The Royal Dogs

A wonderful young family lives on a farm in Greenville, North Carolina, the mom, dad, three children, and three wonderful Golden Retrievers.

The mother’s name is May and the father’s name is November.

The children were triplets, two girls and one boy. The girls were named April and June. The boy was named August. 

The Golden Retrievers were all from the same litter and are named Rambo, Tina, and Maximus. Maximus is called Max for short.

Max was also known as the hang-back dog. When everyone would go for a walk, Max would take off and run through the brush, bushes, and trees somewhere. You could never see him, but you knew he was there.

This was a hunting technique that the Goldens used to catch a meal. Max would run through the bushes somewhere, and the animals would run away. But Rambo and Tina would be waiting for them to run out. Rambo and Tina would give the rabbits a chase, and sometimes catch them. This was just a fun chase game for the dogs as the dogs are very well fed at home and didn’t really need to eat while on the walks. But it was a good technique to have just in case.

Max is a protector and always watching the whereabouts of the family as they go on walks, but he is never visible until the last two tenths of a mile from home. Max rejoins the family and walks with them the rest of the way to the house. When he greets them, he is always happy, smiling, and panting.

The children were homeschooled, and in the classroom in their home they have a giant map of the United States and a huge globe that shows the whole world. Max would attend all the lessons as would Rambo and Tina, even though the lessons were for the children.

The father taught the lessons of farming, geography, philosophy, science, and mathematics. The mother taught English, music, art, cooking, homemaking, and child rearing.

While many people feel that animals only understand a few words of the spoken language of the country where they live, dogs understand the complete language. Rambo, Max, and Tina then were quite educated and likely the smartest dogs in the world because they listened intently to every single word during homeschooling.

The parents take turns at night reading stories to the children before going to bed. Sometimes the reading would be for 30 minutes or more. As the children fell asleep, the parent reading would note where they had left off in the book, and then continue the story the next night.

One of the children’s favorite stories is called, The Royal Dogs. Of all the stories, this book is the most requested. Sometimes the children would just request that the story be read again even though the story had just been finished. The children had heard the story hundreds of times, and they could almost cite it verbatim. But they still loved hearing the story.

The Royal Dogs is a story about a King who presides over his country in an uncaring and selfish way. The King had been raised as a Prince and has always been given everything. He had always been wealthy, and he never had to work to earn the things he had. Though he was not a cruel King, he was privileged and insensitive to the plight of his people and didn’t seem to pay attention to the poor or to their sufferings, whatever they may be.

The King lived a life of luxury. He loved to hunt, ride horses, and to be outdoors. The King had lots of dogs, but he had three favorites. His three favorite dogs were named Thor, Storm, and Grey. Thor and Storm were male dogs, and Grey was a beautiful female. Thor, Storm, and Grey got to live inside the castle with the King, and they also went with the King on hunting trips. The King would throw them table scraps from the King’s dinner onto the floor while the servants then washed up the mess the dogs made from eating.

Though Thor, Storm, and Grey were his favorite dogs, the King did not spend any time loving or petting the dogs. The King just had them around and pretty much ignored them like he ignored his people.

The King lived in his large castle that had been built hundreds of years ago. Apparently the castle was rumored to have secret passageways, but the King did not actually know if that was true, and if it was true, the King had no idea where the secret passageways were located, and he had never heard of a single instance of anyone using them.

The funny thing about the King is that it was as if he lived in a world all by himself with an impenetrable bubble around him that shielded him and prevented him from ever looking out and acknowledging or communicating with anyone in a meaningful way. He was coldhearted and only thought of himself and his next meal or hunting and riding adventure. The King did not care about anything or anyone but himself. The only things he enjoyed immensely were being outdoors, riding, hunting, and eating. That was it.

It was a tradition carried on from his parents who are now in Heaven to have a feast at the castle for all the staff and guards during the holiday season. Over 200 people served the whims of the King, and every year the King went out to hunt the 20 turkeys as the main course for the feast. The dinner also had over 30 other entrées prepared by the staff, and everyone enjoyed the feast and the festivities. All the staff and guards looked forward to it, and they had a wonderful time celebrating at this holiday time of the year. The King loved hunting the turkeys, but at the feast, the King just ate alone and ignored everyone. The King seemed satisfied that he dutifully provided the meal and seemed content to know that he had provided it and that everyone enjoyed it.

One night after the feast, the King had overeaten and had too much to drink. He went to bed early and fell deeply asleep.

Earlier in the day, a group of evil scoundrels and thieves had accidentally located in the forest, just by chance, an entrance to a dark cave. The thick plant overgrowth hiding the cave’s entrance had been burned away due to a lightning strike during a recent storm, and now the cave’s entrance was completely visible. They scoundrels decided to enter the cave and follow it to see where it would lead. They drew their weapons in case they ran into a bear or mountain lion. It was so dark in the cave, they had to go back into town and get a lantern so they could see inside the cave as they walked. 

While they walked through the cave, at first it seemed like only a cave with stone and dirt walls. However, after a quarter of a mile, the cave became beautifully built with carved stone and the castle’s insignia for the King. They knew then that this would lead them right into the castle. They decided to sneak in at night, enter the castle, find the King and kill him, and then steal the King’s gold and possessions. 

They did not know that this secret passage would lead them right into the King’s bedroom where a hidden door would open just six feet from the King’s bed where the King lay unconscious.

The scoundrels decided they would take over the country and enjoy all of the King’s wealth. They didn’t care about the people at all. They just wanted his gold and possessions.

