The couple took him to the veterinarian, where they learned that the approximately 13-year-old dog had poor eyesight and bad arthritis in his rear legs. The vet also determined that the Pomeranian was deaf, which explained why he wasn’t fazed by the honking on the street.

“What a handful we had,” says Nadine. “An old, deaf, blind little guy who fell a lot from his knees giving out.” Friends advised the couple to put the dog to sleep, but that was completely out of the question. “He had something about him that made us start to secretly hope his owner wouldn’t be found,” Nadine admits. She did try calling the phone numbers listed on the dog’s tag—but they had been disconnected.

The Guyaux family named the foundling Max, and sat back and watched as his personality emerged. “He’s the funniest little guy ever,” says Nadine. “Because he can’t hear, he stomps his front feet to get our attention when he wants to play?which is all the time. The cats hiss and growl at him, but since he can’t hear, it’s fine by him.”

“I call him my little old man,” Nadine says lovingly. “Max has such a gentle soul, and even though I can tell he’s had a long, hard life, he’s managed to keep his sweetness and innocence. He’s brought so much joy into our lives, we couldn’t imagine living without him.”