We got Max around May-June in 2009. My parents were never really pet people but one day my mom asked us if we would want a pet. Obviously my brother and I jumped at the oppurtunity. My dad was a little hesitant but I think that was only because of how dirty and hairy the house would become. We have a smaller-medium sized house and I think having a dog made it extremely cozy. I remember my dad picking me up early from school to go get Max from the shelter that he was staying at. The car ride home from Ohio was so nice, it took Max a little bit to get comfortable with us but by the end of the ride he was excxited to see his new home.

Max had a really interesting story. Him and his siblings were brought to the shelter by two Amish teenagers. They found out that their parents were killing the puppies they couldn't sell instead of giving them to shelters like they told them they were. Max was the runt of the litter so he definitely was going to be killed unless those kids did what they did. We didn't stay in contact with the kids directly but through our mutual connection with the shelter we found out they got their parent's puppy mill shut down and they left the amish lifestyle behind. That is so interesting to me, especially since the amish lifestyle seems so unnattractive to a child. My grandfather has a camp near lots of amish people so I've been around them most of my life. It never made sense to me why they choose to stay when they're not forced into that lifestyle, but I guess if that's all you ever know then it's hard to leave.

Anyway, Max was a super hyper puppy. He would get the zoomies and run under the couch as part of his normal lap. His first toy was a fish on a rope that he tore apart very quickly. That lesson taught us to buy two of each toy just incase Max tore it apart quickly. My dad used to instigate Max and it worked everytime. One day Max was too big to fit under the couch so he got stuck and was screaming for help. He wasn't hurt at all but that was very funny to watch him shake his butt. Max seemed to enjoy being an only dog for a very long time, that's the main reason we didn't get a second dog for a long time. He loved getting all of the attention from everyone who came to our house. He was a good dog, even for being an annoying brother most of the time.