Thor, Storm, and Grey were sound asleep in the King’s bedroom while the King remained passed out from too much food and wine. But Thor was awakened by the stench of a smell, and he immediately transitioned into one of the most aggressive and fierce guard dogs. No one has ever witnessed Thor in this mode, but Thor knew the King was in immediate danger. Thor alerted and awakened Storm and Grey. Thor told Storm to awaken the King, and he told Grey to alert the King’s guards. 

Thor stood by the hidden door from where the stench was spewing forth, and he put his nose to the ground, bared his teeth, and started growling the most frightening growl anyone has ever heard.

Storm jumped on the bed to awaken the King, but the King was not awakening. Finally, Storm started jumping on the King with all fours and licking his face. Grey ran down the stairs to the guards and started barking an alarming bark and then running up the stairs and back to the guards repeating that process in her efforts to get them to follow her. Grey was so fast in the way she did it, the guards immediately figured out that they needed to get to the King.

Finally, the King awakened in a stupor but then saw Thor’s growling stance at a wall that looked only like a wall. The King came to full attention and realized this must be a secret door entering his bedroom and that there was immediate danger.

The guards arrived at the King’s bedroom with their weapons drawn. The King told his guards to quietly surround the area where Thor was located and to make a wall of guards shoulder to shoulder. Thor’s vicious growling intensified. In no more than five minutes, the door pushed open and five evil killers with weapons and intent to kill were confronted and captured by the King’s loyal guards. They were taken to the dungeon.

The King was amazed and grateful to his dogs for saving his life. He reflected upon this situation tremendously, and he granted all three dogs the Royal Robes, the beautiful white fur-lined red felt robes that the King wears but now made for the dogs. These beautiful robes were draped over the backs and shoulders of the dogs. And Thor was granted a custom made leather and metal crown and headdress like those made for hawks but custom-fitted for Thor. Thor’s crown fit his head and face with the metal surrounding his eyes. You could see Thor’s eyes peering out from the headdress. This made Thor look terrifying, and terrifying he could be when he needed to be.

The headdress had multiple pheasant feathers extending from the top, and Thor proudly wore it as a crown. The metal was inlaid with the finest jewels of all colors: rubies, garnets, opals, diamonds, and emeralds. The crown accentuated the powerful and fierce nature Thor and his fighting spirit demonstrated when he saved the King and his people from the scoundrels. From this day forward, when the three dogs were walking through the castle, people would stand aside and bow. All three dogs would nod their heads in acknowledgement.

Though the King showed no love for his people, his people actually loved him, and they were hoping that someday he would come to love them as well. It was as if they were waiting for the King to awaken and be the leader they knew he was capable of being. All the people of the kingdom were thankful that the King’s life had been saved by the dogs. The dogs became known as The Royal Dogs.

Life continued on. The day following the incident, the King and his guards followed the passageway all the way from the King’s bedroom to the outdoors. The secret passageway went underground and was fortified by stone and rock for close to half a mile before the exit that was previously hidden from view by lush plant growth. 

The King had the exit fixed so that no one could get in, and guards were stationed inside and out the passageway for the rest of time so there would never be any more surprise attacks.

The King appreciated the dogs so much that from then on, he allowed the dogs to sleep with him on his bed at night if they wanted to do so. All of the dogs loved the idea. Thor decided it would be best to place himself by the secret door just in case. Thor made himself the personal watchdog of the King, always on alert and ready to save the King from any harm.

The next year came quickly, and it was now time to create the holiday meal and celebration festivities again. The King took his horse and attached it to a flatbed wagon, and out they went to hunt turkeys for the holiday feast. Thor, Storm, and Grey followed along as the King rode to a good hunting area. The King spent the entire day hunting. Each of the turkeys were thrown in a heap into the back of the wagon. After the King killed 20 turkeys, he rode his horse with the open wagon back to the castle. 

Thor noticed the suffering of the King’s people who were standing by the side of the road as the King passed by. As always, the King did not notice the people and just kept driving his horse and wagon toward the castle. The King ignored the people as he always ignored them, and he would not look at them even though he was not more than five feet from them as he passed by.

Thor could not bear to see the suffering of the people. He decided it was time to share the King’s wealth with the poor and hungry people that were standing on the side of the road. Thor jumped up in the back of the flatbed wagon and unbeknownst to the King, when Thor saw a starving family, Thor took one of the turkeys and threw it onto the ground at the feet of the hungry family that clearly needed more food. The people were hesitant at first to grab the turkey, but Thor nodded his head and thought loudly at them that it was OK, and they should accept the turkey. Thor did this 19 times leaving only one turkey for the King.

When the King and the dogs arrived at the castle, the King was totally surprised and startled to see that only one turkey was left. Thor was sitting by the remaining turkey, and the King knew what Thor had done. At first, the King’s reaction was anger, and he looked at Thor ready to hit Thor. But Thor had complete confront over the situation and looked at the King with only kind and loving eyes. Thor did not brace for the impact of the blow that was about to come. Thor did not look away. Thor had no fear.

Rather, Thor barked an authoritative bark and nodded his head and nose in a direction of the people. Thor got the King to turn around and look down the road where the King could see his people joyously waving at the King in thanks, and hugging each member of their family group because they were so elated to have some food. The King could see each of the starving families cradling their turkey to take it home for many much-needed delicious meals. The families continued waving at the King, and thanking the King for his generosity.

