MAX

Born: 1st March 2010

Breed: German Shepherd

Sire and Dam: Aussie and Lexis

Littermates: Marley, Maya, Merlin, Mercer, Midge, Mitsy, Monty, Mossie

Puppy Walkers: David and Elaine Whiteley, West Midlands

Trainer for advanced stage: Sarah Davies

Qualified: 25th November 2011

Have you ever been told you’ll never have something you’d dearly love to have? Well, that’s basically what happened to me. Over the years, I’d been told that I’d never have a German Shepherd as a guide dog. The interesting thing is that I was never told the reasons why, but I just assumed that it was probably down to the often narrow streets in and around Abertillery, and German Shepherds are generally larger dogs than the average Labrador or Golden Retriever.

In 2011 when Jim Powell from Guide Dogs Cymru was filling out my application form, he suggested that as I’d had a good success rate with Labrador and Labrador Retriever crosses, it made sense to stick to those breeds. To be honest, the breed wasn’t of much importance to me, but what he said seemed to make sense, and so I agreed. However, he wrote on my application that I only wanted a Retriever, Labrador, or a Labrador Retriever cross, which is not what I meant at all. If a suitable dog was found that wasn’t one of those breeds, I’d still have been more than happy.

As part of my assessment for guide dog number 4, Katie Roberts noticed what had been written down regarding breeds, and as she’d known me for some time, she thought it was an odd thing for me to say. So, she asked me if I really only wanted those breeds. I explained to her what had happened when Jim had filled out my form, and I said that I’d have a Labradoodle if they had one, which gave her a laugh. She then asked me if I’d like to have a walk with a German Shepherd who was around the same size as Eddy. Can you imagine how excited I was at the thought of it? My jaw nearly hit the floor! I didn’t even know whether we would end up as a working team, but just to have a walk with him would be a dream come true!

Katie arranged for Caroline Morton and Sarah Davies to bring Max up to Cwmbran to meet me a few days later. One of the first things I noticed about Max on the trial walk was how he walked much more smoothly than my previous three dogs. In fact, it almost felt like he was gliding along. Maybe it’s no surprise then that some people refer to German Shepherds as “the Rolls Royce of guide dogs.” Well, they were certainly the first breed to be used as guide dogs in the UK, the first class of four having qualified way back in October 1931.

I had an initial problem though, and that was Max’s length. I thought my ‘stretch-limo’ Eddy was long enough! He was definitely the longest of the three dogs I’d had until then. Not only was Max even longer, but he could snake his body like no other dog of that size I’d ever met. On getting himself into some very tight spots, he could just turn back on himself and effortlessly get himself out again! The main problem with Max’s length was when he stepped up a kerb after crossing a road. Through his harness, I could feel him stepping up, but I’d step up too soon, causing me to trip up the kerb on more than one occasion. After some more practice, I began adjusting to his longer body, and things came together very nicely.

At the end of our trial walk, Caroline and Sarah seemed very happy with how things had gone, and asked me: “So, do you want him?” My ecstatic reply got Max and I on class together the following week! Our training base was the Park Inn Hotel at Llanedeyrn in Cardiff, and the other three trainees on class with us were David from Ebbw Vale with Robyn, John from Tenby with Angel, and Margaret from Swansea with Cymro. Robyn and Max, who had both done their advanced training with Sarah, were the best of friends and totally inseparable!

Another problem soon surfaced on class, which had nothing to do with Max’s length. The trial walk in the Thornhill area of Cwmbran had been on quite spacious pavements. Training around different parts of Cardiff often took us into areas that were far more congested. Sarah, who had trained Max, was shorter and slimmer than me, and Max was used to making sure she had enough room on her right to get past things. Taller, chunkier Jon caused him a bit of a problem. He was still working on the space he used to keep clear for Sarah. So, a number of times my shoulder or arm met a lamppost or some other obstruction. After taking him back several paces and making him work that stretch again, he began to realise I needed a little more space on my right. Thankfully, Max was a quick learner, and these bumps soon stopped.

Once our training was complete in Cardiff, we began introducing Max to routes he would be using around our hometown. Su had taken Eddy away to visit our friend Liz in Coventry, so that we could concentrate on the final stage of our training. There were some narrow sections and a badly placed lamppost or two, but Max had now adjusted to my size, and they weren’t causing any issues. One route we learned was to the Grosvenor House Nursing Home where my dad had been a resident for a little while. The most direct route would have involved a very steep hill with very narrow pavements. So, we worked out a longer, easier route. Max loved going up to see grandad, and I think grandad really appreciated his visits as well!

Caroline and Sarah wanted Eddy and Max to meet on neutral ground, so a specific day and time was arranged for Su and Eddy to travel home and meet up with us in town. The idea was that Caroline and Sarah would take Eddy and Max for a walk for a while, so that hopefully they would get used to each other a little. Su and I were to go to Marenghi’s Cafe in the Arcade and wait for them. We’d hardly sat down before they suddenly appeared through the door! Problem? Eddy had had one of his stubborn moments. His brakes were on solid! The only place he would go was where mum and dad had just gone, and that was it and all about it! Not even two guide dog trainers could get his brakes off – unless they let him go to where we were!

