Monday, December 19, 2011

Memories of Max

Max came into our life in May of  2011. He was a mess, hair matted to the skin, toe nails long and twisted, blind with a severe case of dry eye, terrible teeth, arthritic joints, bad hips, yep, just a mess. And yet there was just something about him. Max made us smile. I wish I'd known him when he was younger, my guess is he was quite a corker.

He was old, cranky and hilarious. The first time he went to our vet they took him in the back for a blood draw. I heard him screaming. Yes, screaming, loudly, continuously. After a few minutes our vet came back in the room and said "Do you see me?" "Of course," I said. "Well, I'm not anywhere near Max, neither is anyone else," she said, and then I started to laugh because poor Max was still screaming his head off. He did not like being separated from the one person he knew and he wasn't shy about sharing his feelings. Yep, that was our Max.

Max was blind, we aren't sure if he could distinguish night from day but we are sure he was one very smart dog. He learned the layout of our home, then he mastered our yard. He understood the word "careful" and knew we were warning him of a potential danger and he would slow down and proceed with caution. Still, none of that stopped him. He RAN to the fence to bark at the neighbor's dog, he followed me around the yard and always, always cocked his head when he heard my voice. What a little joy he was.

Seven months, such a short amount of time and yet I am thankful for every day. This sweet old dog found a place in our home, our pack and our hearts. He left us today and he will be missed. We will miss his valient heart, his love of life, and his quirky ways. Max was a great little dog and he is going to be a great little angel. Goodbye sweet boy, mama loves you.