The King was silent and no longer thinking of hitting Thor. The King began in introvert. He sat on the edge of the wagon by Thor and the one remaining turkey. An increase in awareness began to develop for the King at this moment. It was as if the spiritual bubble around him that enabled him to ignore all the people in the world and not look at them had broken, and he could see now for the first time the reality of the world in which he lived and the suffering of his people. As the King reflected in despair, he saw the entire past, but this time, he could see all the faces he ignored. It all flooded in at once. He could also see that even though his people were suffering tremendously, largely because of his ignorance and unconcern for their welfare, the people still also had the look of love and respect for him even though they were starving to death. 

It was overwhelming for the King, and he began to cry. Storm and Grey jumped up on the wagon, and all three of The Royal Dogs surrounded the King with their bodies to stay with the King and comfort and protect him as the King plunged further into grief, regret, and despair. 

The King cried for three days and three nights. When he was done crying, he walked back into the castle and went to bed and slept for another two days. The three dogs stayed with the King on the bed and didn’t move.

When the King awakened, he was hungry and thirsty, and he had a meal. The Royal Dogs noticed the King looked completely different, and his face had the most kind and loving eyes displaying the sweetest soul that they had ever seen. They could feel the King was actually looking at them and seeing them as if for the first time. The King looked at every detail of the faces of The Royal Dogs. The King had never noticed that Thor had a small wedge missing from his left ear, that Storm was missing his dewclaws, and that Grey had a white diamond fur spot on her forehead between her eyes like you see as a marking on some horses. The King looked at each dog, and one by one, he took his hands and held their faces looking into their eyes and said, “Thank you for everything. Thank you for saving my life both physically and spiritually. I thank you, and I love you. I will never ignore you again.”

The King then called a meeting of his staff and guards. He held a conference with them and explained that he had changed and that he apologizes for his selfishness and the uncaring way he has treated them for years. He apologized for his insensitivities of the past, and he thanked them for their dedicated and loyal service. He told them that he was going to rectify the inequities of the unfair conditions of his Kingdom. He pledged to meet the people of his realm to find out what could be done, and then to make a plan to improve the conditions for all. He pledged to serve the people and help them for the rest of his life.

Every day, the King ventured out to meet more and more of the people in his kingdom. It took ten years before he could cover all of his territories.

In every town, he put together staff from the local residents to create a Well-Being Society for every member of the town. The town staff would meet regularly with the townspeople to confer and make plans to increase the well-being and survival of each member of their town. The plans included how to grow more food and make sure everyone was well fed and had good shelter. 

The King put in place The Well-Being Rules for Society, policies that all future kings must abide by or they would forfeit their right to be King. And these rules were passed from generation to generation, monarch to monarch, and the rules were followed by all future kings and queens.

Thor and Grey got married and had 11 puppies. Storm met Grey’s sister, Pearl. Storm and Pearl got married and had 11 puppies. All 22 puppies were outfitted with mini royal robes, and as the puppies grew to adulthood, their robes were made anew and fit them their entire lives. All 26 dogs would walk together in perfect formation through the castle and the town, and everyone stood back to make way for the procession of The Royal Dogs. The people bowed as The Royal Dogs walked by. Everyone knew that Thor saved the King and the community and every person in it. The people were eternally grateful.

Everyone lived happily ever after. Thor and his descendants live on in the world in the form of every dog who promises to serve, protect, and love their owners unconditionally for the rest of their lives.

The Royal Dogs love you!

The End


The children were always thrilled to hear the story of The Royal Dogs!

The family always loves to take long walks together, so mom and dad (May and November) take their three children (April, June, and August) on adventure walks with their three Golden Retrievers (Rambo, Tina, and Maximus, Max for short)!

On this day, the family decided to take a three-mile walk by a waterfall that flows off a cliff and down to the river 50 feet below. It is a beautiful area with lush trees and reeds bordering the lovely blue water of the river. It was a gorgeous day with puffy white clouds moving quickly across the sky with the sun peeking in and out as they walked. 

Wildlife was everywhere with birds singing and flying all about, squirrels and raccoons in the trees, rabbits of all sizes scurrying around including a giant jackrabbit they called Big Jack. They saw him every single time they walked and that always made them happy to see his familiar face. Big Jack saw the family so often that he wasn’t afraid of them, so the family could walk by very closely to Big Jack and see every detail about him. Big Jack was so big that when he stood on his hind legs, he stood four feet tall, as tall as the kids! The kids always laughed when Big Jack did this, and they would say, “Hello Big Jack. We love you!”

One time, the family saw Big Jack get into a skirmish with a big raccoon who also stood pretty tall when on his hind legs. The fight looked equally matched until they saw Big Jack give the raccoon four punches in a row so fast, you could not count them. The raccoon fell over on his back looking dizzy and startled. Big Jack then took the opportunity to leave in one direction while the raccoon sauntered off in another. The family never saw another skirmish with Big Jack and a raccoon.

Max is the hang-back dog, so he was following along on the walk somewhere in the bushes and brush. The family always knew that even though they could not see Max, Max was there. Rambo and Tina were walking alongside the family.

Unbeknownst to the family, a large male mountain lion decided to attack one of the children who had walked about ten feet from the family and was looking over the cliff’s edge at the waterfall where the water was cascading into the river. The mountain lion was crouched low on a rock to the right of and above the family who were all standing by the cliff’s edge but at a safe distance from the edge.

