Max, a gorgeous, loving and snuggly dog, is currently the guest of an animal rescue group near Sacramento. With his lush white coat and bright eyes, it is difficult to grasp that his road has not always been an easy one.
This gentle giant is a Great Pyrenees, a breed traditionally used for guarding flocks in harsh weather on steep mountainous slopes. But “Pyres” have much to offer as personal family pets.
Pam Tobin, president of the Sierra Pacific Great Pyrenees Club (SPGPC), describes the dogs as very soulful and therapeutic. Intelligent and loyal, Pyres are very tuned in to their people and are great with kids.
“They are truly like having a best friend” says Tobin.
Descriptions like that make it all the harder to understand the sad condition some of the dogs are in when they reach the rescue.
Tobin says that some come in injured, hungry and abused, with very little life in their eyes. Although it often takes plenty of work and medical care, when they leave for their new homes they “look like happy little people”, Tobin laughs.
In Max’s case, he arrived with severe burns on his backside. His previous owner had literally set the dog on fire.
Now healing nicely, Max shows that he is very grateful to have been saved. Although he does not get along with other dogs, he adores people and will do anything you want. He is very cuddly and is ready to find his forever family.
Max would be an ideal companion for an older couple or anyone whose lifestyle is low-key.
With their gentle, perceptive natures Pyres are ideal for use in pet therapy, including visiting hospitals, working with needy children and more.
Through the SPGPC, Tobin leads therapy dog classes to get pets registered with Therapy Dogs, Inc.
Tobin says that the rescue club operates solely from donations, grants and fundraisers. One of their greatest expenses is veterinary care; this is especially true for dogs such as Smiley Miley, who Tobin said was so injured that the dog was “literally held together with duct tape”.
Tobin cared for Miley throughout the healing process and found that she couldn’t give up the sweet and gentle dog. Smiley Miley was the only foster dog that Tobin ever adopted herself.
SPGPC is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, rehoming, loving and celebrating Great Pyrenees dogs.
Visit their website to meet some of the beautiful, loving and kind dogs that are currently available for adoption. The SPGPC site also has an events calendar, information on donating and gifts for sale that support the services they offer to dogs.
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