Max is a beautiful Staffy X who came into my life as a rescue after being found tied to a pole outside a South Auckland shopping centre for around 24 hours. We believe he was about nine months old when he came to Waiheke, and we know very little about his early life. He has since been microchipped, desexed, registered and loved enormously. Max is affectionate, funny, food-motivated and full of Staffy personality. He loves his people, cuddles, zoomies, beach and bush walks, paddling in the water, tug-of-war, hide and seek and rough-and-tumble with my teenage boys. He is crate trained, knows his basic commands and is happiest curled up on the couch beside you.

Max is also a dog who needs the right person and environment to thrive. He is a real routine dog and loves having his humans around. Unfortunately, my circumstances have changed from working at home to shift work, sometimes leaving at 4am and not returning until late afternoon. Although wonderful friends help with walks and sleepovers, the lack of consistency has increasingly affected Max. He has also become more selective around unfamiliar dogs and can be uncomfortable around some unfamiliar people and certain things such as hoodies, walking sticks and noisy equipment. He loves the dogs he knows and trusts, but needs careful introductions, patience and someone who is prepared to continue working on his confidence and socialisation.

I am considering rehoming Max because I love him enough to recognise that he deserves more than I can currently give him. His ideal home would be with someone who is around for much of the day, can provide a predictable routine, understands dogs and is willing to put time into training and building his confidence. He doesn’t need to be everyone’s dog — he needs to be someone’s dog. Max has already had a difficult start to life, and my greatest hope is to find him a loving, experienced and permanent home where he can feel safe, understood and adored for the cheeky, cuddly, loyal boy he is.

I want to be completely honest about Max’s challenges because finding the right home for him is more important than making him sound perfect.
Max has become more reactive around unfamiliar dogs and can also occasionally be uncomfortable around unfamiliar people.
There are certain things that appear to make him particularly uncomfortable, including:
• People wearing hoodies
• Walking sticks
• Weed eaters and similar noisy equipment
• Brooms
• Sudden noise (eg: unpacking the dishwasher)
• Some unfamiliar people
• Unfamiliar dogs
Given that Max was found abandoned and we know nothing about his early history, I can only speculate that some of these reactions may be connected to experiences from his past.
I don’t know what happened to him before he came into my care, and I don’t want to make assumptions.
What I do know is that Max needs someone who will listen to his signals rather than force him into situations he finds uncomfortable.
He would benefit enormously from someone with experience in dog behaviour, confidence building and positive reinforcement training.

Name: Max

Previous name: Tank

Breed: Staffy X

Age: Approximately 3 years old

Sex: Male

Desexed: Yes

Microchipped: Yes

Registered: Yes

Current location: Waiheke Island, Auckland

Crate trained: Yes

MY HOPE FOR MAX
Max has already had a difficult beginning to life.
I don’t know what happened to him before he was found tied to that pole, but I do know that he deserves to spend the rest of his life feeling safe, loved and wanted.
He isn’t perfect.
He is stubborn, cheeky, energetic, incredibly food motivated and sometimes a complete pain in the backside!
But he is also loving, funny, loyal, affectionate and incredibly rewarding when he trusts you.
He is a Staffy through and through — full of personality, cuddles, zoomies and ridiculousness.
I don’t need someone to give Max a perfect home.
I need someone to give him the right home.
Someone who will understand him.
Someone who will be patient with him.
Someone who will continue to work with him.
And most importantly, someone who will love him as much as I do.
I want his next home to be his forever home.
I am happy to answer any questions and provide further information about Max’s behaviour, history and day-to-day routine.
My priority is finding the right outcome for Max and ensuring that any future placement is genuinely suitable for him.