Meet Max: The dog doing tricks as Gaeilge representing Carlow in the Nose of Tralee

A pomsky from Carlow will represent the county in this year’s upcoming Nose of Tralee festival.

Three-year-old Max has been described as a “very unique dog,” and is a mix between a Pomeranian and a husky; a breed not currently recognised in Ireland.

When owner Carol FitzPatrick first saw Max in October of 2022, she knew he had to be hers, with his heterochromia eyes being a standout feature that instantly drew her in.

Since then, their bond has deepened, and they have even built quite the following on Instagram, recently celebrating over 4,500 followers.

“He's a very funny little dog, and he's very intelligent as well. He knows several tricks, like sit down, paw, roll over, spin around,” Carol said.

She spends a lot of time training Max, who has recently learned how to “play dead,” using it to his advantage when he doesn’t get what he wants.

His intelligence has also allowed him to understand commands as Gaeilge, despite Carol saying she wasn’t the best at Irish in school.

Max is “absolutely obsessed” with pizza and crackers, and will do whatever it takes to get at them if he sees them on a table.

He hasn’t always been the bubbly, social dog displayed online, though.

When Max was a baby, he was attacked by another dog and became quite nervous around other dogs.

However, Carol didn’t want this to hold him back, so she continued to slowly bring him around other dogs, which has “really helped him.”

One way Carol does this is by bringing him to dog events and shows.

He recently placed as a runner-up in the Petmania Ruby Heart Awards in Kilkenny, and will be representing Carlow in this year’s Nose of Tralee.

This is the third year in a row that Carol has entered him, making it a huge deal for her and her family.

“Third time lucky,” Carol said.

“We've put in so much effort this year. We were hoping his Instagram would really help bring awareness to him and the breed,” she added.

The morning the finalists were announced, Carol had been pacing up and down the kitchen waiting to see if Max’s name would be featured on the shortlist.

Her friends and family had come to visit to wait for the announcement too, waiting on the edge of their seats to hear the news.

When they saw Max had made it, the whole family celebrated.

“My whole family screamed. We actually started crying. We were that emotional,” Carol said.

Max becoming a dog influencer and representing Carlow in the upcoming competition has really been a family affair, as it was Carol’s mam who actually encouraged her to set up the Instagram account this time last year.

She says she has been shocked by how quickly they have been gaining followers and by the amount of support they have received.

“I just didn't expect it to grow that quickly. People have actually grown to love Max just as much as I do,” she said.

Carol finds it easy to be a dog influencer with Max becasue she’s always out and about with him anyway, so taking photos and videos doesn’t feel like a chore.

“We love exploring new places and promoting dog-friendly businesses around Ireland, especially our local ones as well, like Barrow Brew,” she said.

As well as sharing coffee stops, tricks, and cute photos, Carol also highlights the importance of proper care for an animal, as well as how to train dogs.

“It's not only about the fun things. I did want to share the whole importance of dogs too, as in that they do need that time, care, training, and love as well,” she said.

She has always been an animal lover, and is even in the process of setting up her own small business.

She will be selling dog tags and other products, but is not “fully there yet.”

The Nose of Tralee winner will be announced on August 18th, with voting open from July 24th.

“No matter the outcome, even whether he wins or not, it's still a massive achievement,” Carol said.

Voting can be done once every 24 hours, and you can find the link in Max’s Instagram bio @max_thepomsky_, or on the Nose of Tralee website.