The Story of Cali and Max

So I was asked by Pam a week or so ago about the story behind Cali and Max and since I know they will soon get the shaft once Collin arrives, I figured I better give them their 15 minutes of fame now. So here is goes....

Growing up, I always had a dog...sometimes two. And I loved it! Luckily, Robert grew up with a dog too....at one point also had two dogs. So when we were engaged and talking more and more about our future, having at least one dog was always in the plan. Unfortunately, Robert had decided that he wanted to wait a few months after we were married to get a dog. He felt that we should just enjoy being newlyweds and not have the responsibility of a dog, which really was good thinking. However, I didn't buy it. I couldn't imagine not having a dog. Being in college without one was bad enough! But, wanting to please my husband-to-be I agreed.....until I saw 'Amy' (aka Cali) on Channel 6 news.

It was about a month before our wedding and Robert was working in Wichita and I was living at my parents finishing up wedding plans. It was noon on a Friday and for some reason my mom had Channel 6 news at noon on. (This was unusual because she rarely watches TV, especially in the middle of the day) Well, every Friday they have the pet of the week that needs to be adopted. And that day, they had 'Amy' from the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). And oh was she as cute as ever! I was in my bedroom and mom called me into the living room to come see this dog because she looked exactly like one of my parents beagles, Luci! That was it! I was hooked!! I ran and grabbed my phone and called Robert immediately! On the news, they had mentioned that they would be at PetSmart on 41st street with 'Amy' and other pets that needed adopted the following day. And since Robert came back to Tulsa on the weekends, it was a perfect opportunity for us to just go look at her.....right?! Robert agreed that we could go look at her but made no promises that we could adopt her.

So off we went to PetSmart the next day, my parents in tow. And we absolutely feel in love with this adorable 6 month old beagle. Lucky for me, she took a serious liking to Robert immediately!! In fact, her foster parents said they hadn't seen her respond to anybody like she did to Robert. I was hooked....and so was Robert! :) So we filled out the application that day and was told we'd have to wait to hear from them about whether our application was accepted and we were chosen. What a loooong weekend that was!

By Monday, Robert and I had already changed her name to Cali and had become captivated by her. We were just hoping to get the call that we were her new owners. And lo and behold....it came! So off I went Monday afternoon and brought our sweet little Cali home....a month before our wedding. So much for waiting a few months. Sorry babe! :)

Well, a couple years have passed since we brought Cali home and I'm wanting another dog for her to play with but I'm also wanting to have a baby. I couldn't get Robert on board with the latter at the time, so instead he agreed that we could get another dog. This time, we both wanted a BIG dog. In high school, I worked at Strathe Vet Hospital and fell in love with a great dane and wiener dog that were "brother and sister" and would come in to board. And after meeting them, I always wanted a great dane. For Robert, he had friends in high school that had great danes and always loved them. So, he had always wanted one too.

Thus, our search to adopt a great dane began. We searched and searched and searched. Unfortunately, there were very few great danes to be found up for adoption and the ones we did find had 3-4 applications pending on them. So, we decided to find a breeder and buy one. While I wanted a girl, Robert wanted a boy. But since we already had a girl in Cali, it only made sense that we get a boy.

We found some people in Broken Arrow who had a litter of great dane's for sale. So we called them and found out they only had one more boy and no more girls. A couple days later, with our minds made up that we were going to take the little guy home, we headed to BA to meet our new addition. Driving up to the house, though, we were appalled and disgusted. It was a terribly run down trailer with sheds and barns that were falling apart in which the grown up dogs were living. Oh it was awful! We truly felt as though we were rescuing little Maximus, aka Max, as we had decided to call him on our way to pick him up. Poor guy was covered in flees. There was no way I was leaving without him because I couldn't bare the thought of him living in the smoke-filled, flea infested trailer one more day! So off we went with our sweet little Max. Of course we headed straight for PetSmart to buy flea and tick shampoo.

Oh he has been the best dog! Yes, we have had moments when his puppy-ness has come out and he has torn some things apart, but I take full responsibility for them. He was left alone far too long....especially for being a puppy. He is the most gentle, laid back dog ever!! Many people ask if we're nervous about bringing Collin home with Max here and I can truly say that I am not in the least bit worried about Max. In fact, I'm positive Max will be more scared of Collin at first! I love Max and highly recommend the great dane breed to anybody who asks!

So, that's our family. Almost complete....just need to bring Collin home! Hope you enjoyed the read. Sorry it was so long!