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My husband and I volunteer at a local shelter. We'd agreed early on that with our three dogs and three cats, our family was just the right size. So, I was a bit surprised one day when my husband grabbed me and said I needed to come see a pup that had been brought in as a stray. I agreed that he was adorable and went about my day working with the too many animals at the shelter.

The next night, my husband was very late getting home from work. The next evening, it was the same thing. He finally admitted that he'd been going to the shelter and spending time with the pup he'd shown me a couple of days earlier. The very next day we broke our promise and adopted our Max.

Max was very sick. Our vet said he was roughly 13 weeks old and he thought he was a Mastiff/Great Dane mix. He was covered in ticks, emaciated, had valley fever, a severe intestinal infection, ear infections, and a UTI. Against some serious odds, our boy pulled through.

Breaking our promise and adopting Max was the best decision we ever made. It's been two years and we can't imagine our lives without Max. He truly is a gentle giant and loves everyone and everything. He's particularly fond of our cats and foster kittens and is their protector. He also completely adores all children and we constantly get asked if "Max can come out and play".

Max was just one of the many cats and dogs who, through no fault of their own, end up in a shelter. Please think about adopting, and if you can't adopt, think about volunteering or fostering. You'll be saving lives and it's one of the most rewarding things we've ever done.

Story submitted by Diana from Waddell, Arizona.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!