Max

~1998 - 2012

We said goodbye to Max on October 29, 2012. He was diagnosed with kidney failure about a month and a half prior. We did what we could to make him comfortable, giving him fluids at home and special food to eat. We were fortunate to have that time to prepare ourselves to say goodbye, but it was still incredibly difficult. Ever the sweet and thoughtful soul, it seemed as if he knew when it was time to tell us to let go.

Max came into our lives by unusual circumstances. He had been a patient for almost ten years at the veterinary clinic where I worked. Throughout his life, he had ongoing ear and skin infections that his owners would occasionally treat, but never followed through to clear the issues up.

By September 2008, his health problems were at their worst and his owners decided that euthanasia was the most humane option for him. At the clinic we knew how bad Max's symptoms were and how uncomfortable life must have been for him, so we agreed to their decision.

His owners chose to not be with Max at the end. I walked him to the treatment area of the clinic and the most amazing thing happened - Max was wagging his tail and his eyes sparkled. He had no idea why he was at the clinic that day. We all looked at each other with shocked expressions. Here was a dog with huge patches of fur missing, nearly swollen shut ears, and he was obviously very itchy all over. But he was still a happy guy. Almost at the same time, we all said, "We can't do this." This could not be the end for Max.

My co-worker leaned on my shoulder and said, "C'mon, Elise, you know you need a project." It was a fact that I had the least "life obligations" of the group and I quickly became excited about the prospect of helping Max recover from his ailments. I called Andrew to pass the plan by him. He agreed and would later say to me that he could tell by my voice that Max was coming home with me no matter what! I was the one to make the call to his now-previous owners to get their approval of this new plan. They were happy to hear that Max was getting a second chance! Later that afternoon, I gave Max a shave down and a thorough bath. We headed for home armed with five prescriptions and hypoallergenic dog food.

The road to recovery was going to be a long one for poor Max. He was on three oral medications for a month, twice-a-day ear cleanings for two weeks, and bi-weekly medicated baths for at least a month. But improvement came almost immediately. Within days the scabs on his face and ears started coming off. To all of our amazement, his fur started growing back in the areas that we thought might always be bare.

Full healthy coat - February 2010

By the end of the first month, Max looked and felt like a different dog. We were able to reduce his medications to a maintenance allergy regimen. He settled in nicely with us. Both sides of our family had the chance to meet Max and everyone fell in love with him, especially my mom.

The plan all along was to make him healthy and find him a new home. We were very lucky to find a super nice couple who were interested in adopting Max. Unfortunately their dog had a different opinion. He stayed with them for a week and then, per our original agreement, came back to us for Christmas break. Upon our return home, the wife called to let us know that it just wasn't going to work out for them to take Max. Andrew and I discussed it over right then and decided that Max was here to stay.

We used to visit the dog park often, which Max especially enjoyed. A few weeks into his stay with us, I noticed him standing in the middle of the park and he seemed to be looking for something. I called out his name, he turned to me and came running with the biggest smile on his face. I believe in that moment he realized that I was his human. He was my shadow from that day on.

We went backpacking with all three dogs and some of my hiking friends during the first spring after we got Max. He had an absolute blast and we were actually able to trust him off-leash - unlike Hank and Scout! After we were done hiking with our packs, we took a side hike to check out a waterfall. Max got in front of us and decided that it would be a good idea to run ahead. Andrew chased after him down the trail. Max would look back and see him catching up and would pick up the pace again seeming to say, "Oh goody, this is a fun game!" The old man must have used up all of energy for this entertainment, because when we got home, we realized that he had worn off his paw pads and was sore for days. (He was so sore that he didn't follow me around the house!)

Max went for another adventure when we thought that we could trust him off leash. We were all enjoying time outside while putting up Christmas lights at Andrew's parents' house over a Thanksgiving break. Max was staying close to us until something caught his eye and he was off - across and down the street! Andrew and I ran after him immediately. He did the same trick as he had done on the trail - he'd pause to look back and then take off again since we were following him. We chased him for about a mile on foot, and he was getting closer to the turnpike with every step. (Oh yeah, and I was pregnant with Greg at the time!) Eventually Andrew saw some people working in their yard and Max was heading in their general direction. Andrew yelled to them, "His name is Max and he loves people!" They called to him and he went right to them.

Max was incredibly kind to humans and canines alike. He was our go-to volunteer when we were asked, "Can I pet your dogs?" He was especially patient with children. Andrew's family visited just a few weeks after Max joined us. Our young niece, just under two years old at the time, literally dived onto him and Max didn't flinch. We briefly had a family with several children living next door. Almost every time Max went outside, there would be at least one child standing by the fence waiting to pet him.

Part of Max's fan club from next door

His greatest patience was saved for Greg. Countless times he would crawl over to Max and inevitably pull on his fur or try to lie down on him. Max would simply look to Andrew or me and ask for help. Never any retaliation towards the infant. As Greg got older, he decided that Max was a good reading buddy. He would grab a board book and plop himself down next to Max. Both of them were happy with this routine.

I mentioned that my mom was one of Max's biggest fans. My parents had already planned to visit the weekend before my birthday last year. We discussed the fact that Max may not make it that long and she was fine with not saying goodbye if that needed to be the case. But that good boy did make it. And then on Monday morning he let us know that it was time. We were so so lucky to have four great years with him.

Losing Max and Hank in just over three months was especially tough on me since they were my shadows. They followed me everywhere around the house. It was hard to get used to seeing the empty dog beds in the office where I spent so many hours with them by my side. We still talk about them a lot and are very thankful to have had them in our lives.