Bitter and sweet

Posted in dog! on 12/23/2009 04:14 pm by karen

Maxine left us the other day. We brought her to the vet, because she indicated to The Cop that she was done with her life. It was so hard to let her go, but certainly time. She was 14 — and her breed generally lives about 10 years. So a very, very old lady.

I thought about how she was so gracious when I entered her & The Cop’s life. I remember the first time I met her. She sat on the couch next to me and I wondered if she was waiting for The Cop to leave the room so she could kill the interloper.

But that wasn’t her style. Nope. She played along, she helped raise Tyler and Waylon, and she never complained. Sure, she couldn’t *say* anything, but dogs let you know when they’re disgruntled. Maxine was pretty zen through whatever we threw at her. As long as she could lie out in the grass on a sunny day, she was pretty happy.

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maxine and tyler 2

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15 Comments

  1. Sorry to hear of your loss. She sure sounds special. Must be tough this time of the year too.

  2. Thanks, Floss. She was special. More sweetness than bitterness in this, though, seeing as she lived such a long and happy life.

  3. Oh I’m so sorry!!!! What a sweet creature.

  4. *snif* So sorry about Maxine. What a beautiful eulogy. They’re amazing creatures, aren’t they?

  5. So sorry, what a lovely little being. I have a dog, I’m always struck by how sweet, forgiving and appreciative she is. They all are. And it seems that you gave Maxine a home to appreciate and company to love. They make more graceful exits than we do too. Be well…

  6. Always a bummer to lose a dog; when I was growing up, there were constant dogs, and I think my parents probably lost over a dozen before they took a few “dogless years” off. Now they’re back at it :) Yes, bitter; sweet. Yes.

  7. Just a few words: I met the girl that would become Ch. Cloverhill’s Mad Maxine at 5 weeks of age in 1995 in Richmond, Va. I didn’t pick her, she picked me and I took her home with me three weeks later. She’s been with me nonstop since, through a cross-country move, several homes, a divorce, a fantastic new family, career change, etc. She was the constant.

    She did all the regular obedience stuff and was an AKC show champion. Beyond all that, she was — not counting DZM — the best friend I ever had. At 14.5 years old, she was the last surviving member of her bloodline.

    Sadly, her spinal arthritis finally got the best of her. She’s been soldiering on valiantly, but over the last 10 days or so, she’d begun to give me looks I could clearly interpret. She was tired of fighting.

    On Monday, she could no longer stand. Keeping her hanging on would not have been a favor for her; it would have been a favor for me. And, no matter how much it hurt, I could never be selfish enough to keep my friend for my own needs. We lay in bed napping for several hours. Karen and I then took her to the vet. I think she knew what was ahead, but she was ready. I held her in my lap and she was gone before the doctor finished administering the shot.

    It’s hard to let go of the things you love; it’s a lesson that never gets any easier. I feel blessed to have been her companion and equally blessed to have had DZM there with me. Her peace and strength kept me together.

    Thanks all for your kindness and thoughts.
    The Cop

  8. RIP
    That is when we took our dog for his last trip to the vet – when he couldn’t stand anymore one day. Heartbreaking, but that is clearly the end of the road.
    That was a lovely eulogy, Cop.

  9. Karen (and The Cop)- this made me cry, but I understand the feeling of knowing it’s time. I put my two old lady kitties to sleep because it was time to go. I felt like they told me, too. I’m glad you had such a rich life with her to look back on and remember the sweetness of it all.

    I agree with Susan- beautiful eulogy.

  10. I’m sorry for your loss – she brought a lot of happiness into your lives and it seems to me that she had a pretty full and happy life herself, too.

  11. hi Karen
    sorry about the loss of your dear pet. it’s nice to see the pictures you posted. i was showing my mom your blog yesterday and there were lots of pictures of your dogs, which she enjoyed.
    hugs
    Arturo

  12. and thanks Cop, for the beautiful eulogy…

  13. It’s so very, very hard to say good-bye to a dog. Maxine sounds like a particularly wonderful and wise soul. I’m so sorry to hear that she’s gone. I always enjoyed seeing her photos on this blog – what a beautiful girl!

  14. What a beautiful life, seriously. I am sorry you lost her.

    Her generosity with Ty and Waylon were super sweet – no surprise she welcomed DZM with that spirit too.

  15. LI Ashtangini
    12/28/2009 at 7:05 am

    Just catching up on reading today. I’m so sorry to hear about Maxine. What a beautiful dog she was. Makes me want to go home tonight and give botht he house dogs and the foster dog big hugs and kisses.

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