back, and he was not going to deter her, and he did not. Ever since they have been the best of friends, and they never fight. In fact, Max is quite a psychologist, who likes nothing better than to get Luna to chase him around the roundabout (glorieta), and she enjoys playing her role, whenever she is in the mood, and so inclined.

What I most enjoy watching is when the two of them race each other along the beach waterfront. I have never seen any other dogs do that. It is a beautiful sight. I have to bring my camera one day and take some pictures of them racing.

Another thing that sets them apart from most other dogs is that they always check out their environment through sniffing. Max also has tremendous senses, and hears, sees and smells everything around, and is extremely alert. He is very territorial, and if there is somebody he has not seen before he immediately barks, and if he is loose he checks out that person, but he never bites. He is a very good judge of character, and when somebody he dislikes passes by our house he becomes far more boisterous than usual, and his intensity is visibly manifested in his entire body. He exudes strength and vigilance.

In the beginning many people were apprehensive of him because of his impressive physique. Now, however, most people are awed by his physique, but also perceive his good and noble nature. He is truly a noble dog. He is not affected by people, when passing through crowds, or when small, aggressive dogs come barking at him, even though he dislikes excessive noise.

His physiognomy is one of bodily strength, combined with elegance, and refinement. He walks like a fine racehorse, and his inherited boxer athletism is revealed when he is chased by Luna. He quickly stops, changes direction, and jumps, in a fine, beautiful, fluid, and continuous motion. When he lies on the bench on the patio, which he often does, his head rests on the arm rest, and his front paws are draped on it, in much the same manner that he is displaying in this photo below. No doubt he is dreaming he is me.



This aspect of his nature also comes through in his sensual behaviour. He loves to roll around on the grass in the glorieta, or in the sand on the beach. On the beach he will also sometimes dig a hole in the sand, and stick his entire head into it.

Max is a delight. You feel good just by having him around, even when he squeezes his big body next to your leg under my computer desk. His fur is incredibly soft, and feels good against your calf.

He is obviously a great thinker, but also an extraordinary communicator, who simply does not allow you to ignore him. If he wants to be petted he lets you know, and if you fail to comply he lifts his left, front paw and places it on your arm.

I remember being impressed with Lassie knowing when it was time to meet the children after school when the clock chimed. Well, Max does not need a clock to tell the time. He has it built into him, and he knows when it is time to go for his walks. If you forget he comes, places himself right next to you, while looking at you with his beautiful light brown eyes, in such a way that you have no choice but to accommodate him.

He also has his ways of expressing his satisfaction and enjoyment, either with a sigh, as he is lying down, or by rubbing his face against your leg, especially after a nice, long walk, when he and Luna were let loose to explore and play in the arroyo. Max is what I call a life artist. He knows how to get the most out of life. You just got to love hime, and I do, along with Luna. They are such wonderful beings, that help make our lives better too.