Remembering Max

Last year at this time we lost our beloved Maxwell SilverHammer. I miss him everyday. He was a wonderful companion to our children and a devoted friend to me. My sweet boxer looked so intimidating and anyone coming to our door would cautiously step back when they saw him run up, but he was such a marshmallow and wouldn't hurt a flea. He let the babies that I would babysit ride on his back and pull his little stub tail. He would sit patiently as his daughter dog would sit on his head to get closer to me.
By the way, neither of them were allowed on the couch - don't tell dad!


My sweet boy was afraid of thunder and would climb on my lap and tremble when he would hear it. He was afraid of the UPS man and would stand behind me and bark at him when the man would try to hand him a treat. He would break out in a little puppy dance and wiggle his little stub tail when we would come home. (we would call this "the severe wiggle")

Our lives were so enriched by this sweet little boy.

He was only 6 years old when we lost him. We believe that he died of a brain tumor. He had been demonstrating signs of small tremors the week he died. He would wake up from his naps and his head would shake. Only his head. One day, when my husband had just left on a business trip and I was getting ready for work, my sweet boy's legs buckled from underneath him and he fell. I screamed and tried to help him as he floundered around- trying to get his balance. He looked like a fawn trying to stand for the first time. I called my girlfriend who came over immediately and we tried to lift my 65 pound flailing boy into the car. I sat in the back with him and tried to comfort him as we sped down the road. By the time we got there, Max seemed like himself again. He jumped out of the car and waited at the door. When we got him inside - there was another dog waiting to be seen. I reached toward Max to be sure that he didn't try to go to the other dog. He just stood there and urinated as he went into another seizure. When the vet finally was able to see Max, he decided it was best that they to keep him for awhile. They sedated him to try to give his poor body a rest from the seizures. My beloved Max never left the hospital. When he came out from under the anesthesia, he lapsed into another severe seizure, and stopped breathing. I lost my best friend that day.

I have never been that crazy about dogs until we happened across this cute little puppy in a pet store. Every day he filled my life with joy. I can't believe it has been a year already that he has been gone.

Goodbye again my friend - I will run with you again in Heaven one day.