The mountain lion took a flying leap into the air to land directly on April, and as he pounced he made a terrifying mountain lion growl. The family looked in terror seeing what was about to unfold. At that very moment, they also saw Max jump into the air off the same rock but at a faster speed and hit the mountain lion midair, causing them both to miss April, but to bounce on the ground with such force and momentum that the mountain lion and Max both fell off the cliff while entangled in a to-the-death fight while plummeting toward the ground.

Max and the mountain lion fell 20 feet and hit a ledge. The mountain lion cracked his head on a rock and was killed instantly. Max hit the ledge and bounced off unable to stop his motion. He was already bleeding from the gashes made by the mountain lion’s teeth and claws. Now, Max was falling down another 30 feet, crashing into tree branches, falling through the trees, and then landing in the fast-flowing river. 

The family watched and cried in horror as they saw Max’s body seem lifeless as it hit the water and disappeared into the whitewater rapids.

The family was happy that Max saved April, and everyone cried and hugged and wept with grief for dear sweet Max. 

To console his family, the father tried to be optimistic and said that they did not know for sure that Max was dead. Max could have just been temporarily stunned and regained consciousness and would be found further down the river. They father reminded the family that Max was a strong swimmer and would easily be able to survive the rapids and get to shore. The father promised to go look for Max. 

When the family got home, the father got his gun and truck and drove down by the waterfall area. He then hiked downriver over five miles looking for signs of Max. When the father got back to his truck, he drove over a bridge to the other side of the river and conducted another five-mile search for Max—no luck.

When the father got home, he told his family that there were no signs of Max but not to give up hope. There could always be a miracle. 

That night, both the mother and father had the same dream. It was just a dream where they saw Max, and Max was all right. The parents told the children about their dream, and they all decided to agree that somehow, Max would come back to them and be OK. They all hugged and promised each other that they would think of Max every day and wish for his safe return, and they would send out into the universe their loving thoughts to Max and ask him to come home to them as soon as he could. 

Rambo and Tina grieved too, but as they talked to each other about Max, they both agreed that they could still feel Max’s spirit, so they felt he was alive. They decided to remain upbeat for the family, and give the family extra love at this time. Rambo and Tina both decided to ask for more pets and belly rubs, to ask for more treats, and to be more attentive to the parents and children. They decided to make themselves seem like four dogs and not just two. That was their plan to make up for Max’s absence at this time.

Through the raging waters, Max was bumped and tossed on rocks and logs, but he managed to stay afloat through the rapids. Max was still alive but seriously hurt with broken bones and was losing blood. After a few miles of being washed down the river, Max barely made it to shallow calm water at the river’s edge when he passed out into complete unconsciousness.

The next time Max awakened, he was on a train going west, and he was in the arms of a hobo that was taking care of him.

The hobo was living a vagrant life, living off the land as he traveled around either by foot or by jumping on trains. The hobo loved to jump on slow-moving trains and go from place to place. He had to be careful not to get caught. 

At the time Max floated to the river’s edge, the hobo was camping under an oak tree, just napping and eating some food he had scrounged up from a garbage can. The hobo just happened to be looking up the river and seeing something floating downriver in his direction. He didn’t think much of it at first, but as it became closer, the hobo started to adjust his eyes with more interest and focus.

When Max floated to shallow water not far from the hobo, the hobo ran to pull Max from the water to see if he was alive. Max was alive but had a shallow pulse and Max’s blood was making the river water red.

The hobo sprang into action to save Max. He immediately made a tourniquet for Max’s worst wound and was able to stop the main bleeding. He covered Max with his jacket to begin warming up Max. The hobo could see that Max likely had some broken ribs, and Max had one badly broken leg.

The hobo made a splint out of sticks and tall grasses he could bend and tie so that Max’s leg could heal.

The hobo cleaned Max’s other wounds with river water and got out the dirt and stones that had accumulated while Max was in the river. He tried to feed Max, but Max was unresponsive. The hobo made a little fire on the sand so that Max could warm up and get dry. He also gently petted Max all night long letting Max know that he would be all right, and the hobo would care for him until Max was ready to go home. The hobo thought to himself that he didn’t really know if Max would live but he thought if Max could hear him, that these positive affirmations could only help.

The hobo had not always been a hobo. As a young man, he had once wanted to be a doctor, and he had learned first-aid training. But life had its way of challenging the child, and he just decided one day to leave home and set out on his own and live an independent life, traveling from train car to train car, without a purpose and out of communication with the world. The hobo was completely on his own. The hobo had been on his own since he was 18 years old. He was now 28. When he left home, he left a note saying only, “I have gone to be alone and to see the world. Goodbye.”

Something about trying to save Max was bringing the hobo back into life. The hobo’s attention became focused. He started to remember everything he had been taught about first aid. He realized that Max would need stitches to fix the one bad wound. He felt he could do it on his own if he had the right materials. The hobo had none of the materials he needed, and he had no money to buy materials, and he looked a mess. 

The hobo decided to clean up in the river as best he could so that he and his clothes were clean. In the morning, he carried Max to a nearby town and found a hiding place to put Max while he went into a pharmacy to get the things he needed for laceration repair. He stole them and promised himself he would make up for the damage when things were going better for him. He noticed that his thoughts were changing, and he thought how funny for him to even think about the thought of him getting into a better condition. The hobo started to feel more alive. 

The hobo got back to Max and carried Max back to the river. He cleaned Max’s wounds again with river water, and he gave Max just four stitches but where the hobo felt they were vitally needed. The hobo bandaged the wound. They stayed another night by the fire and then left in the early morning but before sunrise.

