These adorable pictures show Julian Becker and his 165 pound pet Max, the shaggy Newfoundland that never leaves his best friend’s side.
Five-year-old Julian’s mother Stasha started taking pictures of the odd couple every day before they got in the family car in Whidbey Island, Washington, although both Julian and Max were born in England.
With her husband away regularly in his role as a U.S. naval officer, the pictures began as a way of keeping in touch.
Found you! Max (left) and Julian are best friends and pose for a picture with different props every day
Shelter: Julian and Max snuggle under an umbrella. The pair were both born in the UK, and Julian still drinks tea in the morning
They have evolved into a charming document of a boy’s love for a four-legged friend he began walking with his mother from the age of three.
Mother Stasha says: ‘My husband is a naval officer and I am a self employed lifestyle photographer. My son Julian and Max, our Newfoundland, were both born in England, where we were stationed before moving back to the States.
‘My boy still drinks tea every morning but has mostly lost the accent. Max still barks with a Yorkshire twang. Max will turn six in May and Julian is five. They have been together all day, every day since Julian was born.
Superdog: The caped canine watches over his human friend
Contact: The pictures are a way of staying in touch with his father, a naval officer
Den: Max peeps out from a shelter on a sunny day
‘I started taking photos of them in front of the garage everyday before we got into the minivan when I joined Instagram. It was mostly to send them to family and my husband when he travels.
‘Although my son usually refused to have his pictures taken with my camera he warmed up to the iPhone shots quickly and started directing them soon after.’
Pose: Max is incredibly protective of Julian and the two go for a walk every day
Items that appear in shots are usually things Julian takes for show and tell at his preschool or gadgets he wants to take with him to the beach.
She added: ‘Max usually sits there and takes orders from Julian. I just snap a few and post the photo that made me giggle the most.
‘When I take photos on our hikes and adventures I tend to click as moments evolve too.
Very rarely will I ask if they can stand still for me and when I do photos never have the same “soul”.’
She says Max never takes his eyes off Julian when they are out and he likes to swim.
She said: ‘He is always slightly-to-very damp. He endures brushing and likes to be scratched just above his tail.
‘The only time he barks is at whales, one particular UPS guy and if you stop scratching him before he had enough. He snores loudly and loves sleeping outside in cold weather.
‘Julian, true to his NY Italian roots, talks non-stop. He loves hiking, documentaries and golf. He is pretty much great at everything he does, including bossing his 165 pound dog around.’
Max’s pet peeve is random strangers suggesting he should put a saddle on and ride his dog.
