Maxine
In Loving Memory
When I adopted Maxine, she was such a loving, tiny little girl, but at the same time would scare easily and run to hide under my bed. I spent a lot of time on my belly coaxing her out until I realized that if I just left her alone she would come out faster and her tail would be wagging fiercely like nothing had ever happened. One of her favorite places to nap was on top of my left shoulder. To me that was so cat like, but I loved it when she would nest there and would smile as soon as that tiny little snore started up.
She came with a small beanbag type bed that she loved and no one was allowed to sleep in it but her. She wouldn’t be mean about it, it was just an understanding between her and my other two. After her first night sleeping in my bed, she pulled her beanbag bed out of her crate to let me know she still wanted it for naps but that the crate was now useless as she had stolen her way into my heart and my bed.
She was a very playful girl despite her age. She would do a funny little dance then twirl around. Her legs were very short but she could twirl so fast with those little feet making just the right moves that it appeared she was on ice skates. Then she would drop her front legs to the ground with her tail wagging in the air and you knew the serious playing had begun. I discovered that she loved playing with little male dogs the best and eventually adopted one just for her.
She talked like she thought she was human, with such a strange little voice. It was like she understood what was being said to her and she would carry on the conversation. When she got really excited she howled, throwing her head straight up in the air and looking so proud at what she had just done. You couldn’t help but laugh! But, when it was time to go outside, she would refuse to go until she knew that everyone was going. No one was left behind in her eyes and that was that!
My little Maxine had something else when she arrived, a heart problem that progressed quickly in spite of everyone’s attempts to slow it down. The day after Christmas, she began showing signs that she could not get comfortable and her heart was racing. A trip to the vet looked promising, but later that night her breathing became labored. Shortly after 3 A.M. she was placed in an oxygen tank. They asked me to return around 8 A.M. to pick her up, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave so I napped in my car and by 5:30 her heart had calmed and her breathing improved, but at 6:10 she had a heart attack and her little lungs began filling with fluid faster than it could be removed.
Making the decision to stop her struggle broke my heart. I wanted to keep her forever but I couldn’t bare to see she suffer, knowing she could not recover. I hugged and kissed her and told her how much I loved her and then held her close until the end. I am thankful that she was active and happy until the day before she went to heaven.
To my precious little Maxine, I love you so much and I miss you terribly! My heart is heavy and my tears flow like a river longing for your sweet kisses and cuddles. I wish I had found you years ago! Though you were taken from me much too soon, rest assured when it is my time to leave this earth, you will know mommy did not forget and leave you behind! I will be there to claim you, never to be parted again!
