well to start off, we're all doing better:) max is better than expected, he hasn't shown any sign of depression at all, which is a relief--he was really our main concern.

so yesterday we were all out front, bbqing. max was running around with my little boy, and i was strolling the newby around. it was definitely a bittersweet moment seeing them enjoy eachother so much, without juneaux. there were a couple of neighbors walking near our house, when one of them came over to see the baby. i'd never seen max do this before, but he ran over there barking and howling, and the neighbor freaked. she asked if he was a biter, i said no, and we called max back.

juneaux was usually the guardian while max chilled out, apparently watching and learning. so she came next to me and we were talking a bit. max at this point was near by husband, probably drooling over the smell of steak, when robby screamed (i think at the waterhose, lol), and again max charged over at the neighbor. he didn't do much more than bark, but did make his point to stay a safe distance away from us. he wasn't violent in any, but was fearless. i loved it! i loved how he came to the rescue, and how he has assumed this role now that juneaux has left us. he didn't leave my son's side the rest of the night.

i so appreciate how well juneaux trained him. i remember when we first brought maxo home, he would just stare at her go. she had a trail that went behind the tree, under the slide, and around another tree...weeks later we would watch them both run the trail. while she was barking at any and every sound, he would just sit back and let her do her thing.

even though she's not around anymore, she's still with us, we see her in more and more in max every day--he learned from the best:)