Max has touched a lot of people by giving unconditional love, always. All our visitors from Europe were just smitten by him, and he is the main reason why Stephanie and Harald decided to adopt their first dog.
Max was all I'm not - I definitely don't love everyone (actually, one could argue I'm overly selective in my relationships), and I'm not into adoring looks. He was timid, clingy, always forgiving and had the biggest heart of all.
What I learned from him was that you have to accept animals and people as they are. Max would never have been a brave, independent dog, but we didn't need that anyway. JP and I resorted to saying "that's just Max", and that was it.
I read recently a great interview with Ingrid Klimke about her training philosophies, and one thing struck me. She said: "You have to develop a loving look at weaknesses. It doesn't mean that accepting weaknesses means you stop trying to do your best, or give up on your horse. It means you have to adapt in that you look at weaknesses with love and not pejoratively, while to continue to work to improve the weak points. That way you keep the joy of the sport and it leaves room for positive surprises and future moments of happiness."
What reduced me to tears today was what a fellow rider said to me at the barn. She is a successful, beautiful, very wealthy woman who seemingly has it all. Her comment after learning about Max' passing: "I understand the loss - sometimes you just have to have that unconditional love." So true - and that is exactly Max' contribution to all that knew him.
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