Max - A Dog's Life

A guest post by my friend Robert Moriarty

This morning we destroyed one of our dogs, Max. He was a hard dog to like on first meeting. Although he was likely a purebred Maltese, he was very likely from a puppy mill. He had a congenital collapsed trachea which caused him to cough and choke virtually all day and all night. On Sunday age or an infection worsened his breathing to the point he was choking to death. He hacked for 11 years.

He had four homes, all within the same family. The first was a young couple who bought him, surely cute, from some shop or breeder. He did not cough much a as puppy. When their human child became too rough with Max the grandmother adopted him. This is where he did his best work. He was a superb companion dog. My New York mother-in-law doted on him terribly and lived such that Max could not really go outside. He learned to eliminate on a paper diaper pad and make the best of life indoors. Later in life he never really bought into housebreaking and was an Olympic napper. His finest hour was against the rats. As his owner’s eyesight failed her home was invaded by rodents. Despite his own lousy eyesight he kept them at bay as only a tiny dog of European ancestry could do. His most valiant stands occurred in the dark of night. He went with his mistress to live with her daughter and his spoiled indoor life continued for a few years. Unfortunately he was not top dog. He lived with two Chihuahuas, who snapped and yipped as only those Mexicans can. His mistress died. This three-dog house was pretty stressed and he came to my family as a sort of respite program.

I already had two larger rambunctious dogs. Humane societies don’t even allow tiny dogs to join such packs. Max did not have a good nose; it was dry and warm, almost dehydrated. His coat was a nightmare. His claws were gross. He could barely climb stairs due to his couch potato lifestyle. He begged to be carried, not something I relished. He was not housebroken. The choking, coughing and snoring went on 20 hours per day.

Yet he won me over. I admired his defense of the homestead. He’s the only dog I ever had who barked at televised dogs. He barked aggressively at dogs at distances my other dogs found unimpressive. He barked so hard his emanations lifted him off his feet. Never a fussy eater despite his past he ate the large cheap kibble I bought for the big dogs. He fit into big dog society. He was careful to let them flood through a door before him, but assertive enough to share their dog bowls without fighting. He adapted by improving his physical fitness. He improved housebreaking just enough to keep me hopeful. He taught me to carry him on demand.

Funny how we learn from the unexpected. This dog fit in, adapted, overcame his terrible birth defect. I have to say he succeeded.