The Last Footprint

Tomorrow, it will be one year since we lost Max,our German Shepherd.  It did not seem real that day - coming home from the final visit to the vet and opening the front door, it seemed as if Max was just around the corner.  Except for his absence by my chair, life felt like it was going on around us as if nothing had happened.  The other dogs were milling around, looking for their dinner. The cats were curled in their regular places, opening an eye to see what was happening and then slowly going back to sleep again.

The next day we took the Shelties for their regular early morning walk.  It was light enough to see Max's footprints from his last walk with us.  I kept looking at the prints in the snow, feeling the pain of knowing he was no longer with us.  One day ...there...the next ..gone.

The weather held for several days and each time I looked at the footprints I would remember my big goofy boy and how he loved to be out walking with the pack every day.  I decided I should take a photo with my cell phone ...and the next day, the weather changed and the prints faded from sight.  But he will never fade from my heart.

Never Gets any Easier to say Goodbye

This is a photo of Max back in July 2015when he had just been with us a few months after my Dad's death.  We knew he was old already and wanted to give him a loving home for what ever years he had left. He fit into the household from the first day with us...and in the last few months he often had a little white companion (Angel or Sadie) sitting beside him.  Even Sebastian, our"scaredy cat", had learned that Max was more bark than bite and he would gingerly walk close to where Max was laying down.

This last week he had not seemed well - and was walking more slowly than usual on our morning walks. We had an appointment this morning with our vet and fully expected to be leaving with some medicine to help Max feel better.  Unfortunately the vet found a mass in the lower part of Max's stomach. An X ray also showed a large cancerous growth further up in Max's lungs.  He had been having a little trouble breathing a few times but it quickly passed.  He was a strong dog and gave little sign of what must have been going on inside.

We said goodbye to Max at the vet clinic, in the same room we had seen our beloved Spike pass on over a year ago. It doesn't get any easier losing another member of our furry family  - but we will always treasure the memories and the unique characteristics each one brought along with them.

Two by Two

Sadie has decided that Max's rug makes a nice snoozing spot, regardless of whether Max is simply stretched out relaxing or having his dinner.  Surprisingly, she has no fear of Max, even given that he is the largest dog in the household.  At the beginning of Max's time with us, we kept moving her away to a different part of the living room but she kept coming back.  Max has never shown any concern - basically gives her a quick look and then ignores her.

The difference between our cats and our dogs

Three Shelties playing on the couch - with the new big boy waiting his turn to join in.  This is a typical scene in the house - at any time a dog pile could start if anyone is in the mood to play.

Contrast this with most views of our cats - lazily curled up in a warm place anywhere in the house.  If any of the cats happen to be in close proximity to another, this is by coincidence rather than by design.  Playing with another cat...not a chance!

The Equilibrium is Re-established

It has been a while since the last post and during that time the equilibirum in our household shifted significantly.  My father passed away in the middle of September and we took in his beloved dog as part of our family. Max is an 11 year old large German Shepherd with a touch of Husky. He towers over all of the Shelties and has been busy learning how to negotiate our house layout, which isn't ideal for such a large dog.

Max's initial introduction to the household resulted in a frenzy of barking little Shelties and a quick exit on the part of the cats.  Surprisingly he was quickly accepted by the Shelties and sometimes even tries to play with them. We knew he "tolerated" cats so we assumed he would leave the cats alone but we found out quite quickly that his curiosity was aroused when they would come near. He will often follow Sadie whenever she walks by - she is not as co-ordinated as the other cats so often is down on ground level instead of jumping from chair to table to bookcase.Spike and Angel are quite comfortable around the other dogs so after their initial apprehension about the "giant" in their midst, they decided he was harmless.  At worst, they would occasionally feel a wet nose being pushed into their fur but more often Max would simply watch them as they moved around the house.

Molly, on the other hand, is constantly trying to chase the cats if they are on the floor or poke at them with her paw if they are within reach on a table or chair.  In the photo above, Molly is trying to get Angel's attention and is being watched intently by Max.  Spike is just behind Angel and is giving a quick tail flick to show he is nto impressed with the tableau unfolding in front of him.

No harm, no foul...the cats are faster than the dogs and when they get fed up they simply run away and jump up to a higher spot that is not dog accessible. Sebastian has no interest in any of the dogs and stays well out of reach, always keeping vigilant in case he needs to hiss at an interloper.

So after 2 months  the equilibirum has been re-established. The daily routines have been adjusted to include Max and all animals have either accpeted each other or have an unspoken agreement not to get too close.  Max has found a place where he can plop down that big body of his and the other dogs have shifted a little to accommodate him.  Since he cannot easily get up the stairs to the second floor, he stays on the main floor at night to sleep.  This makes Sophie happy since we now let her stay downstairs with him (she prefers to sleep on the couch in the living room but we rarely have let her stay downstairs by herself.  Of course, the cats have free roam and go wherever they like anyway!