The hobo went to a train station, but not the type for people who are traveling by train. The hobo had decided he wanted to travel west to California, a thought he had not had in ten years but now was starting to feel of interest that was growing momentum slowly in his mind. The hobo knew how to hitch a ride on empty boxcars. From being a hobo all these years, he had learned everything about the trains and how not to get caught. This time, getting on a train like this would be more difficult because he could not be running to get on and off at all the train stops. He had to gently get Max on the train and in a safe place and then get on the train himself. 

The hobo found a perfect box car that had some hay in it that they could hide behind in case someone looked in the car to see if anyone was in it. He carried Max and put Max into the car by the open door. Then the hobo jumped in. Max was still unconscious but seemed to be resting more peacefully. The hobo felt Max’s pulse and felt it was getting stronger. This made the hobo happy.

The hobo carried Max behind the haystack, and then he sat down with Max and continued to pet Max and tell him he would be OK. Within two hours, the box car was traveling west with about 80 other cars and three engines in the front and three engines in the back. The hobo always thought it was funny to see engines on the front and back of long trains.

About five hours into the train ride, Max finally opened his eyes for the first time and tried to lift his head. The hobo encouraged Max to stay still. The hobo explained the entire story to Max in incredible detail, so detailed in fact, that the hobo spoke for several hours before completing the story. Max understood every word and wagged his tail and then fell back to sleep. When Max awakened the second time, the hobo fed Max some food. Max was hungry and thirsty. The hobo had both water and food. Max drank every drop of water the hobo had, and the hobo didn’t mind going without.

The train stopped and the hobo decided to get out of the boxcar with Max and to find another way to travel. Before Max, when a train stopped, the hobo could just jump off and run away quickly before the train even came to a full stop. No one could catch him. But with an injured dog, he decided to face the consequences. When the train came to a stop, the hobo jumped out of the boxcar, carried Max in his arms, and slowly started his walk off the train station property.

Immediately, train staff came running over to them with complete hostility and violence in their hearts. One was even swinging a bat. But when they got within ten feet and saw the incredibly poor and emaciated condition of the hobo and the condition of his injured blood-stained and unconscious dog, they stopped and let him pass. One man even removed his hat and wept.

The hobo resolved that day never to travel by train car again. He contacted the local shelter for the homeless and offered to help out in exchange for a place to stay for him and his dog. The shelter caretaker was reluctant at first, but the hobo said he would work very hard, and he needed about two months for his dog to heal. He said he would need food and a place to stay for him and for his dog for two months. The caretaker agreed as long as the hobo kept his part of the bargain, and he did.

Over the next two months, Max started to slowly recover. His leg healed and the sling the hobo made was removed. The hobo had improved the quality of Max’s cast while at the shelter. He asked for proper materials and supplies to fix Max’s wounds, and the caretaker was willing to help. Max’s appetite returned, and his thirst for water was unquenchable for weeks. The hobo worked hard, and the caretaker loved having them so much, he asked the hobo if the hobo and his dog would stay on. The hobo considered it and said he wanted to get to California. But he asked the caretaker if they could stay on another two months and work for wages so he would have money to travel with his dog to California. The caretaker agreed. After four months, Max was now fit and healthy, and the hobo had earned enough money that they could travel in style … meaning hitchhiking and mostly riding in the backs of trucks! They were happy though. They had enough money for food, and the hobo was now taking care to make sure his clothes were clean and tidy. Every few days, they spent some of the hobo’s money at the Laundromat as they made their way across country.

Max was longing for his family, but he could also see that the hobo needed him and was greatly comforted by Max’s companionship. Wherever they were at night sleeping out under the stars, Max always snuggled into the hobo, and the hobo put this arms around Max, and they slept together the entire night perfectly comfortably. While most humans like to sleep in beds, the hobo was perfectly comfortable to sleep on the ground anywhere, and so was Max.

The hitchhiking ride to California took three weeks. Every ride was fun and interesting. Each driver told the story of their lives, and the hobo told his. The hobo couldn’t believe how talkative he had become again. The hobo didn’t know Max’s name, so he just called him Buddy. The hobo thanked each driver for the ride and asked to be dropped off at a nice park or a local shelter. The shelters always welcomed the hobo and Max. Sometimes the drivers would offer the hobo and Max a place to stay at their home. Those experiences were always wonderful. A home-cooked meal was something that the hobo had not had for 10 years.

The hobo finally told Max that he had decided to go home to see his family. He had not seen them or communicated with them in ten years. He didn’t know if they were alive or still lived there. He didn’t know if they would want to see him. He was terrified inside to make the attempt, but he felt compelled to do it, and he was excited about it. He told Max he felt he had been rehabilitated because of saving Max and that Max had saved his life. He thanked Max for saving his life, and he was happy that Max would be with him for this adventure.

Max understood fully and was eager to see what would happen. The hobo and Max rented a room at a Motel 6 for the night. The hobo got some new casual clothes and shoes, he shaved, got his hair cut, and felt he looked well. He felt he looked a little weathered, but he looked fit. Max looked clean and beautiful. 

The hobo called a taxi and had the taxi park down the street for about an hour so the hobo could see if his family was still there. After about 30 minutes, the hobo saw his mother come out on the porch to water the plants, and his dad came out to sit on the porch and read the paper. And then the hobo knew. They were still there. What a relief to know, but now also it was about to be a very scary moment. It was time to face the consequences of his actions and the heartbreak he must have caused his parents for ten years.

