7-year-old German shorthaired pointer cross in Calgary seeks permanent home
Posted December 24, 2025 4:17 pm.
Last Updated December 24, 2025 5:00 pm.
Many animals end up at rescue shelters, through no fault of their own. Often it’s not because they aren’t valued and loved but because a variety of circumstances which force their owners to give them up.
In this week’s Pause For Pets, we take a minute to look at one of those pets.
Seven-year-aged Max is a German shorthaired pointer cross and weighs 73 pounds. He has been staying at the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) for a few months now after living in a home.
Marissa Hansen, communications manager at CHS, says the transition was tough.
“He hasn’t had the best time in the shelter,” she says. “It’s really hard going from being in a home to somewhere where there are lots of noises, smells, people and dogs. He did have some trouble.”
She says the situation eased a bit when Max found a foster home where he could decompress.
“Now, he’s back at the shelter and doing great but ready for a forever home,” says Hansen, who has a pointer-mix of her own.
Like many surrenders, Max is familiar with a loving home and deserves a second chance at finding that again.
Despite his age, he is definitely full of energy.
“A colleague and I took him on a walk and he was dragging us everywhere,” Hansen says. “He is ready to sniff out the world and ready to adventure.”
“Honestly, he is just super sweet and ended up here due to circumstances not under his control whatsoever. I say this about every dog, but he is a wonderful dog, he loves people and everything and will do anything for a butt scratch and a treat. I think he will make anybody very happy.”
Hansen says many pets are increasingly surrendered because owners have no alternative.
She says it is often a “really hard decision” made due to financial barriers or housing barriers. Unfortunately, there can be a stigma along with it.
“We just really don’t think that’s fair because with a lot of surrenders it’s a hard choice which people really don’t want to make,” she says. “I can’t give you a number but I can say we see that here at the Humane Society… it’s an issue we are trying to address because we don’t want people to have to say goodbye to their animals and we want animals to stay in homes that love them already.”
Visit the Calgary Humane Society website for more information on Max.
