CHARLESTON (AP) — It's a nice fall afternoon and Max the dog looks quite content sunning himself on a grassy spot near his home, or the closest thing to it.

The small pooch, possibly part Australian shepherd, seems calm but keeps a close eye on people nearby. He's OK if you watch him from a distance, but if you get too close, he just gets up and moves to another place.

"He's a smart one," says Joe Evans, owner of Smoky's House BBQ at 300 W. Lincoln Ave., Charleston, where Max has been a fixture for a couple of years. The dog's story is a bit uncertain, but what's clear is that Evans and a handful of other people are making sure he's OK, at least the best he can be.