Mac
It’s never easy to lose a dog, but Mac did what he could to make it easier for my folks. On Wednesday night, he waited until Mom went upstairs to talk to Dad, then he died. He was a gentleman right up to the end.
A little over 15 years ago, when I still lived on the next ridge over from my parents, Mac was dumped at the end of our road. I spotted him as I drove past on my way to work. He was sitting there, very straight, like a sentry on duty, his posture perfect. Almost rigid.
Around 6 that evening, as I drove home from work, the Shepherd-Chow pup was still there. He looked stubbornly certain that whoever left him was going to return. Dad and I talked about stopping, but decided the pup probably belonged with a truck parked nearby. At 9:30 that night, I went out again. The truck was gone, but the pup was still there. His loyalty to the people who abandoned him in such a dangerous place broke my heart. I called Dad. He brought him home.
At the time, my parents already had Molly, Mitzi, Millie, Jade and Shorty (shepherd, sheepdog, elkhound, shepherd and dustmop, respectively). What was one more?
Mac was pretty much the most perfect pet you could ask for–intensely intelligent and terribly proud. But he had a few quirks–he was very sensitive about his hygiene, and he growled a lot. The two went together.
If you told Mac he smelled funny, he’d growl. If you sniffed the air the way you might at an strange smell, he would growl. Even if you happened to be in a different room from him and casually remarked about an offensive odor: “Grrr “
The first time my ex-husband, Mitch, ever visited my parents’ house, Mac was having a hard time deciding if Mitch was friend or foe. He (Mac, not Mitch) was under the table at the time, head between Mitch’s knees, teeth bared, poised dangerously close to Mitch’s manhood.
I couldn’t resist. I sniffed.
Mitch could never quite get the humor in that.
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:09 pm
I am so sorry to hear about Mac. I hate hearing about furbabies dying. It makes me appreciate Dutch and Zoey (my labs) even more, for all of the love they give me.
September 22nd, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Karin,
I’m so very sorry to hear about your family’s loss. I too lost a beloved pet last Wednesday the 13th. She would have been 13 in February and I am in such a state of grief. I still have my other baby who will be 14 next year God willing. I will keep your family in my thoughts and prayers as I know what you guys are going through and it’s not easy.
September 23rd, 2006 at 10:21 am
Tanya– I’m so sorry you lost yours last week, too. How awful.
Celeste and I dog-sat for my parents last night since they had to go out of town, and their house felt so wrong without Mac there. Their other two dogs seem ok, but my two kept going around looking for their old buddy.
When Celeste was just a baby, first learning how to walk, Mom and I were upstairs moving a mattress and Celeste was sitting there, watching us. Just when we had the mattress lifted, Celeste stood and took off, heading right for the top of the stairs. I couldn’t get to her fast enough, but Mac threw himself in front of her just in time and she tumbled onto his big, furry belly instead. He acted like she was his after that, like we weren’t good enough to watch her and it was his responsibility from then on.
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:04 am
Karin,
I’m glad the other babies are acting fine. You guys might want to keep a watch on them though. Mine seemed OK too until about Sunday or Monday. I thought she was going to do fine up until then. I think she thought maybe Sissy was gone to the vet or something as she had left before like that for a couple of days. It didn’t hit Misty until 4 to 5 days later and now I think she realizes she isn’t coming back and she is really sad. I’m worried about her but she is still eating so that’s the important thing. She sat at our front door that is all glass for days looking for her to come back. The only thing she knew was that I took Sissy off in the car and that she didn’t come back with me. She didn’t actually see that something had happened to her. That might make the difference with your parent’s dogs. I hope they continue to deal with it well but I would watch for a delayed reaction. I for one tend to forget that dogs don’t process things the same as we do. I put such a human stamp on my animals sometimes and I catch myself and say…..What were you thinking!?
Mac sounds very special. I particularly loved the story about the growling when Mitch came over for the first time. It’s great that he was able to save Celeste from falling down the stairs. Animals are truly guardian angels and make our lives so much more full of life and love. Take Care and I hope everything continues to go smoothly!
September 23rd, 2006 at 1:42 pm
I’m so sorry for your family’s loss. I’m new to the world of pet ownership but I can certainly imagine how difficult it would be to handle.
September 24th, 2006 at 5:03 am
Their old deaf dog, Daisy, seemed to be looking for Mac, but she’s not completely there in the head anymore so I think she might know something is missing, but not what or who. She hasn’t been around all that long, but she liked sleeping next to Mac sometimes. They weren’t lifelong buddies, though. And Rosie–all she needs is my dad. He’s her whole world. I doubt she even knew Mac was there.
If something happened to one of my dogs, I know the other wouldn’t handle it well. They’re inseparable. And two of my cats are that way with each other. Where you find one, you find the other.
September 28th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Karin,
I an so sorry about Mac. My prayers are with your family. My Smokey died 6/13/06. He was 2 months shy of his 11th birthday. My family is still grieving. This is the most difficul thing I have ever dealt with. I also have 2 cats. Comet is 8 and Fluffy is 2
Comet and Smokey were best friends. Comet is still grieving over him. Every time the front door opens that poor cat runs to it like he’s waiting for Smokey to come in. When he realizes Smokey’s not there he just goes under the coffee table and lays there looking so sad. I keep waiting for him to get better but it hasn’t happened yet.
Don’t worry about Mac. I bet Smokey was one of the first to welcome him when he got to Heaven.
Amy
September 29th, 2006 at 11:06 am
Thanks, Amy. It’s hard to watch someone else grieve, and harder when you can’t explain to that someone else what has happened.
Now my parents have a second dog–Rosie–at the vet this week. She’s having kidney failure. Only 25% working. They might be able to take her home tomorrow, but it’s hard to tell how long she’s going to last. She’s only about 8 years old and just the life of their house. (She’s very opinionated.) Their third dog, Daisy, isn’t in good shape either. She was older, deaf and partly blind when they got her, so for something to have happened to her wouldn’t have been such a surprise, but Rosie seemed so perfectly healthy.
September 29th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Oh, Karin. I am so sorry for your family. What a terrible situation. I will say a special prayer for them and for Rosie.
September 29th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
Karin, the anonymous post was from me….Amy
October 1st, 2006 at 8:39 pm
I can’t believe I sat here and read all of your entries and the responses. I wasn’t even multi-tasking. Shame on me.
H