Life with Maxie Read online

  Maxie so enjoys our time out together that when I don’t bring him to work with me—which is maybe one day a week—he will walk to the area between the living room and the library and he’ll sprinkle about five drops. It happens only when I’m not there. It’s clearly a protest. Poor John tries to follow him around, and once he even caught him in the act.

  Usually, however, Maxie never has accidents. In fact, he has so much self-restraint that he once refused to relieve himself at all during a terrible snowstorm. On December 19, 2009, which happened to be the date of our fiftieth wedding anniversary, Washington experienced its worst blizzard in decades. The snow was at least two feet deep around our apartment, and the wind rattled our windows. Into this extraordinary maelstrom, John attempted to take Maxie outdoors. Not just once or twice, but for three entire days. Maxie refused to relieve himself, neither peeing nor pooping! I became so concerned I called our veterinarian. I was told by a young man who’d clearly answered similar questions many times that the dog would go when he had to go. And he did. I had really prepared myself to spot an accident or two within the apartment, but it never happened. When he finally relieved himself for the first time on a walk along a shoveled path, I whooped with relief!

  In the evening, after John, Maxie and I have had our dinner and we’ve washed and dried the dishes, Maxie comes to me with a favorite toy in his mouth. He knows it’s time for bed, and he’s ready to go through our nightly ritual. So I fold down the bedspread, put all six of his small rubber toys on the bed, and then lift him up. I wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my nightgown, and then as Maxie waits expectantly at the corner of the bed I bring him a glass of water to drink.

  I like to read before I go to sleep. It’s the one time I have to be able to read for pure pleasure. Sometimes that’s okay with Maxie and sometimes it’s not. If he’s impatient and wants me to rub his tummy right away, he’ll plant himself on my stomach and bat at my book with his paw. Depending on how interesting the book is, I may give in, or I may urge him to be patient. But finally, as I turn out the light after reading for perhaps half an hour, Maxie snuggles against me, a signal to both of us that all is well.

  Maxie’s Presence

  Maxie has changed. So have I. In ways I could not have imagined, his presence calms my soul. I am cheered by his nearness. I have only to glance at him or touch him or see his eyes and I am moved almost to tears. This little creature has brought me a kind of inner peace I could not have imagined for myself. The same is true for my husband, who, after his initial reluctance to take on a new pet prior to my retirement, enjoys his retirement in the company of Maxie.

  Maxie’s presence has even made our marriage stronger. John says having Maxie has made marriage easier. I think that because we both love Maxie so much, that kind of relationship that each of us has for Maxie expands to our relationship with each other. He’s so dependent and so vulnerable that his love for us radiates, and our love for him sort of translates into our affection for one another. He has nourished our spirits.

  Maxie has made me a far more patient person. The fact that he has undergone such a transition has helped me to understand that not only can creatures be transformed but people can be transformed as well. He has such sweetness that he makes me feel sweet. He makes me be kinder to everybody around me. John and I are better people because of Maxie. There’s no question of it.