The hobo paid the taxi and thanked him. 

The hobo and Max walked down the sidewalk to the house. When they reached the sidewalk leading to the stairs of the porch of his home, the hobo stopped and looked at his parents. He did not say anything. Max sat perfectly still but was wagging his tail. 

His mom spoke first and just said, “Oh Jack,” and she immediately sat down on a porch chair and started crying. The dad stood up and said, “Son.” Jack replied, “May I come up?” The dad said, “Yes.” 

Max decided to greet them as if Max had not seen them for ten years too, so Max jumped up on the dad with his two feet on the dad’s chest, and Max wagged his tail and gave the dad kisses. This made the dad smile. Jack introduced Max as Buddy. Max then went over to the crying mom and used his nose to push her arms and get the mom to pet Max. The mom was crying tears of joy but they were very sad tears too. So Max decided to just keep pawing at the mom and using his nose to make her pet him every time she started to cry. And she cried a great deal over the next two days.

Jack and his family reunited and each family member told the story of their lives for the past ten years.

After several days with the family and seeing that Jack was now getting comfortably back into family life, Max decided it was time for him to make the trek home and find his family in North Carolina. Max missed them terribly but he knew there was a purpose to his life and saving Jack was worth every moment.

Max decided to compel his thoughts mentally to Jack letting Jack know that Max wanted to leave and return to his family. Max also would go to the door and nod his head toward the door and then go back to Jack, give him kisses, and then go to the door. After a couple of days of doing this and Max thinking his thoughts at Jack, Jack knew exactly what Max was trying to do and Jack told Max that he understood. 

Jack told Max that before Max left, Jack wanted to rescue a dog from the local animal shelter so that Jack would have a companion to replace Max when Max left. Max loved the idea, and they made plans to go to the rescue. When they got to the rescue, a family was turning in their Golden Retriever puppy saying that they just didn’t realize how much work it would be to have a puppy, and they didn’t want to have a puppy anymore. Jack’s first thought was that the family was terrible for doing this, but then Jack realized that it was meant to be because Jack was there at that precise moment, and Jack wanted to adopt the puppy. Jack told the shelter he would adopt the puppy, and he did. The puppy came home with Jack that day.

Max told the puppy about all of his adventures with Jack, the hobo, and how they came together, and how it was time now for Max to go home to his own family. Jack named the new puppy Buddy, Jr., and that made everybody smile.

Buddy, Jr. was happy to be in this new and loving home. He told Max that this home was a thousand times better than his previous home, and he could tell that the family loves him. Max was so happy for Buddy, Jr. 

The following morning, Max gave Jack the sign that it was time to leave, and Jack opened the door and let Max go.

With all the geography lessons that Max had listened to in homeschooling and with all of his natural homing pigeon instinct, Max set out due east heading home for North Carolina. He knew exactly what to do.

Max decided he would try and run the whole way. When Max got tired, he would find a safe place to sleep. When he got hungry, he would scrounge up some food.

Max has a great sense of smell, so he always knew how to find where food was located. He was particularly good at finding campgrounds. Max found he could go up to a group of campers, sit and look attentive tilting his head back-and-forth and occasionally doing a little bark, and the campers would throw him food. He learned that the cuter he was about asking for food, the more food they would give him.

Max also loved to eat sticks, pine cones, pond reeds, grass, dead animal carcasses if he ever found one, and just about anything could satisfy his appetite. Even food wrappers in trash cans were acceptable when food was in short supply.

He loved drinking lots of fresh water from rivers and lakes that he would pass by and sometimes ponds and puddles. Max didn’t mind if he got wet because he is a Golden Retriever and loves water. He could even sleep outside in the rain while getting soaked and not mind.

As Max would run through the forest, he would sometimes run with the deer who loved him and enjoyed seeing him and didn’t mind his presence. Occasionally, Max was running so fast, he would surprise a bear and have to run at full speed to get away. Max would even have to jump in a river to get away from a bear but the bears were good swimmers too. So Max had to be careful and fast around the bears.

One of Max’s favorite forest experiences was running into a small group of wolves. The wolves first idea was to eat Max, but Max had such a big and powerful presence and no fear, he walked right up to the wolves nose to nose and confidently said, “Hello. It’s very nice to meet you.!” The wolves then realized they were meeting one of their own.

Max told the wolves about the story of his life and they talked about their lives. Max and the wolves spent two days together and enjoyed each other‘s company immensely. The wolves asked Max to stay with them as a wolf and live as a wolf in the wild. Max said that he would love to do that, but he missed his family and wanted to get home. The wolves understood. Max left them but he told the wolves that he loves and respects them, and that they are amazing and kindred spirits with him. The night before Max left, the full moon was up, and they all howled at that moon for hours. It made them feel great and frisky and they enjoyed it all so much.


Funny things were always happening in the forest too like when Max was napping and sprawled out on the ground by some fern trees. Max was awakened by a possum who was sniffing Max’s nose up very close and touching. Max opened one eye, and the possum asked, “Are you playing possum?” There was a silence for a moment, and then they both started laughing for the longest time. The possum asked if he could nap with Max, and Max said, “Yes, of course!” So the possum snuggled up to Max, and Max put his front leg around the possum and pulled him in close. They had a very pleasant nap together in the shade on a beautiful spring day.

