Man's Best Friend

I decided to redo this post because I simply wasn't stable enough emotionally to do it justice yesterday. I lost my best friend Saturday. Max, my 16 year old blck Lab/Golden mix passed on to the rainbow bridge. I got Max as a rescue when he was a year old. He was the gentlest, most loving soul I've ever known. I liked to say his mission in life was to meet and make friends with every other living creature. He sure tried.

I always called him the greatest dog in the world. He was loving, loyal, obedient, and always willing to please. He never chewed a shoe or anything else. Relatives finally figured out giving rawhide bones and such was a waste of money as he had no interest in chewing anything but his kibble. For a lab/golden he was shockingly averse to water. He never swam a day in his life. One day we were running along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay with a friend's dogs and he followed them across a small creek. Since the water was deeper than his tummy he wouldn't recross. Though early March and cold, I took my shoes off, rolled up my pants and carried him back across. My friend thereafter referred to me facetiously as the Great Creek Crosser.

I've spent the weekend with these memories and more. Fifteen years worth. All those days working long hours on campaigns to come home, god knows when, and he never complained. He just wagged his tail, gave me a big kiss and we went off to bed. His loss leaves a huge void in both my and my beagle's lives. He'll be forever missed but it's comforting to know he's finally free from pain and suffering. The final few months were tough. Thank you to my vet who helped make those as comfortable as could be for him.

The picture was from Saturday morning before we went to the vet. It's my last picture of him. I had a sheet on the floor to make him a bit more comfortable.