At the Lehigh County Humane Society Wednesday, dog trainer Molly Graf, Humane Society investigator Charles Wallace and dog trainer Shelley Strohl spend some time with Maximus.
By Kevin Amerman | Of The Morning Call
Two canine advocates say a German Shepherd adopted Wednesday from the Humane Society with the help of a county animal shelter worker has not only been spared his life, but can eventually serve society as a working dog.
Maximus, estimated to be about 4 years old, exhibited aggressive behavior after his arrival this month at the Lehigh County Humane Society Animal Shelter on Dixon Street in Allentown. He was brought there by the city after a police investigation, but workers there say they aren’t sure why he was taken into custody.
After snarling and barking at workers, Maximus appeared to be unsuitable as a family dog.
”He was laying down the law,” said Charles Wallace, a Humane Society investigator. ”He was telling you off; putting people in their place.”
But while attempting to tame him about a week ago, Wallace realized that the energetic dog with a thick black coat understands — and more importantly, obeys — German commands.
He said the dog calmed down when he yelled, ”platz,” German for ”down.”
”Next thing I know he was listening to everything I was telling him in German,” Wallace said. ”Here’s a dog that’s obviously had some kind of formal training in German.”
That discovery led to Maximus’ adoption Wednesday and his admission to dog training. Upon completion, he could end up on a police force or inside a correctional facility, said Shelley Strohl, a Lehighton resident who trains and breeds dogs.
Strohl said she tested the dog for hours to see what he knows.
”I found he was a normal working dog who needed a handler who understands how to handle a dog,” she said.
Strohl said German working dogs are often trained in German because the sounds of the commands yield better results. Another benefit is that only those who know the commands can shout them out.
”We don’t want just everybody to know how to give our dogs commands,” she said.
Strohl believes Maximus would pose no threats if properly handled and said the aggressive behavior reported in the animal shelter was probably just a product of the dog being playful or bored. She said working dogs, which work with police, search and rescue teams and the military, need something to do.
”This isn’t Fluffy,” Strohl said. ”All we want to do is get the dog a good happy home with a job.”
Wallace said he contacted Strohl after he discovered the dog understood German commands. After evaluating the dog, Strohl called Molly Graf, who owns a kennel near Carlisle and is certified in K-9 training, to see if she was interested in coaching Maximus. She accepted and the two women drove to Allentown on Wednesday to free the dog. Graf said the $150 adoption fee was raised by Strohl, who solicited donations on the Internet.
If the dog completes training, he will be donated to a police agency, prison or some other organization, Strohl said. She said police dogs usually cost at least $8,500 and many law enforcement agencies can’t cover that cost and insurance fees. Wallace said law enforcement agencies in Florida, Maryland and New Mexico have already expressed interest in Maximus.
”I’d like to see him close by to see him at work,” Wallace said.
While Strohl and Graf believe the dog was going to be euthanized, workers at the humane society insist a final determination on Max’s fate hadn’t been made.
”He was going to be put down,” Strohl said. ”He was deemed unadoptable.”
Art Williams, an investigator with the humane society, said the dog has displayed signs that indicate he wouldn’t be a good family dog, but said he hadn’t been ”temper tested” yet, a step performed before canine fates are decided. He said dogs are euthanized if they are seriously ill, injured or aggressive, but said the humane society tries to find a situation in which the dog can stay alive first.
Williams expressed skepticism that the dog had received extensive training in the past, saying his demeanor doesn’t reflect formal police or military training. He also said the dog may be at the end of or beyond his prime.
Graf said Maximus might be too old to be a patrol dog, which requires attack capabilities, but she said he shouldn’t be too old to be a nonaggressive narcotics dog required to sniff for drugs.
”If he fails, he can be someone’s personal protection dog,” she said. ”So, all is not lost.”
And luckily for Maximus, neither is his life.