One time on Max’s travels through Texas, he was at a campground and he heard a mother scream as her two-year-old child fell in the river water and was being carried downstream faster than the mother could keep up running along the river’s edge. Max heard the screams of alarm and knew there was immediate peril, and he ran to the river’s edge to see what was happening. Max could see the child flailing in the water and unable to swim. 

Max knew what to do. He ran like lightning down the river’s edge and got ahead of where the child was. He then jumped into the river and swam with extraordinary speed and grabbed the child with his mouth. Max knew to grab the child by her clothing and keep her face out of the water as he swam the child to the shore. The parents immediately caught up and were so grateful to Max and were crying. The baby was crying too, and it was an hysterical moment. 

Everything started to calm down once the baby realized she was finally safe. Everyone at the campground surrounded the family and Max. One of the people from the other side of the river actually caught the rescue on video. The event made national news attention about an amazing Golden Retriever that saved a child. 

Max’s family saw the news report and wondered if that could be their Max. It was hard to tell because the video was at a distance, but it looked like Max, and they all began to talk and wonder if it could it be true. Could that be Max? Somehow in their heart, they knew it was Max. They were excited at the thought. It made them all happy.

When the media came out to interview the family of the child that had been saved, they wanted to see the dog. But Max had already left, somehow knowing that he might be stopped from leaving if he stayed for the media attention. Plus Max was eager to get home, so he continued his trek.

In Missouri, Max was in town looking for some food and he was near a convenience store. It was a hot day, and the door was open. Max saw a man go in with a gun and try to hold up the cashier behind the counter. Max went in and pretended to be a vicious dog and started growling at the burglar and jumping toward the burglar aggressively. With every Max jump, the burglar jumped with fear that Max was going to bite him.

This distracted the burglar so that the man behind the counter was able to grab the gun away from the burglar while a second store employee was able to subdue the burglar on the ground. The burglar was tied up until the police got there. The entire incident was caught on video from the store security cameras. When the police got there, more photos and interviews were done about the amazing Golden Retriever that saved the day. Once again, Max made national news and the news now linked the two stories together. They news wondered if this amazing Golden Retriever could be the same dog that saved the baby in the river. Everybody got pictures with Max including the police, the store employees, and some of the store customers.

Once again, Max’s family saw the news report. This time they felt certain this was indeed their dog, Max. The father tried to call the town police department to see if they would hold Max until the father got there. With all the commotion and media attention, it was difficult for them to get through. 

Max spent the night at the police station and got to meet all the police dogs and other police officers. Everyone had a wonderful time. Max was very well rewarded with food, and he was petted and validated constantly for his efforts to stop the robbery. 

Max loved exchanging stories with the other police dogs about their lives, and Max told them about his adventures and that he was on his way home. The police dogs totally understood Max’s wishes to go home. In the morning, the police dogs let Max out of the police station so Max could continue his trip home. All of the police dogs knew how to open doors.

A month later, Max was sleeping in a little enclave of trees when a bum found him and put a leash around Max’s neck before Max could do anything about it. The bum did not care about Max at all, but the bum felt he could take advantage of having Max. He made a little sign that said, “Please give me money so I can feed my dog.” 

The bum then sat on street corners with a pitiful look on his face, holding his sign next to Max on a leash. The bum realized immediately that having Max increased his income substantially and the bum decided he would never let Max go. Then the bum decided to see if he could increase his income even further by teaching Max some tricks. He taught Max to stand on his hind legs and turn in circles two or three circles at a time. This increased the bum’s income further, and people gave the bum more and more money to see Max perform. 

Max started losing weight because the bum often spent his money on alcohol and food but he didn’t feed Max. Max knew he needed to get away, and he waited for his moment and planned his strategy. The next time that the bum passed out from being drunk, Max pulled as hard as he could to get his head out of the tight collar. Because Max had lost weight from not being fed, Max was finally able to squeeze his head out of the collar and get away. Max resolved that he would be much more careful when he found a place to sleep so that he would never be caught unawares again. Fortunately, this ordeal only delayed Max by two weeks on his adventure home.

As Max departed, he pulled a $20 bill from the bum’s cup that the bum held out for donations. He went down the dog food isle of a convenience store and grabbed a small bag of kibble dog food. He went up to the cashier and jumped up on his hind legs putting the $20 bill on the counter with his mouth. He then held the bag up so the cashier could see the dog food bag. The cashier smiled and said Max had change coming. Max did not wait for change but felt the cashier was OK with the purchase transaction, and Max was free to go. Max quickly left with his kibble and found a safe place to eat, and he ate the entire bag in one sitting. Max had not been fed in two and a half days. The town had a drinking fountain that ran all the time. It was the kind where you do not have to push a button to get water. When standing on his hind legs, Max could reach the water. He stood and drank water from the fountain for 30 minutes after eating the entire bag of kibble. Max was so stuffed as he was walking and all the water was splashing around in his tummy that he thought he looked pregnant as he walked away burping to find a nice safe place to get some sleep for a while. When Max awakened, he felt refreshed and energetic. He set off continuing his run to get home.

In a little mountain town in Tennessee, Max came across a tiny white cottage with a beautiful porch, a white wood rocking chair, and lots of colorful flowers in the garden and in potted plants hanging from the eaves. He felt the cottage was one of the most beautiful and charming settings he had ever seen. He soon learned that a little old lady lives there named Melody. Melody was 99 years old and still on her own and mentally very sharp. She was lonely though, and when she saw Max approach her porch, the look of joy on her face was so overwhelmingly beautiful and extraordinary that Max made the decision he would stay with her for the rest of her life and that his family would have to wait. And Max did stay, and the lady became so happy. 

