So much for a quiet (no press) passing for an old dog. It only seems fitting that I pay a tribute to man's best friend. I call him "puppy" even though he was old since when we got him all those years ago. I was in seventh grade on that fateful day in January. I came home from school to the surprise of the century...a dog sitting on the top of the stairs. We named him "Max" after the Grinch's dog... Just look at him...
He was the perfect size, didn't bark, and even smiled when he was happy... not just a hint of a smile, no, it was a big toothy grin. (We found ourselves explaining it to people who were meeting him for the first time. They usually thought he was about to bite... except the tail wagging...) He was a master beggar and if there was a possibility of a particle of food being dropped, he would follow it un-blinking and not daring to breath.
I
There were quite a few times I remember crying alone in my room. The door would open and there was Max. He would nuzzle his head under my hand and look up at me like he knew my pain."That awful high school drama. I hate when these things happen." There were countless walks around the block, a greeting from the stairs as we came home... and always a pile of golden hair on our clothes before we left the house.
In his old age, he could hardly see, smell, or move. We are convinced he possessed by our previously passed cat... and he steered clear of the kid as best as he could. It made me sad to see him like that, and so I pay tribute to the best "puppy" a girl could have asked for, but I do so with a smile because there's bound to be some smarties up in heaven... So long old friend.
PS. I hope he chases that cat a little for all the tormenting he's been doing the past year...
Oh Jessica, my childhood dog meant as much to me as Max did to you. She always knew when I was sad and would come and snuggle by me. I cried so hard when she died Mark was sure something was wrong with me. Here's to man's or woman's best friend!
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