The canine was a gorgeous golden retriever named Max. When he was a puppy, he had been adopted from the shelter, but for some reason, he kept going back.
The shelter staff was unable to determine what was wrong with Max. Nothing seemed to work despite their best efforts to make him comfortable and happy.
Max was first mistakenly believed to be a stray dog who had been picked up and brought to the shelter. But when he continued coming back, they came to the conclusion that he was doing it on purpose.
The staff began to watch Max’s actions more closely. Every time he visited the shelter, they noted that he would go to the same location and begin barking obnoxiously. They didn’t understand why he was acting in this way, but they could see he was trying to tell them something.
A volunteer at the shelter made the decision to spend time with Max one day in an effort to understand what he was trying to convey. As she sat with him and spoke with him, she soon realized that Max consistently turned his head in the same way whenever he barked.
Max was peering across the street at a house when the volunteer noticed what he was seeing. She approached the home and rapped on the door. A woman welcomed her and enquired about her needs as the door opened.
The volunteer described Max’s circumstances and how he kept going back to the shelter. The woman’s expression brightened as she realized what Max was attempting to explain to them.
Max had been her dog, but she had to give him up when she moved to a new home that didn’t allow pets, the lady revealed. Max had been fleeing from his new home and attempting to find his way back to her while she had been devastated over giving him up.
The staff at the shelter were amazed. They had never witnessed anything like it before. They agreed that Max would be reunited with the woman by immediately making contact with her. Max went to his pet when he saw her again and jumped into her arms while frantically wagging his tail.
Max never returned to the shelter after that day. He knew he was loved and wanted because he had finally found what he was looking for. The staff at the shelter were amazed by Max’s wit and intuition.
They came to understand that, like humans, animals had feelings and emotions.
