Max

The best boy in the world...the universe...the galaxy

Max was a "rescue" dog but in many ways he rescued me. I had always had dogs growing up. I promised myself that I would get a dog of my own when I had a house with a big back yard. I contacted a dog-rescue foundation once I bought my house and requested a male schnauzer. When I met "Louie", he was so dirty and overgrown that I actually questioned his breed. He had already had 3 owners in his short 2 years of life. It was obvious that "Louie" had been beaten. It was even more obvious that he was unwanted by his current owners. I think I took the dog purely out of pity.

The first order of business was to bath and groom him. It was then that I realized that "Louie" was indeed a schnauzer and quite an attractive one at that. The second order of business was to change his name. Whoever heard of a German dog named "Louie". I opted for Maxwell Von Schnauzer or "Max" for short.

Max blessed my life for more than 12 years. Itıs amazing how little he asked of me compared to what he gave in return. The excited look on his face when I came home from work, the hours of companionship, the thousand kisses. Although Max was my dog, he came to accept and eventually love my boyfriend/husband. They bonded over walks and rides in the car. The 3 of us became a true family. Max was our son and I donıt think we could have asked for a better one.

These last 2 years were difficult ones for Max as body started to betray him. He seemed to become old overnight. We tried to make his life as comfortable and happy as possible. Max continued taking "abbreviated" walks and going for rides in the car. He craved our attention up to the end. On good days he followed us from room to room. On bad days we held him in our lap. When he could no longer jump on the couch, we lifted him. When he could no longer climb the stairs, we carried him.

Max tried hard to defy death. So many times I thought we were going to lose him. So many times he bounced back. Then, he lost the battle and his heart just gave out. Max left us on November 7, 2001 while we were at work. I found him in his doghouse. It looked like he died in his sleep. I am so grateful that he went on his own terms. I donıt think I could have made that decision.

Iım told that all dogs go to heaven. If so, I hope Max is running with the big dogs at some doggie park and eating all the doggie jerky, chocolate chip cookies, red licorice, shrimp and hamburger he wants. I also hope he knows just how very much his Mom and Dad loved him and how much he will be missed.

Weıll see you soon...