This is our beloved Max. He came to live with us when he
was just a puppy. His mother Sadie had only 2 puppies when
she gave birth; Max and Hershey. We chose Max because he
was so beautiful. He had mostly creamy white fur with a
patch of brown brindle on each side of his body, and on his head,
ears and the base of his tail. He weighed 68 pounds and
was a bit over weight. We used to tell him that his brindle
patches were where his fur split from eating too much and we had
to use brindle patches to sew him up! We always told him
he was made of vanilla, with caramel and chocolate stripes. His
beauty was one of God’s many miracles for everyone to enjoy
and admire. Maxy was our son and brother. We called
him “The Beagle” sometimes, because we think he was
part beagle and part boxer.
Max was a healer. His smile, kisses
and hugs always came just when one of us needed them. He
knew when we were sad or frightened. During these times,
he’d come and sit close to us, or even on our laps and give
lots of kisses. The sincere love he had for everyone was
very apparent on his face. It was always so reassuring to
see his happy face looking up at us. Even now that he’s
gone, when I look at his pictures, I get a sense of peace and
security. I remember how good he made me feel. His
time with us was very short, and I’ll never understand why
he was taken so soon, but during that time he taught us so much
about love, patience, and how to be a comfort to someone without
ever saying a word. His peaceful presence was all we needed.
Although he’s gone, and I continue to be very upset
about our loss, I can often feel his peaceful presence still here.
Sometimes it’s a familiar noise, like the floor creaking
when he walked by, or the scent of his soft fur. Sometimes
I feel as though he’s sitting by my side again. I know
his spirit will remain with us forever, just as the love we gave
to Max will stay with him always. I feel pleased and peaceful
knowing that Max was given as much love and care as we could possibly
give. I know he had a wonderful life.
Max loved to bounce on the trampoline
with his siblings, Matt, Jenny and Jeff. He loved to hunt
for rabbits in the field behind our house. He liked to swim
in the pond at the park and play with the ducks; but he never
hurt them. He loved to get dirty! He was at every
camp-out and sleep-over that the kids had. He was just a
part of the gang! Max was often the subject of many stories
and poems that his brothers and sister did for homework. He
appeared in the newspaper once and his picture was often on our
birthday cakes. He was very famous and loved by everyone.
He went everywhere with me. He reminded
me everyday that I needed to take a walk with him so we both could
stay healthy. He went shopping with me and always escorted
me on errands. He never left my side. He helped in
the garden, always sitting next to me as I worked. He even
helped play Santa at Christmas time. At night, Maxy loved
to cuddle with me by the fireplace or curl up on my lap. At
bedtime, he would push open my bedroom door and snuggle with me
making sure I was safe and warm.
Sometimes he’d get into the garbage!
If I came home and found him lying on his back, I knew he
had gotten into mischief. That was his way of saying, “I’m
sorry!” Of course, he was always forgiven with a hug
and kiss.
Maxy loved all the holidays, especially
his birthday. For his birthday he got a stack of cheeseburgers;
one for every year of his life.
I could go on forever about my Maxy. He
was very special to our family, as you can see. Life will
never be as happy and complete without our Maxy. He brought
so much joy to our family. He was an angel sent to us from
God. How fortunate we are to have been chosen to have Max
in our lives. He loved us everyday and gave hugs and kisses
to everyone he met. He made us laugh and comforted us when we
cried. He healed us and took care of us. We will love
him forever. We’ll always be thankful for our time
with Max.
Susan,
Matt, Jen, and Jeff Sines
