Because our canine candidates are often recruited from shelters and rescues, which themselves have limited information about dogs’ pasts, we often don’t know what our candidates’ lives looked like before arriving at SDF. However, routine medical screenings can give us some insight from time to time, although sadly, it’s not always a happy picture.
Max and Chad arrived at SDF’s campus within a month of each other—Max from the Humane Society of Elmore County in Alabama, and Chad from the Hancock County Animal Shelter in Mississippi—and upon arrival, were given preliminary medical examinations. Most of the time, these routine screenings reveal healthy, medically fit pups. Less commonly, they can uncover preexisting conditions, which are typically minor and naturally occurring. However, the results weren’t so benign in the cases of Max and Chad.
Though at first glance, neither dog appeared to be suffering any injuries, X-rays revealed that both dogs had been shot at some point in their young lives before arriving at their respective shelters—Max with a pellet gun and Chad with a shotgun.
Understandably, these heartbreaking discoveries prompted questions and complicated feelings among our dog-loving staff. We wanted to know why and how anyone could do something so unthinkable to these sweet, loving pups. While we’ll likely never know the answers to those questions, we do know a few things for sure: these wonderful boys are safe with SDF, and our team will work tirelessly to ensure that they’re loved, cared for, and never face that kind of hardship ever again.
Though this heavy cloud shadows their pasts, there’s a silver lining in the inspiration we can take from these resilient pups. Despite their troubled pasts, Chad and Max are some of the sweetest boys we know. Shelter staff described Max as a big love bug who loves to play ball with anyone he meets—a description we can now corroborate—and Chad is a fun-loving ball of energy who never passes up an opportunity to snuggle with his favorite trainers and melts like butter in their arms. Clearly, these dogs are not going to let their dark pasts get in the way of their bright futures—or a good cuddle!
We’re happy to share that Max has officially been accepted into our search program, and he and his trainers are already having a ton of fun working together. He’s enjoying barrel searches—exhibiting intense focus while working and unbridled excitement when rewarded with toys and praise after a job well done—and his trainers absolutely love his fun energy and engaging personality.
Chad is awaiting further medical screening to determine whether disaster search is the best path for him. In the meantime, he’s enjoying lots of collaborative toy play with his trainers and stealing hearts everywhere he goes with his bubbly personality and adorable smile.
Whether they go on to become search dogs, working dogs in another field, or cherished companions in a loving home, our top priority will always be to ensure that Max and Chad live their best, happiest lives. We will always be grateful their paths led them to SDF, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these amazing, resilient pups!