Hi, My name is Juliet, and I’m about to turn 5 soon. Its December 24th, the day before Christmas. Actually it was night time. We were at my Grandma’s house. She had died long before but my uncle and aunt lived in it. They had two dogs, they were mutts, their fur was of a nice tan or gold as I call it. The girl was older and pregnant, she gave birth to three puppies.
Out of those three, one was a girl, the other two were boys. They had different personalities, I remember them greatly. The one boy liked to play, the girl liked to hide. But the other golden baby, ears half down, walked straight to us as I sat by the box. I smiled at him but I kept my eye on the girl. I ran to her, but she only ran away.
“Come on Juliet, lets go before your brother and sister get back.”
My mother said taking my hand and walked me to the car. My dad stayed to talk to my uncle for a bit.
We sat there thinking, talking about how Santa would come tonight. After a while, it was just silence. The night was dark, it was late, about 9. That’s my bedtime. I had to get home before Santa comes - I thought.
Little did I know, the best gift came to me the night before Christmas.
My dad was holding a box, carefully he stepped into the front seat and handed it to my mom.
I heard squeaks….barking.
“Daddy, whats in the box?” I asked him, curiosity got the best of me. “We’re taking him home.” My father said and opened the box to me. My mom smiled and waited for my reaction. My face lit up…
“A puppy!”
My father laughed and my mom was so happy for me, I wanted a puppy my whole life. I would bug my mom to get me stuffed animals of dogs and puppies…..even when we were poor.
“What should we name him?”
My father asked keeping the puppy in the box. He looked at me and eagerly waited for my voice.
“How about…..Joe! I like the name Joe!” My mom shook her head. “That’s not a name for a puppy!”
“Oh….”
“How about Max?” My mom suggested and I nodded. “But I like Joe better..”
“Max it is!” Both my parents shouted as my mom held the box and my dad drove back home.
As soon as we got home the house was brightly lighted by the Christmas tree.
We sat the box down in the kitchen and gave the puppy a bit of left over food we had, we didn’t plan on buying dog food, or even getting this dog!
“Off to bed Juliet.”
I nodded, I couldn’t wait to sleep, wait to wake up to presents and a new family member…
A family member that would change my life forever.
At 4 in the morning, the sound of an opening door woke me up. I ran down stairs to see my brother and sister walking in from their night out. They usually go out with friends, sleep over but come back at early hours.
“Juliet.” My sister looked at the box. “What is this?”
“A puppy!” I watched as my sister and brother opened the box and looked at it. They both awed and my parents came down and explained it all to them.
I raced to bed, we all knew this was the best Christmas ever….with our first puppy.
My parents woke me up early the next morning, well 4 hours later then my brother and sister coming home.
Max, he was the perfect dog, this is not a Christmas story. This story is about the dog that changed my life.
Max adopted well to us, he especially like me. I remember when he was only 1, we had to bath him. In drying him he almost bit me by accident, but stopped before my hand was trapped by his jaws.
He was the best thing we got for Christmas….he was the perfect dog.
Yes he made a mess and everything but he was great. I had barbies, tons of them, he would secretly take them down to the basement and chew them up as it they were his toys.
“Max!” My mother would yell at him as he did. But sadly, after a while I didn’t mind it. But seeing a head of a Barbie freaked me out after a bit…
Max was always there for me though, though all the bad times and the good times. My sister would give him baths, he hated them. He would wait until he was wet then he shook his fur and wet my sister.
I swear I would see a smile across his muzzle.
As he grew up his ears, which were floppy from when we got him, were straight up. They were big and always soft on the back.
However, not everything about years of my life were great….shortly after we got Max, my grandfather died. I went to his funeral and came home just to hug max and cry on him.
Max was a different dog, if he heard you crying, he kiss you and rub his head on you and let you cry on him and hug him. He was a patient and very bright dog. He even knew what to do if he was let out….
