Meet Max! He’s a 4 year old Plott hound mix. Max is a great family dog. He has been wonderful with our daughter since the day we brought her home. He welcomed her with kisses from head to toe and took her in as one of his brood. He seemed to have more purpose on our walks since she came along. He keeps her in his line of sight at all times now that she is a toddler. When she disappears for a moment, he bays to alert all.
He is of coarse thrilled to be out on a trail. He loves Fort Funston (on a weekday when horses are less likely to show up) where he can meander along the trails and run carefree by the water. Max has impressive stamina and can run for a couple of hours with little to no rest in between. But he doesn’t require intense activity, just thoroughly enjoys it. Max is just as content to lie around the house when we’re home, going from outdoors to indoors at his leisure. He doesn’t follow us around, he’s just glad to know we are all together. He often can be seen chewing on his favorite toy (a penguin with no more stuffing that has survived many “unfortunate” washings) while lying on his dog bed, happy as a billy goat that the family is together.
He walks well on leash after the initial one-minute thrill subsides of getting out. The exception being when he sees a cat (and sometimes a raccoon), he will bay and lunge in the direction of his would be prey. As previously mentioned, Max has a serious aversion to horses. I have no idea why, but if he is off leash, he will not relent at a horse’s feet; it is incredibly difficult to get him away from the horse and into safety (which is why we only bring him to Fort Funston on a week day). He gets along well with most other dogs, non-neutered males sometimes being the exception.
He knows basic commands: stay, leave it, sit, down, and come when he is in the mood or a particularly good treat is involved. Sometimes he can crawl on the ground toward a treat and speak on command.
Max is not a drooling hound unless he sees something he really wants to eat (like cheese); generally speaking he has a dry mouth.
Max is a trumpet. He bays/ howls in two volumes at the arrival of guests: loud and extra loud. Even when people come who Max knows well, he still announces their presence with volume. Six days a week, the mailman’s presence continues to be a challenge. Max charges for the window each time. We try to anticipate the mailman’s arrival and sit with Max, reminding him to leave it… at a minimum with our coaxing he will cry, trying earnestly to get his bay out. Also, if he hears unfamiliar noise in a neighbor’s back yard, he will charge the fence to deliver his bay. Until we command with great force, leave it! As loud as his bay can be, his mouth is very gentle. He will take a treat from our hands more delicately than our toddler.
Many times he has helped us feel secure at night. His acute sense of smell knows when anyone is walking down the street seemingly before they turn the corner. His incessant, unrelenting interest and bays at our bedroom window prompted us to call the police one night, who discovered once they arrived on scene that he was baying at a family of raccoons who had made their home in our tree. They reminded us to always look up and down when searching our property. We have no need for an alarm system, as Max is the best alarm system out there! Max is an amazing dog, and hes looking for his new home!
Please email adopt@rocketdogrescue.org to meet Max!