Pet of the Week - Max

Max turned 11 today. I have been saying he's 11 for a while then realised my math was off.
Max is a black poodle, registered as a toy but closer to the size of a mini. He was a rescue, his previous owner was a bit abusive and used to wack him with her cane on his head (she told me so herself). We happily adopted him. Max is a funny guy. He is 1 of 5 dogs, the only boy, and the only one that likes to wear clothes and bows. Seriously, he keeps his clothes clean and wears his bows with pride. He loves everyone, all other dogs, cats, people, and (especially) kids.
All of my dogs know tricks to some extent, basic commands and a couple others. Max never did catch on. Concerned, we took him in for testing. He has brain damage. Our vet believes this could be what has kept him so puppyish and why he has such a hard time learning even basic commands. Even our Lulu, whom has terrible anxiety issues and is a big behavioral problem, knows her basic commands.
Despite his issues, we love our boy and are so grateful that he is in our lives. We do not know his exact birthday and were told "mid November" but we choose to celebrate it today as it's also the anniversary of our first date (our 10th this year).