Goodbye Maxie Girlie :'(

Eleven years ago, my daughter, Aina, and I sought out a companion for our basset hound, Reppie. After looking at some ads in the newspaper, we set out on our journey. We went to a couple of places but the puppies we saw didn't appeal to us. A trip to Mayon Street in Sta. Mesa Heights in Quezon City changed all that. Upon entering a narrow garage driveway, we saw a cage with some basset puppies. There was a father and daughter ahead of us who were looking. They told the breeder that they would think about it and just come back. When they left, we saw a puppy jumping up and down excitedly in the cage as if asking us to take her home.

After a few minutes and an exchange of some money and dog papers, the brown and white puppy was ours to keep. I remember that Aina and the new puppy were seated at the back of the car. It's funny that I can still remember the smell of the pup. It was stinky. In Tagalog, "mapanghi"!

When we got home, we brought the puppy out of the car and Reppie was so happy and excited. We named our new puppy Maxie.

Maxie was a very loyal friend. She was gentle and quiet. She would just sit beside you or watch you from a corner as you went about your daily activities. She also had her funny antics. Whenever she would drink water, she would do a dance afterwards. Until now, we don't know why she did that dance but we suspect that it was because her long ears were wet.

Maxie had her share of visits to the vet too. She had all sorts of ailments. Fungus, UTI, intestinal infection, tick fever, ear mites, blood clots in her ears, nail problem, wounds, boils and even sore eyes. During the last years of her life, she ate special dog food for urinary disease and then for cardiac disease mixed with chicken breast because she had an enlarged heart. "Manok ni Maxie" was a permanent fixture on our weekly grocery list.

Maxie was a mother too. We didn't even know that she was pregnant until we noticed her tummy getting big. Her pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasound. She almost died then because of calcium deficiency. The pups inside her were depleting her calcium. Timely intervention by the vets saved her. She gave birth only once but she and Reppie had a brood of twelve pups. Two died at birth and one died two days after so we had nine left to care for. Since she could not handle all her puppies, we had to assist her in feeding them. We alternated round the clock, every six hours, to feed the puppies. We eventually, either sold or had the puppies adopted. We retained one puppy, Bucky, but he passed on only after two years because of a case of contaminated Pedigree dog food. Reppie was a victim of this too and he followed a year after Bucky. Maxie survived because she wasn't a fan of Pedigree and preferred rice instead.




Maxie loved treats. During her final days, she would open the container of treats in the kitchen and grab a few to munch on.

A week ago, we noticed that Maxie was getting weak and slow. Her eyes were already foggy from cataracts. One day, she just could not stand on her hind legs and she refused to eat. We brought her to the vet and she had to be confined so she could be given IV fluids and so they could do some tests.

Initial tests showed the presence of blood parasites, high liver count and arthritis on her hind legs. The vet said that there was still a chance that Maxie would make it through but it would take some time because of her age. We visited her the following day and her helplessness was so hard to bear. She was crying and whining the whole time we were with her and I felt that my heart was going to explode.

A few days passed and there was no improvement in her condition. The vet took another series of tests and things turned out to be far more worse than initially diagnosed. She was also suffering from an infection in her uterus. The only way to remedy this was via surgery but at her weak state, chances of survival were very slim. To add to this, the arthritis also spread to her back already and this would negate all chances of her walking again.

I had to make another difficult decision in my life. I had to do the same for Bucky and Reppie in the past but this seemed to be the hardest of all because Maxie was a witness and a companion and friend all throughout the ups and downs my family and I had to go through. She was a quiet supporter and cheerleader during our victory and defeats.

Yesterday, September 28, 2010, I signed the papers to allow the vet to put Maxie to sleep. As with Reppie and Bucky, I brought a blanket for her to be wrapped in. I know Maxie is in Rainbow Bridge now – a better place where there is no more pain and suffering. She can now again see all the beauty of her surroundings. She can now run and jump again. She is now reunited with Reppie, Bucky and her other puppies who have also moved on.

One day we will all be together again and when that time comes, there will no longer be a separation.

Rest well Maxie. Thank you. Goodbye :'(