Emily Jo and Maxie Pad

Labrador Retrievers must surely be one of the very kindest breeds of K9 on the planet: they just want to be around people. They love being petted, but even when they're not being petted they seem content to just be somewhere around you. Our old friend Max is one of those dogs who lives to be around folks. His favorite thing to do in addition to riding around in the "Max Mobile" and chasing squirrels, is hanging out with folks.

These pictures were taken a few years ago when our niece Emily Jo was visiting from St. Louis. She's nearly all grown up now and in the 9th grade. While Emily Jo has been busy in school, Max has been spending most of his time aging gracefully and barking at the bovine when he gets a chance. He'll have a chance to do some barking later this morning when we drive out to the cabin to get a wrench for a log home client and check on the grass/weeds around the cabin to see if they need whacking for the first time this Spring. While there, I plan to run mushroom recon while Max roots and sniffs: I'll report back on our findings.

Emily Jo, Max would love another visit before you're further grown up and in high school. He's afraid that once you're in the 10th grade, you'll no longer be interested in hanging out with old dogs. Apparently, he and I have the same foreboding.