We got Max about 6 weeks after we were married. He was a Husky/Shar Pei mix but looked mostly like a Husky except for his floppy ears. Plus he also had two different colored eyes. That really freaked a lot of people out. Since I'm a big fan of the Little Mermaid we named him after the dog from the movie not knowing that Max is a very common name for a dog. I picked him out because he gave kisses. But the whole ride home he kept biting me. That should've been a sign that he was going to be Erin's dog.
Overall, Max was a great dog. Although he was a chicken when it came to thunderstorms and he hated getting wet. He never grabbed food from your hand. He ate it like a danity old lady. And he always liked it when the neighbor lady walked her Husky, Willow, down the road. We always said that she was Maxie's girlfriend.
He never wanted to stay in the yard so we kept him on a runner during the day. He seemed to like that. But if he got loose watch out! He would be gone for hours but always stayed close enough to home that we could see him. If we tried catching him he would just run farther away, so we stopped. When he was ready he would come home. As he got older, we would let him romp for about an hour then go out to the car. If he saw you get in the car he would come running and get in. So then we always had to take him for a ride around the block. It seemed to satisfy him. He would look at the other dogs with a "I just got a ride" kind of look to his face.
I always laughed that most of the time he ignored me. I would make kissy noises at him and if Erin was sitting there he would turn his head away from me and kiss Erin. What a snot! Yet when I would be away for a few days, he would lay by the door and wait until I came home. He was very protective of me when I was pregnant but once Cassidy came along he always looked at us like "who is she and when is she leaving". Although he always kept an eye on her when she was small.
His favorite snacks were M&Ms and peppermint. If you had M&Ms he would get up in your face while you ate them and try to take them as you were putting them in your mouth. He would also paw at your hand until you gave him one. My mom is always chewing peppermint gum so he really liked her when she came for a visit.
I could go on and on about Max but instead I'll leave you with this:
My best friend closed his eyes last night. As his head was in my hand, he must have been in pain, for it was hard for him to stand.
The thoughts that scurried through my head, as I cradled him in my arms, were of his younger, puppy years, and OH...his many charms.
Today, there was no gentle nudge. With an intense "I love you gaze", only a heart that's filled with tears remembering our joy filled days.
But an Angel just appeared to me and he said, "You should cry no more, GOD also loves our canine friends, HE's installed a doggy-door"!
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