Adopted July 2009 by Sheyda Ardalan, Tim Clarke and their son Bijhan Clarke
On my first visit to VAFA in late July of 2009, I noticed a puppy with his ears and tail cut off. He was very timid and when I approached him, he would run away.
I was able to pick him up after I cornered him but knew he was not comfortable. I knew right away that he had suffered a very cruel and painful beginning and decided to adopt him. Once I made my decision, the shelter and the veterinarians started working on getting his papers together. I named him Max because he reminded me of my sister’s dog, Pax.
Very shy, Max would run away if I got too close to him. He would often rest, like most of the puppies, because he was malnourished and sickly.
One of the rare times that I was able to hold Max. He was not too sure what was happening.
I could not bring Max to my mother’s apartment right away. She didn’t feel too happy about having a dog, so I waited until a few days before my departure and then I brought him over. I purchased a kennel for him and got all his paperwork together. I kept him in the balcony which I would spray with water to cool off the air a bit.
Max came to me with a small puncture in his neck and after a day I called Dr. Abedi, the Shelter’s main veterinarian.
When he came over, Dr. Abedi had to shave Max’s neck, open up the wound and clean it up; that’s when we found out Max had actually been bit by a dog at the shelter. Fortunately, Dr. Abedi is a superb doctor and did a wonderful job cleaning and draining his wound and I was able to pass Max through customs at Kennedy International Airport in New York without any problems.
This is one of the last pictures of Max in Iran.
Max trying to figure out what is going on in his life.
Max is finally home in the USA, relaxing after his long trip over.
