One Oklahoma farm family’s helper and canine companion, Max, receives recognition as American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2026 Farm Dog of the Year.
T
here is something special about a good farm dog. From morning chores right as dawn breaks to rounding up cattle on hot summer days, they are the ranch hands, livestock guardians and a source of comfort after a hard day.
People often say a dog is a man’s best friend. Yet, for Garfield County Farm Bureau member John Enns and his dog, Max, that phrase does not quite cover it. Their bond runs deeper.
Max, a five-year-old border collie, is a friendly, energetic face on the Enns family farm and ranch. Most days he can be found alongside John, rounding up and moving cattle. While John has been farming for years, Max has become an essential addition to his everyday routine.
In 2004, while John was taking care of daily chores around the farm, he jumped onto a tractor pulling a rye wicker, an implement used to eradicate grassy rye weeds sticking up above his wheat crop, just like he had done the day before. This day, however, as he was driving through a ditch, his tractor suddenly rolled over on top of him.
“The second day that I was driving the rye wicker, I was coming out of a ditch, and it flipped over on me,” John said. “It was very light in the front end, and since I was seat belted in, I had nowhere to go. It pinned me underneath.”
By sheer grace, John was not alone that day. A friend witnessed the accident unfold, but out on the farm where cell service fades, there was no quick way to call 9-1-1. Unable to move the tractor himself, his friend raced to contact the local co-op, relying on others to finally get the emergency call through.
Then, as if placed there at just the right moment, two teenage boys came upon the scene. Without hesitation, they ran toward the wreckage, joining John’s friend in a desperate effort to save him.
“Those two boys shouldn’t have been there,” John said. “They were definitely sent by God.”
Together, the three of them worked against time and fear, unbuckling John and lifting the weight of the tractor off him.
“I remember one of the boys saying, ‘I’m slipping, I’m slipping, you have to hurry,’” John said. “If they had put the tractor back on me again, that would have been it.”
The accident broke John’s back at the T12 vertebrae, along with five ribs. While in the hospital for two months, doctors fused his spine back together, resulting in partial paralysis for John.
After being released from the hospital, John began rehabilitation, where he was introduced to his first outreach program, AgrAbility, a nationwide project to help enhance the quality of life for farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers with disabilities. Then, John was introduced to his second outreach program: Max.
Max came to John through the program Pharm Dog USA, which he was introduced to during his time serving in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives for Oklahoma’s House District 41 from 2008 to 2018.
Pharm Dog USA is a program with the mission of supporting farmers with disabilities by providing highly trained farm and service dogs equipped to assist with everyday tasks. These service dogs can help manage livestock, retrieve dropped tools, open gate latches, carry buckets, provide stability for those who need it and even seek help in emergency situations.
Once John learned about Pharm Dog USA, he also discovered that receiving a farm service dog of his own would not be a quick process.
Max was donated to the program where he then began “pup” training for a year. From there, Max then needed to be trained for the specific tasks he would need to help John.
“The trainers asked me what my needs were, and I told them, ‘I have cattle that get out, and they sometimes are places I can’t go,’” John said. “So, I told them I need a dog that will get cattle in, and then also help me get them into the corral.
“They also asked me if I needed him to do anything else like pick things up for me. So, they trained him to pick things up. When I drop my phone under the pickup, Max crawls under there and gets it for me.”
After two years of dedicated pup training and specialized farm service dog preparation, Max was finally ready for the moment everyone had been working toward. With miles of experience behind him, he made the long-awaited trip to the Enns family farm and ranch near Enid.
Yet, bringing Max home was not simply the end of his training journey, it was also the beginning of a new one for the Enns family.
Welcoming a service dog into their daily lives meant learning alongside Max, understanding his cues, trusting his instincts and adjusting their routines to fully embrace the partnership. It was not just about what Max could do for them, but how they could work together as a team. In many ways, the learning went both directions, building a bond rooted in patience and trust.