Melody was always singing to Max every day and would just make up sentences about Max to sing to Max. And she loved for her sentences to rhyme while she sang, and they would be the silliest sentences. As she sang, she was giggling and laughing, and this made Max very happy. 

Here is an example of one of her songs: 

I have a dog and I don’t know his name
I know he’s a boy and he is not a dame
He has four good legs and he’s never lame
He’s likely the dog of recent news fame

He is very pretty and he loves all my flowers
I love being with him through all of the hours
I love to take baths but he much prefers showers
I will always love him and with all of my powers

I love to snuggle with him all through the night
I know he is perfect and that he’ll never bite
I love giving him all my food, yes that I might
Feeding him snacks and ice cream is such a delight

When he’s out on a run, I wonder where he goes
He seems to love my massaging his toes
I often give him kisses on his cute little nose
His favorite flower is my beautiful red rose

I love to be with him wherever he wants to be
Whatever he’s doing I want him to do it with me
He has stolen my heart and made me very happy
I love him in the here and now and for infinity

I don’t know his name, so I just call him Friend
He restored my life so I hope it never ends
My lonely broken heart he did completely mend
When I go to Heaven I’ll wait for him around the bend

She could go on and one making up words about her wonderful Golden Retriever and that he makes her so happy, he is so beautiful and friendly, he likes to roll in the dirt, he loves his food, he sleeps with me at night, and the tunes would just go on and on for hours. When Melody would play her out-of-tune piano when singing the tunes, Max would join in and howl along. This made them both laugh and laugh at how much fun they were having together and how happy she was to have Max in her life.

On the lady’s 100th birthday, several people in the town came over with a happy birthday cake that had a number 100 on it. She made a wish and blew out the candle, The friends stayed for about an hour, and then they left. 

Melody was happy, and she looked at Max and said, “I always wanted to live to be 100 years old, dear Friend. Now you can go on and continue to live your life. I thank you for spending the rest of my life with me. I will see you in Heaven someday. I love you with all my heart.”

Max was not sure what the lady meant but he slept with her that night as he always did right by her side on the bed with his head on her shoulder. She had her arm around him because she always petted him until she fell asleep. When Max awakened in the morning, he did then realize fully what the lady meant. Melody had passed away in the evening and had a beautiful smile on her face. Max knew she was happy when she went to Heaven.

Max left the house and alerted the neighbor by barking and running toward the house and back to the neighbor and running toward the house. They realized they needed to check on Melody and they did. They thanked Max for alerting them and letting them know. 

Max had spent nearly one full year with this lovely lady, and he was glad for every moment of happiness and companionship he was able to share with her. Melody was a local celebrity because of her age, so it made the news that she had lived to be 100 with her Golden Retriever, and a picture of Melody and Max made the news. 

Once again Max’s family saw the news report, and they believed that Max would be home soon since Tennessee was not that far from their home.

After the lady’s memorial service, Max immediately left to continue his trip home.

From the family’s calculations, Max was only 552 miles away. They felt Max could easily cover 50 miles a day, and he could be at their home within two weeks to two months. Somehow in their hearts they knew Max was now making a beeline directly to them. Max was coming home.

Everyone was getting more and more excited including Rambo and Tina who listened to all the communications and watched the news reports. They too felt that Max was coming home. The atmosphere at the home was always upbeat, but now it was in an even greater state of aliveness.

The family always continued their walks with the father now carrying a licensed handgun with him at all times just in case another pesky mountain lion should happen to be in the neighborhood. 

Then it happened. They were on one of their walks where an old highway had once been. The highway cement was cracked in places, but it was easy to walk on and had trees and forest on both side. At one flat part of the walk you could see for more than a mile. 

They looked down the road as they were walking away from home, and at one point they saw a little dot way down the road, and they didn’t think much of it at first because they couldn’t tell what they were seeing. As they continued to walk, the dot continued to grow in size as it moved toward them.

In the same instant, Max, Rambo, and Tina all realized it was each other they were seeing. All three dogs took off running as fast as they could. Max ran so quickly, he felt like he was flying. Rambo and Tina matched his pace. Then family then realized it was Max, and they started running too!

In just two minutes, Rambo, Tina, and Max were reunited, and they were jumping up and barking and crying and kissing each other with complete exhilaration. They couldn’t stop crying and jumping and kissing. Then the family caught up to the three dogs, and they were crying and hugging and kissing with joy and this hugging and kissing and crying joyful reunion went on for more than an hour before anyone could break away.

Even though Max is the hang-back dog, for the rest of the walk home, Max stayed with the family and Rambo and Tina the whole way. Every 100 feet, the dogs and family would start crying and hugging and jumping up and down again with the joy of being reunited. It had been two years and 27 days since the mountain lion attack, and now Max was safely home.

When it was time to go to bed that evening, the entire family and the dogs jumped on the parents’ king-size bed and snuggled together. Everyone including the dogs had their arms (or in the case of the dogs, one of their front legs) extended out to Max, holding onto him and each other with extreme happiness and gratitude for the return of their beloved Max and for making the family whole again. It was a wonderful moment that everyone peacefully shared together, and no one wanted to fall asleep. Everyone wanted to experience the togetherness and aliveness of this family group. In this new moment, it was as if time had stopped in a pleasant way as the evening extended into a spiritual infinity of togetherness that they would remember forever.

And the family and Max, Rambo, and Tina all lived happily ever after in joy and laughter.

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