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Happy Tails | Max

Every single animal that comes through our shelter has a story. Some are complex, many are sad, but all of them get better the minute they arrive at the Virginia Beach SPCA. Max’s skin was in rough shape when he returned to the shelter in April 2023. His previous adopter had encountered a medical hardship and could no longer care for Max and his severe allergies. As a result, Max was nearly hairless, and his skin was painfully inflamed.

The VBSPCA clinic and kennel teams worked diligently to get Max’s allergies back under control. Slowly but surely his skin improved, and Max’s beautiful black coat began growing back. All the while, Max received weekly visits from Patty, one of our dedicated volunteers. Patty had adopted a puggle mix with similar skin issues named Bronsen from the VBSPCA in 2022. Max won over Patty and her husband Jon with his endless charm, and the couple added him to their family in August. We recently caught up with Patty and Jon to hear how a fully-healed Max is loving every minute in his forever home.

How did you know Max was the one for you?

I walk dogs at the shelter on Sundays, and Max had been there for a while. He had lost most of his hair. His skin was very flakey, and he was very itchy. I felt sorry for him, and I knew that we had helped Bronsen get his hair back with another medicine that was kind of expensive but so worth it. 

I took my husband to meet Max, and that was it. Max came over and nuzzled my husband’s hand right away, and my husband was sold.

How is Max doing in the home?

He is such a gentleman. He has his places where he likes to lie down. Every once in a while he will take Bronsen’s favorite spots, but both dogs are pretty easygoing. One time we had to board both dogs, and when we brought them home Max ran from room to room just checking to make sure everything was still there. I swear that he was smiling the biggest smile.

What sort of activities do you do together?

Max loves to grab a stuffed toy and run around the house and let us chase him. His favorite toy is a duck or a small KONG teddy bear. Max and Bronsen get walked like four times a day, and Max’s favorite part of the walk is seeing squirrels. He’ll just stand and stare at them and sometimes act like he is going to run after them. He is mesmerized by squirrels. People stop and ask us what he is looking at – just squirrels.

Does Max have any funny quirks?

He dances when I bring his meals to him. It is the cutest thing. He runs around the table and just taps his feet on the floor. I love it! He is also the perfect gentleman when it comes to treats. He will shake your hand for a treat, and he is ambidextrous.

How has Max enriched your lives so far?

It is such a great gift to have a companion to share your love with. Max makes that really easy. You can always tell when you enter the room and Max is there because he starts thumping his tail. What a gift!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Max has very distinguishing ears. They are exactly 12 inches from one tip to the other. We call him our own little Yoda.