Sadly that day came.
The back gate was open and my mom let Max out. We thought it be the last time we would ever see him again…
We looked all around the back or our house, the block was long and big, tons of dogs around….
I just wanted him safe….
I ran to my front yard and screamed.
Max was sitting on our porch! He walked around our house and sat on our porch!
Amazing…
That wasn’t the only thing. Every year, I would write down on a box, the box Max came in, our ages. He was 4 years younger than me. I was 8, he was 4 or 5. I was 10, he was 6 or 7.
He loved the snow, each year I’d take him out to the back yard and fill a bucket with snow just to throw over him to watch him catch and eat the falling snow.
I loved the look of his fur with snowflakes on them, My little winter dog.
I would take a blanket, and drink hot chocolate while sitting next to him as we watched tv.
We did so much together.
Max wasn’t my dog to me, he was my best friend, he was my brother.
One tragic day came around…my mother bought Max a treat that little did we know, would try to take Max’s life.
He choked on it. The bone was thing and long, he accidentally swallowed it and it got stuck in his throat, taking the air out of him.
I saw this and had no idea what to do….
Max!
My mom ran to him and opened his jaw once I told her max was gagging.
She put her hand in his mouth and pushed the treat down….saving his life.
When I was 7, we found out his sister, the one I liked, was hit by a car and killed. His brother was killed and his parents were gone as well.
He was the only left. My little survivor.
Max was so strong, he was the one person….I treated him like a person, that I could talk to. If I was sad, I’d go to him and tell all my problems. He would usually lick me and that gave me the idea that he listened and sometimes, that’s all I wanted.
When I was 8, my grandmother, my only left, died. Her dog, Benny, a mutt like Max, was given to us. Max now had a brother, he now had that someone to be near and play with, when I was busy.
But that wasn’t the only friend he had. My sister got a dog, a female golden retriever, she was out of our house and we all know she bought Bella, just to replace Max in her life.
But my parents and I both knew, this dog, Our Max, you could never replace.
Max loved Bella, they would fight and play all the time, Bella was so aggressive and Max was gentle. I would see Bella knock him down and he would get back up and growl at her.
They would then do my favorite thing that I laughed at seeing Max do…..Bella and Max would play to the point where Max would get hyper and run around the house without stopping!
It made me laugh, oh I love this best friend of mine.
However, now, hes too old and does that no longer…..I would always miss that…..every day, I would miss that.
It was now the 2nd time Max ran away, he found his way back to the house though, Benny didn’t as he had got away too. My mother however found him near a group of small kids, Benny was kind and gentle like Max….The only time Benny hurt someone was when my brother jumped on my dads back and Benny bit his hand and butt.
I loved Benny, however, he wasn’t mine….he didn’t feel like he could ever be like Max to me….
But I loved him.
Sadly, just a while ago….April 12th of last year, Benny was put to sleep.
That old dog would walk this earth no longer.
Max has but hasn’t been lonely since then. I’ve been trying to be with him more.
As I look back, Max was so much fun, he did a lot of things with us. He would nudge things that he didn’t understand what they were, like a stapler. He would lay by my sister as she ate watching tv.
He would lay by me, if I fell asleep on the floor, or by my mom.
Max also had the guts to lay on my parent’s bed. My mom would catch him and laugh, she enjoyed seeing him.
He was adorable, his big brown eyes were delightful to see.
He would wag his tail when we came home. This dog loved us more than life did.
He was here through it all.
Now its December 11th, he is almost 13, a senior.
We were told he had an infected tooth, he also has a tumor…it could be fat….or it could be cancer….
Either way. Max I love you. You will Forever be in my heart, whether your with me or in heaven with your family.
There’s so much more to your life I never spoke of and soon I will tell it all, Just know I’ll never forget you as long as I live, you’ll always be my best friend and brother and my loyal dog. <3
Sat Dec 11, 2010 9:43 am