Max was a Christmas gift from my wife in December 2009 and soon thereafter I took him geocaching. As a matter of fact, I took him on every geocaching trip even though many things seemed to bother him. He didn't like riding in the car, walking on boardwalks, bushwhacking from the trail to look for the containers or passing others along the trail. One of his most unusual habits was he refused to walk in front on us. I am guessing this was due to his anxiety as he felt the need to keep an eye on us and minimize surprises. It was years before he began walking in front of us. It made my heart soar when I realized I'd earned his trust.

My wife is pretty handy with a sewing machine and made him a geocaching T-shirt which I absolutely adored. I don't think he was too excited about the whole idea, but it did help keep the burrs out of his long fur. It made me sad when he quickly outgrew it. I still have it in my file cabinet in the den.

On one particular geocaching outing my wife and I spent the entire day walking numerous trails the last of which was several miles. I was concern I was pushing Max too hard, but he seemed to take it all in stride. Darkness fell as we reached the car and we all settled in for the long drive home. Max got up on the back seat (a rarity for him) and laid down. He slept the entire three hour drive home without even budging an inch. Poor puppy is tired. He had a busy day!

Photograph courtesy of John Combs