Unfortunately, Eddy did not appreciate Max’s presence in the slightest! Eddy would walk into the room, look at Max, let out a huge sigh, turn around, and walk back off down the hallway to his favourite spot by the front door. this went on for quite a while, until Max was seriously ill. It was at that point that Eddy’s feelings for Max completely changed. He kept coming over to Max to check to see if he was OK. Su commented on how the expression on Eddy’s face gave the distinct impression he was saying: ‘When I said go away and die, I didn’t really mean it.’ From then on, Eddy and Max built up a close friendship, so much so that they were almost inseparable! It was wonderful to hear them having so much fun together, playing tuggy with their toys and having lots of fun. Eddy had found a new lease of life, there was no doubt about that! To top it all off, he even managed to find his bark that had been hidden away for so long!

During his retirement, I took Eddy out for some walks with my long cane as I’d done with Isaac. That brought back some lovely memories for me. Of course, Eddy still had his free runs at Tredegar Park in Newport, but now he had a little brother (who was actually larger than him) to keep him company. There were a few times when Eddy had one of his stubborn moments, refusing to come back to us when we called him. Max was having none of that nonsense! Using his natural skills as a sheepdog, he’d run over to Eddy, circle him a few times, bark at him, and then make his way back to us with Eddy following him like a little lamb!

On a visit to Leamington with both Max and Eddy, we decided to go into Starbucks – like you do! We always try to make a point of taking a collapsible dog bowl with us, but on this occasion we’d somehow managed to forget it. It was quite a hot day, and we knew the boys would really appreciate a nice cool drink of water. We wondered what Starbucks might have that we could use as a bowl. It appeared the only thing they could suggest was one of their disposable cups. Well, it was better than nothing I suppose. Eddy seemed to manage OK, being the first to have a drink he had the wider open end of the cup to drink from. Next, it was Max’s turn. With his beautifully shaped snoz fitting perfectly into the cup, he almost looked like Eric Morecambe doing his classic impersonation of Jimmy Durante!

It’s no secret that Su and I are regular visitors to The Pontlottyn, our town’s Wetherspoon’s pub. Max was a massive hit with one of the staff members, Kirsty. On one occasion when Su and I had gone in for a meal, Kirsty had brought our food to the table. The next thing I knew, I heard Su saying: “Jon, we have a member of staff under our table . . .” It was Kirsty, down on the floor, literally under our table, having lots of cuddles and cwtches with Max!

Keeping on the Wetherspoon’s theme, Max and I went by bus to The Sirhowy pub in Blackwood with a sighted friend, Chris. As we walked up the High Street, I knew there was a lane going down to our right to an area where Max could make himself comfy. After he did what he needed to do, I fully expected him to go back up the lane to the High Street and up to The Sirhowy. Nope, not Max! He was insistent on walking up a back lane that runs parallel with the High Street. I tried to get him to go back up the lane we’d come down, but I stood more chance knitting fog! As we had Chris with us, I decided to let Max go the way he wanted. At least we had Chris who could get us out of the mess we were in if everything went pear-shaped. Max, walking very confidently, guided me along the lane for quite a while. Then turning left, he took me up some steps and into Wetherspoon’s through their back door! He’d never gone in or out of that door before, and for that matter had never gone up that back lane either! How on earth did he know? We were absolutely gobsmacked!

Su and I arranged a visit to Max’s Puppy Walkers, David and Elaine, in the West Midlands, so that he could meet back up with them and his best friend, Miller, who hadn’t made the grades as a guide dog. While we were there, David took Max to one of his favourite local fields and got a stunning photo of him. His sable coat gave Max a somewhat vicious appearance, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Max was as soft as butter and wouldn’t have hurt a fly. He didn’t have a nasty bone in his body. I must say his appearance had the bonus of making me feel much safer and more protected when we were out together!

One day when Max and I were going down to town, coming towards us was a gang of what sounded like about ten or twelve teenagers, jostling each other and generally larking about rather loudly. As they came closer to us, every one of them went dead quiet. Each one walked silently past us until they were a few yards behind us, and then began messing about again. I thought to myself: “I can cope with this!”

After one of our regular trips to Tredegar Park in Newport to give Eddy and Max a free-run, Su suggested that we stopped off at The Tredegar Arms pub for a pint before we headed home. While we were sat in their beer garden, a lady who was sat at a table not far from us began eyeing up max, and appeared to be extremely nervous of him. After a while, she noticed how well behaved he was, and asked if she could give him a stroke. Of course, Max was more than happy to let her do that! She then told us that she’d been bitten on the leg by a German Shepherd when she was 9 years-old, and had not gone near one ever since. She fell in love with Max, and ended up on the floor cuddling him, even snuggling up to him around his neck! We were absolutely delighted that we could share that special moment with her.

Something that Su and I noticed when taking Max for free runs in the park was how people reacted to German Shepherds. Sometimes we were yelled at, with demands such as: “Get your dangerous dog back on its lead!!!” A phrase which was usually accompanied by a few unnecessary expletives. This would upset Su and I, as Max simply wanted to play, nothing more, nothing less. Sadly, German Shepherds, like some other breeds, have been given a very bad reputation thanks to bad breeding and irresponsible handlers. Their name itself proves they are naturally gentle animals. How many farmers do you know who would want a dangerous dog rounding up their sheep?

Max could easily have moonlighted as a therapy dog, as he had a knack of winning people over who were initially frightened of him. It wasn’t really that surprising to us, because we’d found out that some of his family had worked as therapy dogs in the USA. Max was also a magnet for people who loved German Shepherds in general. On one occasion while I was stood at the bar at our Wetherspoon’s, a lovely lady came over and asked if she could talk to Max. My sense of humour kicked in and I told her she could, but he would only understand her if she spoke in German. To my shock, she knelt down and began speaking to Max in fluent German! I thought to myself: “That’ll teach you Jon . . .”