Goodbye Sweet Max.......

It was a sad day.  

Max, our precious Boston Terrier went to the lake for the last time last weekend.

We knew he was sick.  We just did not realize how sick.

During the night he simply went out his dog door and laid down under the pecan tree and died.

That made it simple for us and he probably knew that.

No decisions had to be made and he was in his favorite place.  

For Jimmy, finding him there was not so simple.  That was his lake buddy.

Max was Sara's dog, but he was Jimmy's best friend.  

There was not a weekend in 13 years that Max did not hop in the truck at the mere mention of the word "lake".  He sat on the dock and watched us fish, he ran the perimeter of the yard over and over, and then he sat on the couch at night to recoup for another day.

It is hard.  This is the first time in about 28 years there has not been a dog in our house, at times multiple dogs.  We are animal free.  We are sad.
A pet does become a part of your family...man's best friend.  All of the platitudes about them not judging,  loving you no matter what your mood, and being totally forgiving is true. Max was loyal, loving, and frisky until he began to age.  Then he simply laid down by you and was your companion.
It is not as easy to replace a pet as it was when you were 30 or 40...truthfully Max simply cannot be replaced. anyway.  He was one of a kind.
 So, I guess for now and maybe forever we are a family minus a pet...and that is kind of hard for all of us.....
Goodbye Sweet Max