When he came to us from the rescue home, we were soon impressed by his intelligence, his very individual personality and his lively nature. In his short time with us, he had some serious health problems, having needed major surgery to correct cruciate ligament failure in both knees. True to form, he bounced back from both procedures and got on with being the vital, vigorous, fun-loving dog that he was.
In October last year he started limping again and having the plate removed from his knee appeared to resolve the problem for only a short time. In January this year he was diagnosed with cancer in his left tibia; we were told he had about six weeks of life left. Even with this problem, he lived life at full speed as long as he could and proved everyone wrong by living until 4 November.
We remember his playfulness, his love of swimming, running and digging, his extensive understanding of English, his fixation on food and the exceptionally ripe smells that often resulted from eating it, his rolling in the back seat of the car, his ears flapping in the wind, his determination to bring home the longest or fattest sticks he could carry, his amazing memory for where he had left his tennis ball, warm cuddles and the smell of his smooth, shiny fur, his unfettered joy on the beach, his serious attention to guard-dog duty, his frustration with crows taunting him from just out of reach, his greeting at the door, his large presence in our home, his snoring by the fire, his affectionate nuzzling, and much, much more...
Apart from when nearing the end of his life, he was happy and up for anything that sounded like fun. However, the disease finally got the better of him and it was clear to us that he was struggling and that we could do no more to restore and maintain his quality of life. It was time to let him go before his suffering became too much. His end was quiet and peaceful on his own bed in his own home.
He enriched our lives more than we had believed possible; we are the poorer for his passing, and our hearts are broken. We did everything we could to ensure he had a good and happy life. We are sad that it could not have been a long one, and miss him greatly. We are proud to have known him and shared our lives with him.
Tim told me the news. My heart is with you both (and Gemma too, and all the other peeps who will miss Max). The great extent to which you feel this loss is the extent to which you cared excellently for that which was entrusted to you. Well done for loving well. Grieve well my friends, and celebrate Max always =]
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