@Bmeyers : Max must be a popular name for Rottweilers. My former next-door-neighbor Chuck moved many years ago to his dream-property… a hundred acres with a small brick home and a barn with two ponds… We’d been close next-door-neighbors when we lived in town and shared a beer, tools, kid-watching, whatever for a couple years before he bought his dream-place and moved out about an hour southeast of town.. I did the same the next year…opposite direction an hour from town.
Chuck still worked in town for a microchip mfr’r… but he loved living on his own place and didn’t care how far he had to drive to be there.
Chuck always held a big outdoor Barbeque on the 4th of July, inviting the same crowd each year until we were all just like extended family to each other. Since he lived so far out he bought a Rottweiler puppy with the hopes of raising him to be a good babysitter for his kids and guard dog for the home while he worked 40 miles away in-town. Max grew up to be a big-ol’ friendly lean-against-your-leg friendly dog at those 4th of July celebrations, quickly accepting all of us a “family”>
One day while out driving near the end of a work-day I realized I was only a couple miles from Chucks place and he’d be home in another half-hour or so…. and I knew the ‘fridge on his back porch had cold beer in it…. so figured I’d go sit on the porch and sip a beer while awaiting his return home…and then we’d have a nice visit before I headed home on a 2-hour drive to my place on the other side of town.
When I pulled up to Chucks drive I forgot the combination to his gate-lock… and was about to just hop over the gate and walk the 50 yards to his back porch for that cold beer ….when I saw Max…. sitting upright beside the porch in the middle of the drive…. intently watching me about to climb that gate.
“HEY, MAX! GOOD DOG!”, I called out.
Max didn’t move a muscle.
Whistle-Whistle- Hey Max! Com’-Ere Boy! Whistle-Whistle.
Max remains steady as a rock… staring me down….like he was thinking ..”OK Buddy…. Act like you think it’s OK to come over that gate…. Come On now….Just climb over that gaaate…”
I KNOW THIS DOG! This dog KNOWS ME! We’ve been huggin’ and pettin’ and playin’ Fetch for a couple Years… when Chuck was home… Wha’s that matter with you?
”Whistle-Whistle… HERE MAX!”
Doesn’t even blink. Like a statue Max sits,…. Eyes Intent on my every move.
I ended up sitting in my truck for almost an hour wishing I had a cold beer in my hands, before Chuck drives up to find me blocking his driveway.
The MOMENT Chuck gets out of his car and comes over to shake my hand…. Max BOUNDS up the drive to the gate all excited to have Daddy home and company to PLAY with!
When I told Chuck how his dog had stood-and-Stared-me-down…. He told me, “You know, Max is such a big Ol’ Friendly Dog… I’ve always worried that he wouldn’t make a good guard-dog while I was away. I’m GLAD you finally CONFIRMED he knew what his job was!”
I replied, “Chuck, that dog simply snookered me…. I didn’t know if I could count on him to remember me as a friend….or if I climbed that gate if he’d take my leg-off! … But I wasn’t ABOUT to TRY HIM!”
It's Malpeque Bay. The Gulf of Saint Lawrence is above it.
