I have a new home now!

Before I left the country I had to give away my dog Max aka Maxwell (when I was mad at him) aka Maxi.He was a great dog but his high spirited personality made him quite a handful.In his younger days as a pup when he could fit under the gate on trash day he would rummage through the neighbours trash for food messing up driveways and trust me they were not pleased at all!As a young pup the other dog we had (one of those minature breeds) and the cat would gang up on him and beat him up.They were shocked when due to his breed (some labrador crossbreed) he became bigger then both of them!I remember his pulling the cat of the bonnet of the car with it's tail in his teeth while the cat growled with it's claws unable to grip the smooth surface of the car.He would also bug the other dog which was getting testy as it was around 70 in dog years.
The car for a long time used to have a big depression on either the roof or the bonnet as at night he would climb on the car to slumber.I think a car thief would be shocked at the security measure we had taken.But he was a great guard dog!No-one could get two steps near our gate without him barking.But he also had some interesting habits!If you made the mistake of leaving any laundry on the line he would take it down and sleep on it, I remember we had this gal who used to live in our extension and he would take her petticoats off the line and deposit them on the front of the driveway (I think he was trying to say something coz she had really cheap petticoats).He would also chew socks if you left them hanging out there, also a few buckets served as distractions for him while he dumped shoes that were left outdoors in unexpected places.
He was also had a very large appetite.He would inhale his food in the few seconds that you served it.He was not allowed in the house but due to his keen sense of smell he knew where the dog food was kept so you could never leave the front door open.I remember once my mum wanted to put some clothes out so she opened the door slowly and walked to the backyard.So a few minutes later my mum says she can't see Max and that he must have gone out of the compound.So I put on my shoes and go searching, after 15 minutes I of course didn't see him and it dawned on me where he could be.So I went to the kitchen to find him polishing off bones and vegetables that were meant to feed him and the other dog for a week.The classic moment came when my mum had gone for one of these ladies meetings and as usual there are loads of food at those gatherings.So my mum carried some for herself and gave a friend a lift.The two of them decided to come home and chat.So my mum drives in, carries her food and they go upstairs.When it came time for leaving my mum goes to the car and gets in with her friend but her friend can't trace her food!When they got into the car none of the doors were open so they go upstairs to see if maybe the food had been brought in by mistake, but that wasn't to be.As my mum goes back to the car she sees Max crunching some chicken bones and licking his lips, it seems that one of the doors was left open so he got in took out the bag and closed the door somehow.I am dead serious because I was there!Anyway you can see how much trouble and fun he was and with me leaving my mum knew she couldn't handle him so I had to give him away.
My mum told me to dump him on the road, but I was like there is no way!I took him to the KSPCA.Whenever I saw someone with a dog here I would remember him and I had been mailing KSPCA for progress reports and wanting to know how I can help.So I got this in my mail lately.

Dear Aco,
Sorry for being so long in replying to your e mail. Your dog was rehomed to a housing estate down the Langata Road (it might have been Dam Estate). He was checked up on later and was found to have settled well and looked happy.
If you want to make a donation you should send a cheque made out to the KSPCA and post it to KSPCA P.O.Box 24203, 00502 Karen, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa. If you want to sponsor a kennel, it would cost you roughly $20 dollars a month per dog - and usually there are two per kennel. Let me know what you think.
I hope you are enjoying the US.
Regards,
Jean Gilchrist,
Director of Animal Welfare.


This was him at the KSPCA a few days before I left, he almost jumped over the fence to get to me; it was so sad.But it is good to know that he is tearing up someone else's underwear and sleeping on their car, sniff sniff......