July 1, 2008

Mawell Q. Peterson

Yesterday was horrible.

I’m getting teary just thinking about it. We had to euthanize Max, our family member for the last 12 years. He would have been 13 years old next month.

Nicole and I got him at a rummage sale, tied to a tree with a sign around his neck that said “free to a good home”. A mix between a Malamute and a German Shepherd, he had two differently colored eyes, one blue / white and the other a deep brown, it was the first thing I noticed about him.

That guy went nearly everywhere with us over the course of the last dozen years and spent more nights in a tent than most humans do in their lifetime. Probably saw 20 different states and chased more deer, squirrels and turkeys than I can count.

When we found out 7 years ago that Nicole was pregnant one of my first thoughts was that I hoped that Max lived long enough for Zach to know him, and boy did they know each other. From the first moment that Zach arrived Max was kind and gentle to him and they were friends always.

I’m not sure why I’m so torn up about this. Maybe because every day for the last 3 years he spent his days sleeping by my desk as I worked, or gave one gentle bark when he wanted to come inside, or was such a presence in our house that part of feels empty right now.

The last year or so his health was starting to decline. He had lost a lot of weight and was having stomach problems that caused some pretty significant irritability, and we didn’t want him to suffer any more. Taking him to the vet yesterday knowing that in a few minutes he would no longer be alive was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done.