Family thought they had lost their dog in a house fire, but a social media video changed everything

Max, a husky-malamute mix, had a perfect life. For a year, he had lived with a family, including two little girls who adored him, in beautiful northern California. But all that changed in an instant when the tragic and unrelenting Paradise Camp Fire swept toward the Yeager family home.
The fire moved so quickly that the family barely had time to get out. The Yeagers grabbed the girls and then the fire was upon them; they could not find Max at all.
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“We have a pretty big yard, and he always likes to hide under our porch when he's scared and I wasn't able to get to him,” Michel Yeager said. “I saw the fire ash falling from the sky and I knew I had to get my girls out. We were only able to stay for less than five minutes.”
Two days later, the Yeager family received terrible news: Their home had been destroyed. Even worse, there was no sign of Max, and they feared they had lost him too. Despite the odds, the Yeagers posted on social media about their dog, desperately hoping that somehow he had survived the fire and had found safety.
One day, they came across a video featuring a dog who survived the fire, and his name was Max. But the dog in the video was yellow and filthy, not their fluffy, thick-coated dog who was always so full of energy. Despite their doubts, they decided to see if the dog was their Max.
"My husband Jeff was actually looking through news videos on Facebook and came across one that said they found a dog named Max by Stratton’s Market on Sawmill,” Michel Yeager said. “We live about a few houses down, so we called up the news person [and] asked how he knew his name and everything, and he described his collar.” That was when they knew that the rescued dog was their boy.
The family rushed to the animal hospital to reunite with Max and were shocked by what they found. He was in rough shape, and all his hair had been burnt off. Despite the pain Max was in, he was thrilled to see his family again. Even if he didn't look like Max on the outside, he was still the Max they knew and loved on the inside.
Max's prognosis was shaky, but the veterinarians felt that he could recover with time and healing, and lots of love from the two girls in his family.​
Thankfully, in early December, Max was able to come home to his family. He will be on medications for quite some time, but everyone is hopeful that he will make a full recovery. His face will always be scarred, and the burns will take time to heal.
Help Max and his family, as well as other animals suffering from the Paradise Camp Fire, with donations and positive thoughts. Hopefully, Max will be sporting his beautiful fluffy coat again soon.
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