Edie and Troy never meant to catch the attention of KHOU.com producer Doug Delony, or of anyone for that matter. But when Delony was jogging through Discovery Green park in Houston, he couldn’t help but notice Troy with his empty baby stroller and elderly dog. What were they doing?
“Most afternoons, I take a run through Discovery Green,” said Delony, “and most afternoons I see this guy with a stroller but no baby. He brings this beautiful… what appears to be a disabled pup to the park. He lets it sit in the grass and take in the smell and the sound. Here he is giving it water out of a small cup he brings with him.”
Since snapping the photo and posting it on Facebook, Doug Delony’s candid observation has been shared over 385,000 times. People wanted to know more about the man in the photo and the dog for whom he cared so dearly.
Turns out the dog is a 16-year-old sheltie named Max, and he has two doting owners: Edie Mayo and Troy Griffin. Mayo and Griffin said that they have had Max since he was only 3 weeks old.
“He’s my best friend,” said Mayo. “He’s taught me life lessons that I will never forget.”
According to Mayo, Max has been an integral part of the family ever since he arrived. He even once saved Mayo’s life by warning her of an approaching tornado.
“For a 16-year-old dog he’s pretty healthy,” Mayo said. Still, Max needs more care now that he’s reached his golden years.
Max is blind in one eye, and his other eye is clouded by a cataract. He has arthritis and takes various medications.
“But I don’t think you should just turn your back on someone just because they’re elderly,” Mayo insisted. “I think they deserve our love and our care and our attention. And there is so much we can learn from them even as they get older.”
For Griffin and Mayo, that care and attention include taking Max on daily “walks” in a stroller, so that his health conditions don’t keep him from getting out and enjoying the great outdoors.
“When we take him outside, you can tell he’s having a good time,” said Griffin. “You can tell he’s just enjoying himself. And if we can do that for him, why not?”
“And he loves being out there, meeting people,” added Mayo, “especially female dogs.”
“He loves the little poodles,” she laughed.
Be sure to watch this video to learn more about Max and his caring family!
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source: KHOU.com
