Our family is mourning the loss of our dear furry pal, Max ...
Maxie, our sweet little Chihuahua doggie, almost 12 years old, died from congestive heart failure last night, around 11:30pm
We knew Max wasn't doing well these past several months. We had been to the vet with him several times recently. He had over a pound of fluid drained out and was on several medications, but we didn't think we would lose him so quickly. He died in Jim's arms, not long after watching a movie with us...
Max was a spontaneous surprise for hubby Jim, right after Jim's cancer surgery in July 1999.
Not long after Jim was home from the hospital and just beginning to feel a bit better and develop an appetite, I left to run a few errands. I called Jim to see if he wanted me to bring him anything to eat and he mentioned that a Subway sandwich sounded good to him. I promised him I would stop on my way home and bring his favorite Sub.
But just before stopping for our sandwiches, I remembered I needed to stop at our local pet shop for worms for the turtles... well we all know what immediately confronts customers in the local pet shops... those cute, adorable puppies and kittens... and sure enough when I walked in, sitting all alone in a pen, was this tiny little fluffy butterscotch long-haired Chihuahua puppy. He looked like a large guinea pig!
The reason he caught my eye at all, involves me telling you a little of our past history... see, several years prior to Jim's cancer diagnosis and surgery, we hospiced Jim's sister during her end-of-life battle with lung, lymphoma and bone cancer. And when she came to live with us, she brought her best friend and companion Max Sr., a charcoal-beige Chihuahua. Sadly, not long after Aunt Scotti died, we came to find out that her Max had sinus cancer and his sinus cavity was almost entirely hollowed-out from the cancer...
We promised Aunt Scotti that we would of course care for her Max and do everything we could for him. Max Sr and Jim especially bonded, as he wasn't used to kids, commotion and all the craziness of our household at that time.
Well, sadly within a year, Max Sr began having full-body-jolting-seizures. Our vet explained he wasn't long for this world. We just couldn't bear to watch him suffer through these stroke-like seizures and labored, choking breathing, so we did the humane thing and had him euthanized. This really tore Jim up, as he had just lost his sister, and now her little doggie, his new buddy...
So several years later, when I saw this tiny replica of Max Sr., I just couldn't resist the impulse to buy him for Jim as a little couch companion during Jim's cancer recovery... I think I completely forgot to buy the worms for the turtles and bundled up this fuzz ball and headed home to surprise Jim. Alissa was on the couch reading (of course!) and didn't pay much attention to me until I motioned to her to peak at my little bundle hidden in my shirt. To my surprise, Jim was actually sitting up at the kitchen table... waiting for his Sub sandwich...
I placed the little bundle on the table and Jim, expecting a wrapped sandwich, nearly fell off the chair in shock when the little "sandwich" moved and whined!
And so went the story of Jim recovering from his surgery and cancer ordeal with the help the new adorable, sweet, loyal Max Jr.. (who was almost named Subway, or Suby or Prostate!)
Today my heart is so heavy with the loss of our Maxie, but I can smile at all the wonderful memories, good times, and daily connections this little doggie has with us. Scott reminisced he no longer has a breakfast buddy to share cereal crumbs with or be greeted by a vigoriously wagging tail, when we all come home. Alissa reminisced we won't have our inside guard doggie, snuggle buddy or movie buddy anymore... along with so many many memories...
Jim of course, can barely talk...
Thankfully Scott spontaneously took this picture
yesterday Max's last day
He just sat there soaking up the sun, looking happy...
Little did any of us know... this would be his last moment like this
We said our final goodbye to Maxie tonight, as we burried him in the backyard, in his bed, in a sunny place, near the horses and deep within the earth, where our other past canine and feline pals rest forever...
