And Now Some Good News

[Python]

Fortunately Max won't be left on his own for too long. My husband doesn't usually start work until the afternoon (he works mostly afternoons and evenings) and I only work mornings. My son is in most days except 3 afternoons per week when he goes for his dialysis. On the rare occasion that there would be nobody home, Max can come to work with me. He came to work with me for a couple of hours last week. He just lay down by my desk and was as good as gold. My boss loves dogs and has a Boxer pup (he last dog was also a Boxer and died of pretty much the same thing as Sadie had).

We have left Max on his own in the house while we were working in the garden. He stayed in his favourite spot and was no problem. He's got some endearing ways about him. In the morning he doesn't move even when our alarms go off. However, as soon as one of us speaks he comes up on the bed and licks first me, then Graham. On Sunday he also licked the cat to her disgust

We have found out he is very protective (typical GSD). We took Max for his bedtime walk. First a drunk young man passed us in the same direction. As he went past he kept saying "Sorry mate". For some reason he was walking down the road with his hands on his head Max growled at him. Not long after that we bumped into someone we know so stood chatting for a while. Max just sat patiently waiting. As our acquaintance turned to go, he raised his arm in a wave. Max jumped up with a growl and grabbed his sleeve That worried me considerably on one hand, but on the other I know no-one will dare raise a hand to any of us when Max is around. I spoke to my vet's dog trainer and she said that GSDs go into guard mode at night and she reckoned he'd misinterpreted the raised arm and thought our acquaintance was going to hit one of us.

Max is getting on well with the cats now. None of them run away from him any more and he has struck up a friendship with Blue and also our old cat Lucy. Blue winds himself round Max's legs. Max just wags his tail and tries to lick Blue.