Max

The beginning.

Hi, my name is Max and I’m a dog. My life is great. I have a loving family, a roof over my head, and all the treats I can eat. But my life hasn’t been all belly rubs and ear scratches. No, my life started out a lot different than it is now. So my friends thought I should write it down and let other people know how hard a dog’s life can really be.

I was born in the summer. About thirteen years ago. My mom had twelve puppies that night. Sometime during the night I woke to the sound of my mother crying. I found out that three of my siblings had died. My mom took it hard, so we laid by her to give her comfort.

The next morning I was rudely awakened buy a man when he threw a bowl of food in my mother’s pen. When he noticed my three dead siblings, he pulled my mother out of the doghouse and started kicking her and yelling at her.

“You, useless piece of garbage. You can’t get one thing right. Why do I put up with you. Look at all that money laying on the ground.”

When my mother got back to the doghouse she was shaking and whining.

When my eyes opened about seven days later I finally got a good look at my mom. I didn’t realize how skinny she was, her being a pitbull, she should’ve been around sixty-five pounds. But she looked like she only weighed pounds. I knew the little bit of food that she was given wasn’t going to be enough for her and nine growing pups.

Three days later, the man came to our pen. He put different color thread around our necks, then he took pictures of all of us.

“Time to put you pups on Craigslist. Can’t wait for the cash to roll in. $500.00 bucks a pop. Ka-ching, Ka-ching.”

When he was done taking the pictures he filled up the food bowl, then walked back into the house.

I was about seven weeks old when man came back out to the pen and took pictures of us again.

“I have five of you gone already. Have to update the pictures on Craigslist.”

When it was my turn to get my picture taken, I was so scared of him that I peed all over him. Throwing me on the ground, he stood up and started to kick me. He kicked me so hard, I thought my ribs were broken. At some point my mom jumped in to try and protect me. That’s when the man started kicking her. Then he picked up a wooden broom handle and started hitting her with it. When it broke he threw the pieces at me.

When he left the pen he yelled for woman. “Get me some clothes. The dumb dog just pissed on me.”

Over the short time that I was there, I saw the man kick my mom, yell and hit the woman. I never saw him not being mean. Now the woman, she was nice. She’s been giving mom extra food behind man’s back.

It has been four days since I peed on the man. Mom hasn’t been acting right since that day. She is starting to not eat. I’m really starting to worry about her.

A car pulled up to the house. When a woman and a little girl got out of the car, I knew they were here to look at me or my sister.

Not wanting to leave my mom, I hoped it was my sister that was going home with them. I needed to stay with my mom, I had to protect her from the man. Yes, I knew I was to little to help. But I will grow up. And when I did, there would be hell to pay.

When they got to the pen my mom didn’t even get out of the doghouse. Man let the little girl in the pen. My sister and I enjoyed climbing all over the little girl, giving her kisses. Growing up like we did, the nine of us weren’t use to being loved on. Only love we got was from our mom.

Mom told us one night as we were falling asleep. That this was her third litter of pups. She liked having her pups around. Gave her company, love. It was just herself out in the pin. Man and woman only came out to feed her. They only came into the pin once a month to clean it. (if they did that).

It’s only my mom and me. My sister’s name is Lexie. I like her it matches her. It’s dark now and my mom still hasn’t moved. I could tell something was really wrong.

I fell asleep laying against her. I haven’t left her side since my sister left. When I woke with the need to relieve myself, I noticed my mom was not breathing. I nudged her with my nose trying to get her attention. But I could tell she was long gone. Knowing that I lost my mom I started to howl, it was one of the saddest howls you ever heard. I was in so much pain. I couldn’t stop. I woke up man and woman. I didn’t mean too. I just couldn’t hold it in. She was dead. My mom was dead.

Man ran into the pen yelling at me to shut up. I wouldn’t let him get to her. He wasn’t going to touch her, wasn’t going to hurt her. Man picked me up and handed me to woman. He pulled my mom out of the doghouse.

“She’s dead.” He said. He picked her up, carried her over to the dumpster and he threw her in. He walked back inside. He just threw her away like trash.

Now, what was I to do? My mom was dead, my brothers and sisters were gone, I was all alone. This was his fault. Man’s, all his. Not feeding her, kicking her. I don’t know why she died, but I knew it was man’s fault. He was going to pay.

That night was the loneliest night of my life. Now I understand what my mom was talking about, how lonely she was out in that pen. Dogs need a family, someone to love. When it was the nine of us and mom I hated how small that doghouse was. But now I wish I had it all back. I would take having Buster and Julie laying on me at this point. Even George’s smelly farts would be welcomed. I didn’t whine I didn’t make anymore sounds the rest of that night, I was afraid of man coming out and kicking me. Trying to get me to shut up. I just laid there looking out at the stars wishing, wishing for something better.

When man came out to feed me the next day, I was ready for him. I ran at the fence growling, making him jumped back. He picked up a piece of the wooden broom handle, hitting me on my side. I didn’t even feel it. All I saw was red. My mission was to kill him. But I didn’t get the chance.

Woman ran out of the house yelling at him to be careful. Man stopped trying to get me and walked over to her, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her inside. I could hear him hitting her all the way to my pen.

Two days later a young man came to the house. He looked at my teeth, picked me up by my scruff and looked me in the eyes.

“Can I pay half today and the rest in two weeks when I come and get him?” He asked.

“Fine with me. I just want him gone”

Man forgot to feed me that night, not that I cared. I was worried about what the new place was going to be like. You would think someone paying $500.00 for a dog that the new place/life would be all belly rubs and ear scratches. I wondered if they had kids, If it was a girl or a boy. Would I be able to sleep in their bed at night? But no matter what I dreamed of that night, I never would have guessed what was in store for me.

New man was a day late picking me up. I thought he wasn’t going to take me out of this hell. When he pulled up, I jumped up and down with excitement. I ran back and forth in the pen trying to get his attention. Walking over to the entrance of the pen, new man handed man an envelope. New man walked into the pen and put a collar on me, then attached a leash to it and walked me to his car.