Max

I know I've alluded to my Maxie before and now I think I'm ready to share about this very special dog. Max was a beautiful buff colored Cocker Spaniel that the dh and I adopted from the Myrtle Beach Humane Society. He was 10 when we got him. He was so well behaved and trained. His only fault was begging for food. He loved to go for rides! He was the best passenger.
When the dh and I walked into the Humane Society, they had some well behaved dogs just wandering around the facility. We thought we wanted a puppy. We noticed a sweet spaniel who wandered around. I went and sat in one of the chairs to talk to a dog and Max wandered up and put his chin on my lap. It was over. One look in those brown eyes and I was a goner. The lady that helped us told us that he was 10 so people were overlooking him. I had to have him and the next day, Max was ours.
The first few months weren't smooth sailing though. We found out that the people who had him before had him since he was a puppy. It was an older couple whose daughter and children moved back in with them. The children tried to ride Max and pull on his ears so the owners decided to put Max up for adoption. Apparently the husband was the one who took care of Max and for the first few weeks, Max would follow the dh around. Max would let me pet him and walk him, but he would cuddle with the dh. It broke my heart. I finally won Max over and he became Mommy's dog. He never left my side. Even when he got bad towards the end, if I left the room, he came with me. He stayed with me during my baths. There was one time when I had the flu for 3 days and he did not leave the bed except to eat and potty. He was that devoted. I don't know what I ever did to deserve such a special angel, but I thanked God for him every day.
We knew that he was a senior dog when we got him and for the first few years, he was remarkably healthy. About a year ago, he had a seizure and it scared me so bad. We took him to the animal emergency room and then the next day to our vet. They both thought it was a brain tumor. There was no way to really diagnose it without putting him through a lot of pain, so we kept a close eye on him. At the end of September, he started declining rapidly. On October 6, his body just started to shut down. We put him to sleep on October 7 and that was the absolute hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'm crying now as I write this. He and I stayed up all night while I carried him around and talked to him. I whispered and sang to him. I told him to let go and not hang on for me. I was ready to let him go and be in peace. It was the most special time to me.
I think of him every day. I still have pictures of him all around. I needed to do this and write about him. Maybe someone will read this and it will help them with their beloved pet. It was very cathartic. Love you Maxie!