Along with Max came a book of his commands, which John and his family needed to learn as well.
“The trainer worked with us to make sure that we knew what Max was supposed to do,” John said.
Over the course of two years, what began as training grew into a deep bond built on trust and loyalty, with Max stepping into his role as John’s steady right-hand man.
From sunup to sundown, Max is rarely far from John’s side. Whether he is helping round up cows in the pasture, checking cattle or assisting John with feeding, he works with an instinctive understanding of what is needed from him, offering not just help, but also constant companionship along the way.
“During the winter when I have cattle out on the wheat, I’ll rotate them on and off to eat,” John said. “I’ll just send Max out there, and he will round them up and run them all out for me.”
However, Max is not just a working dog. Beyond the long days in the field and the jobs he faithfully carries out, he is a constant presence at the Enns family home. He is there in the quiet moments, in the laughter and in the comfort that only a loyal companion can provide. Max is not defined solely by the work he does, but also by the bond he shares.
“He has bonded very well with the family,” said Charla Enns, John’s wife. “He’s become the referee with our other two dogs. He has that black-and-white coat and typically something in his mouth that looks like a whistle, so he looks the part, too.”
Like with John, Max has also forged a deep bond with the couple’s daughter, Brynley.
“My favorite thing about Max is how he is so helpful with my dad,” Brynley said. “He also can have a side where he loves to go and play with his sisters and me and just run around and enjoy the farm.”
In mid-2025, for the eighth year, the American Farm Bureau Federation opened their application for the 2026 Farm Dog of the Year, an award that recognizes farm dogs and the many ways they support our farmers and ranchers. It is a celebration of the loyal, hardworking dogs who stand beside farmers and ranchers through it all.
“I didn’t know about the contest,” John said. “It was Max’s trainer who sent it to us and said ‘You guys have a really smart dog. He could win.’”
Encouraged by Max’s trainer, the Enns family chose to apply for the award, confident in the difference Max had already made in their lives.
The family waited for the call from AFBF to learn if their beloved farm hand and family member had been chosen for the award. Then, out of nearly 100 contenders, the family finally got the call that Max had been selected.
“The first time they called me, they said, ‘We don’t know exactly yet, but he is one of the top dogs,’” John said. “Then, when they finally called me and said that Max had won, we were just ecstatic.”
Max had won the coveted 2026 Farm Dog of the Year, with the family receiving $5,000, a trophy plate, a year’s supply of Purina Pro-Plan dog food and other Purina products. Yet for the Enns family, the prizes pale in comparison to the reward of having Max by their side.
“I think it is great that Max is being recognized because of the work that everyone put in along the way,” John said. “Farm dogs put in and the trainer puts in. Max is just so smart. It is like he can almost read my mind.”
Max’s recent rise to celebrity status is not anything new for the Enns family. Around town, he is more than just a farm dog, he is a familiar face who brings a little extra joy wherever he goes.
At the local Atwood’s store, he is known for his routine of resting his paws on the checkout counter, patiently waiting for a treat. His presence is just as well-known at the local bank and pharmacy. But perhaps most special of all, Max makes his daily trip to Brynley’s elementary school, showing up to pick her up, turning what is an ordinary part of the day into something that is a little more meaningful.
Even though he works hard at his job working cattle and helping John, Max can be seen truly enjoying the time he spends with his family the most. From catching the frisbee to traveling through the “portal” Brynley made and from playing hide-and-seek to running along the hay bales, Max’s true personality shines with his family.
From the fields he works in to the locals knows him by name, Max’s story is one of loyalty, purpose and heart. What began as a trained service farm dog has grown into something far greater. Whether he is by John’s side on the ranch or waiting with a wagging tail at the end of a school day, Max has proven that his impact goes far beyond the tasks he performs.
“He is definitely a big part of the family.” Charla said. “We just don’t know what we would do without him.”
