Some of you might remember twelve years ago my husband and I adopted a handsome and rambunctious 14 month old Dutch Shepherd. Max was the best and brightest dog we have adopted and quickly became our protector and love of our lives! We were never without him or he without us. Max was the campground “mascot” and official greeter. When he wasn’t at Doggie Day care, he spent most of his days working with the office staff begging for treats or belly rubs going for walks and rides on the golf cart. His job was to let us know when someone came in the office door and he took his job seriously.

Max knew the campground was all his in the winter. As soon as the last car pulled out and the gate went up, he was off leash and getting the squirrels, ground hogs, and wild turkeys in line. He didn’t miss a thing, he even chased down a few deer!

During these last two years, Joe and I were able to spend our winters at our place in Florida. Max had never made the trip with us until 2020. He quickly won over all the neighbors, terrorized the kids and showed the other dogs on our cul-du-sac he was the new dog on the block. While in Florida, Max spent most of his time hanging out around the pool if it wasn’t too hot, or napping in the air conditioned house if it was. He especially loved to bark and chase golfers if they got too close to the house.

We returned home on March 25 and Max seemed fine but after a few days, he became very lethargic and was drinking constantly. We took him to our vet and found out he was in kidney failure and had a tumor on his spleen that was causing him to bleed internally. The doctor didn’t think he would survive a delicate and difficult surgery. We were left with the the painful decision to let him go. After one more night with Max, we returned to the vet where we said our tearful goodbyes and held Max as he took his last breath. We miss him everyday. We thank everyone for reaching out to us with all your kind words.