How a Dog Changed My Life — Maximus’ Rescue Story

I feel as if most people go through a period of life without pets. Your childhood pets have passed on and you have to decide if you are able and committed to getting pets of your own or if you should wait. I grew up in a zoo, we always had dogs, cats, guinea pigs, fish, and other random creatures. When I was 14 all but 1 cat had passed on and our house was left very quiet and empty. “We are done with animals” My parents would constantly say whenever I would bring up the topic. I couldn’t blame them, growing up animal care always fell on my parents and after having years of animals and kids I could understand their need for peace. However I was far from done with animals, but I knew I had to be logical about what animal I could care for and afford.

A year had gone by and our house was quiet and empty, this gnawing feeling of needing an animal companion continued to grow. After countless hours of research, I knew I wanted to get a dog, but not just any dog, a Saint Bernard. Very logical I know. From what I learned about the breed they were very easy to train and required little exercise, they loved cuddles and were big couch potatoes. I have always had a soft spot for large dogs and knew this was the dog that was missing in my life. But I also discovered I could not care for a puppy, not only do they require tons of care, but they are expensive. For being such an animal lover people are always shocked when I say I don’t like baby animals. They are super cute don’t get me wrong, but the thought of raising an animal from infancy terrifies me. Here I was a working 15-year-old, wanting a young giant Saint Bernard, How could my parents say no?

One day a friend talked me into going to the shelter to look at cats. Before we left my mom said “Don’t send me any pictures, we are not getting any more animals” I agreed, as I didn’t want a cat and that is what we were going to look at. We arrived at the SPCALA to look at the cats. This is such a beautiful shelter, and we were having a blast spending time with the available cats in the cat rooms. My friend talked me into walking around and peeking at the dogs. I didn’t see any harm in looking, as I only wanted a young Saint Bernard. We walk towards the dogs and what is the first dog I see? A Saint Bernard. He was very skinny and I convinced myself he was probably old and sick, that’s why he ended up at the shelter. We walk in to read his information. A year and a half old Saint Bernard. Dang it. Our eyes met and I noticed he had one dark brown eye and one stunning blue eye. We stared at each other and I knew he was my dog. We didn’t end up looking at the other dogs, I sat with this Saint Bernard for over an hour.

Now how do I get my dog home? I took a million pictures and videos but as promised I didn’t send any. When I got home I rushed to show my mom that I had found my dog and we had to go get him. “We are not getting a dog.” She ended the conversation without any more thought, but I was far from done. When she wasn’t around I put a picture of him as her phone wallpaper. A clever workaround to not sending her any pictures. When she looked at her phone that night she saw the dog and my dad happened to notice. Wondering why she had a dog as her wallpaper, she explained I wanted this dog from the shelter. He thought he looked like a cool dog, and decided he would just go check him out the next day, but they probably weren’t going to get him.

When my dad had arrived at the shelter he asked where to find this dog, and they took him over to meet him. Asking a million questions and taking him out to spend some time with him, My dad called my mom and said “We have to get this dog” Reluctantly my mom agreed it would be okay. But when my dad went to grab the tag to start the paperwork, it was gone. Another lady had grabbed the tag and was going to fill out the paperwork to adopt my dog. My dad started talking to this lady, and she was still unsure about him but she wanted to get a friend for her other dog. My dad told her this was his daughter’s dog and about how I had spent hours with him the day before. She agreed to let my dad adopt him and to keep looking at the other dogs.

Back at home, I had no idea any of this was happening. I was still trying to figure out a plan on how I could get my dog home. My mom asked me to go outback and we chatted about the possibility of getting the dog, and how I would be completely responsible. As we were talking my dog ran around the corner. MY DOG!!! I was so confused and in shock. How did he even get here? My dad walked around the corner and said Surprise. I burst into tears and that became the best day of my life.

We were thinking of names and none came to mind, the shelter had picked out a name for him, Maximus. Of course, my dad liked it because of the movie Gladiator. But I always wanted to name my dog something unique and different. Well, nothing else fit and we ended up keeping Maximus and calling him Max for short, Yes I wanted a unique dog name and ended up with the most common dog name.

I had no idea what was in store for Max and me. How much we would go through together and how much I would need him in the upcoming years. I am writing this story as a 25-year-old, Max just turned 11 and I can’t believe how time flies. Because of Max, I have rescued 6 dogs, a cat, and a chicken, Their stories will soon come, and we are currently working on opening an animal rescue to save countless more animals. Max is currently battling cancer so I know our days are numbered, but I hope his story will encourage you to go to your local shelter and look at cats, You never know who you will find.

I never believed in soul mates, The thought of there only being one person out there for you sounds silly. However, I didn’t realize my soul mate would come in the form of a dog.

Now I need your help! Maximus is competing in America's Favorite Pet and needs your vote! It is free to vote but means the world to us. You can see on our TikTok or YouTube what we would do if we won, but it is safe to say it would be life-changing.

Please follow us! More rescue stories to come and I would love to hear your rescue stories in the comments below