As we hit October 10th, another birthday close to home arrives. It wasn’t an “actual” birth day; we didn’t know the exact day, but we knew the ballpark. So, we assigned Ten Ten; easy enough to remember. Yes, October 10th would be our puppy’s birthday. We adopted her back in 2011, shortly after getting married; we said good bye to her more than 2 years ago now… time flies when you’re having fun… I still miss her.
For the whole “animals are smarter than humans” crowd, I’m with you, especially with dogs, especially with our dog. She just knew things, like when my son arrived, and she would sleep right outside his room, watching over him, protecting him. She knew when we would be getting ready to leave the house; that was always an adventure. She would be able to tell if something was wrong with me; she would know now. The unconditional love that a dog provides is priceless. Maxie certainly did that.
I don’t want to sit here and make myself cry, again, so let’s tell some funny stories. She was fast as hell our dog. She wasn’t a small dog, about 65 pounds of pure muscle in her prime, but she could outrun them. I’d take her and gather in the park not too far from our house, where a bunch of us would meet up, and let the dogs off the leash. It was like gathering for a street race, except for dogs; puppies start your engines. They would run around in circles as fast as they could; I imagine this made my doggie so happy, and like I said, she was fast. These little ass dogs… they may take a short lead on her, but once she started going, it was over. Maxie would dust them; the other “pet parents” couldn’t believe they eyes. They would always comment. Yes, she was like a speeding bullet.
We always had a story for her history prior to adopting her; she obviously had a rough life before she came into ours. I would say they had her on one of those rotisserie chicken spits, rotating her, getting ready for a feast in Chinatown, but then she escaped, jumping out the window. She would escape to the “West Side”, where she would become a drug runner, before getting picked up by the pound, which is where we found her. With her checkered past, she was not a very trusting pup, panicking and tearing up the joint, every time we left her alone; it was all good. You would think once she figured out we loved her, and weren’t going anywhere, that this would get better, but… her love in return was more than enough.
It’s a simple life, a dog’s life. They “bother” us when they’re hungry and when they need to use the bathroom, and sometimes, to play; they lay around most of the day. No wonder we got along so well… haha. Is it time for another dog? Not yet I don’t think, but one day, one day… Still remember you Maxie… happy birthday.
Leave a Reply