MAX is a handsome golden boy. He is approximately 18 months old and is neutered. He was fostered in Ireland for 7 weeks by Mary who says "Max is a beautiful, sweet, affectionate pet. He does obey some commands like sit, always comes when called and he is, of course, toilet trained. My family, neighbours and kids in the area are all very attached to Max. He loves all of us and we are going to miss him greatly especially me. I am sad to let him go but I think it is for the best as he needs to develop his full potential with some training and will make some family a wonderful pet in every way."

"He is a very strong dog and I have found it a bit difficult to train him as he is a bit too strong for me. He will play ball non-stop, if he is allowed to, with all the young men and kids in the area and is extremely good at rugby & football. He needs to be kept active and loves his walks. He chases cats but will not harm them."

We were told that he was not good with other dogs but Mary said "Sometimes he barks at other dogs but he just tries to make friends with them. I never had a problem with him in all the time he was with me and there were always other dogs about which he played with. As far as I know he spent a night or two in the Dog Pound in Ennis, Co Clare, after rescue, then spent a night with a lady who had other dogs. It was she who said he did not like other dogs but I never found that to be the case and I made a point of involving him during play on most occasions to test him. He also spent three nights in kennels while I was away for a weekend about a month ago. Again, absolutely no problem with the other dogs but the lady told me that he might be a little shy of some dogs at times but no barking or biting of any description. In summary, I do not believe there was any incident of bad behaviour or biting. He always wanted to make friends."

IN FOSTER IN SOMERSET

Max is now in foster in Somerset with Pauline and settled in immediately. She says "He is a very, confident, friendly dog who is extremely responsive to commands and has a good recall as he wants to be with you. He loves his ball even more than his tummy so this will make training him fairly easy. We were told he could be a bit food aggressive at times but I have seen no sign of that. He takes treats very gently and patiently when with the other dogs and he has been fed, in his separate cage in my van, surrounded by all my other dogs, with no problems."

"He loves to be brushed and combed and was extremely good, very patient and well behaved, when being microchipped. His biggest fault is being strong on the lead as he was probably never been taken for walks in his original home but this is improving all the time. He gets on well with my other dogs, especially Rhani, but, like my own retrievers, he enjoys playing very rough so I suppose this could be mistaken for aggression if people don't know the breed. He is just very young and playful."

"He is a bit of a "Hector the Collector" and loves to gather toys up in a big pile around him. He probably could be pushy if allowed as he desperately craves affection and loves being in the thick of things but I can see why Mary found it so hard to part with this gorgeous boy".

©2008 Irish Retriever Rescue UK