Heartbreaking: After 16 years of service, herding dog Max sees his herd for the last time

USA - Heartbreaking. For almost 16 years, herding dog Max conscientiously looked after "his" herd of cattle. But then the senior dog suffered a heart attack. Now the male dog saw the cows for the last time.

The senior dog sits calmly on the back of a pickup truck. The cows come closer and look at him attentively. The dog owner hugs his faithful friend tightly. But Max seems to know that his time will soon come ...

Cattle farmer Charley Herrman Jr. filmed the heartbreaking scene and shared it on TikTok. "Max sees his herd for the last time after working with them for almost 16 years until a heart attack," the farmer wrote under the melancholy video.

The Aussie mix reached an almost biblical age for dogs and was active well into old age. But Max has been very frail since the heart attack. After a conversation with the vet, cattle breeder Charlie had to admit with a heavy heart that his favorite was coming to an end.

"He was my loyal colleague and always ready to go about his day with me," Charlie told Newsweek magazine. "He had this innate respect for the cows and in return they respected him. He was without a doubt the smartest dog I've ever had, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner on the farm."

It was very important to Charlie that Max could say goodbye to his herd.

Although it was difficult to take the frail dog to the cattle one last time, Max deserved to say goodbye to his cattle.

"I knew how much he loved his work on the farm, herding the cows," says Charlie. "I took him there one last time so he could say goodbye to the life that meant so much to him."

A few days after the video was published, Max passed away gently.

Charlie thinks back wistfully to the time he spent together with his faithful dog. He already misses Max so much.