In 2006 I adopted a wheaten Scottish terrier from a Scottie rescue group. At 7 months of age, he had spent the first 6 months of his life caged in a puppy mill. The owners, to whom he was nothing but a commodity, decided they no longer wanted this breed and had plans to get rid of him when the rescue group stepped in.
A dear lady at church, Sharon Maxwell, had once been a Scottie breeder and missed having them around. In poor health now, she was unable to so I told her we would share Maxwell --- and I named him after her. She enjoyed his visits for several years before she died of cancer.
It took several years to "people" Maxwell. He was very shy at first. I walked him everywhere, taking him in new situations, and he slowly learned to trust people.
But whenever we passed young children Max would act sad, even depressed. I learned that, though the puppy mill owners ignored the dogs, they had grandchildren who always played with the puppies. So he had a special connection to children from the start and missed having them in his life.
I took Maxwell with me to Texas when Josiah was born, to help take care of Jayna and Josiah for a few weeks. Before returning home, Jayna asked me if Max could stay there and be her dog. How could I say no to such a sweet girl? Maxwell thrived having young children in his life once again!
This is our next Scottie, Ceilidh, during a visit to our son's home. The two loved romping together!
On Friday we lost Maxwell to cancer. He will be missed greatly. But I am so thankful that he was able to live a life of pure joy with his children.
What a nice tribute to Maxwell. May God bless you for being loving enough to give him a safe and caring home, discerning enough to recognize what he missed, and selfless enough to let him go to a new home where he could thrive even more. I'm so sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteAt the time we lived over a 10-hour drive from our grandkids, so this was the only way Maxwell could have children in his daily life. (We have since moved closer). One look at the complete personality change when he was with children made it an easy choice. But he never forgot me -- always ran to greet me in our special way. A very sweet and special dog with so much love to give.
ReplyDeleteVicki - a beautiful story . You rescued him and gave hi so much and he gave so much to you. I love the fact you called him Maxwell and shared him. I can tell by the photos that he had a wonderful character and I am sure that he featured in so many sketches. Maybe one day when you have had time for some sadness to pass, you could put them together .
ReplyDeleteAlissa, Maxwell had such a generous, loving personality it's hard to believe the puppy mill owners were just going to destroy him. I'm thankful for breed rescue groups that intervene, giving so much of their time and money. Until puppy mills are shut down for good, they are so needed.
DeleteI did a few sketches of Maxwell -- I think they can be found by his name in the "labels" column to the right of this page.