Max in all his shaggy glory

We went for a wonderful long walk on tracks up the hill to a water tower at the summit and then set off through fields of vines to find a way round the hill homewards. When we arrived Max was just covered in burrs and oat like grass seeds and took an age to clean. So you won't see him again like this because he allowed me to lift him onto a table and trim him. I shall finish him off tomorrow but he was so patient and stood there like a lamb. His parentage is not known except his mother was a poodle and he inherits her hair - very dense as they are water dogs. He looks a little odd now with a head, tail and feet with hair and quite lean body but I didn't want to push my luck!

Max has made it quite obvious he doesn't like photos being taken of him. As soon as he spies the lens he turns his head so this turn towards me was fortuitous. I think someone must have taken flash pics of him and he is incredibly intelligent. He was bitten by a dog when young and won't go up that track where it happened and is awfully nervous around other dogs. And he had a nasty accident in water and won't go near it now either. But considering he's never met me before we are getting on very well.