Max, an abandoned maltipoo, wins a new home
An abandoned maltipoo found in Burbank last week has found himself a new home.
Although there were only seven people who entered the lottery organized by the Burbank Animal Shelter Wednesday morning, it took officials a little over two hours to make sure the 18-month-old black dog named Max was going to a loving and safe place to live.
Burbank residents Don and Cheryl Schilling ultimately became Max’s new owners, and the husband and wife were both thrilled to have the opportunity.
“I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to,” Cheryl Schilling said.
“It’s a great Christmas present for everybody,” Don Schilling added. “He gets a home, and we get another puppy again.”
Max was found last Thursday by Burbank resident Samantha Harmon outside her home near John Muir Middle School.
The maltipoo was running around the neighborhood with a note attached to him that had his name and how old he was on it.
Coming down to the shelter that morning was an emotional decision for Cheryl Schilling. She explained that she and her husband lost their 6-year-old-dog named Cosmo, a blonde maltipoo, in February due to congestive heart failure.
She said it felt like the right time to move on, and they thought Max would be the right dog to help with the transition.
“I just wish for him that he finds a good home,” Cheryl Schilling said moments before the lottery.
Though the Schillings will be taking Max home in a few days after he is neutered, North Hollywood resident Maya Estuani was the person who initially won the lottery.
Estuani was looking to adopt Max to try and bring some youthfulness into her home. She is the owner of two older dogs — a doberman-labrador mix named Angie and an Australian shepherd named Lucy, who are both about 10 years old.
Adhering to the animal shelter’s protocol, Estuani had to bring her two dogs to the facility to see if they would get along with Max.
The maltipoo first met with Lucy, who gladly wagged her tail whenever the puppy was near her. However, Angie was not interested in Max and tried to snap at him.
Estuani tried to hold the maltipoo in her arms to gently introduce him to Angie, but the doberman-lab mix gave Max the cold shoulder.
After seeing that things weren’t going to work out between Max and Estuani’s dogs, animal shelter officials held a second drawing with the remaining lottery entrants, and the Schillings were chosen.
“I’m a little upset that it did not work out, but knowing that he’s going to someone who really needs him is better for everyone,” Estuani said. “We can’t always think about ourselves. We need to give others the chance.”
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
