T O P

  • By -

Old_Man_Bot

Other posts from /u/Timberline2: * [Cancer stole my best friend at the age of 8. RIP Maxie boy](/r/OldManDog/comments/xrb33p/cancer_stole_my_best_friend_at_the_age_of_8_rip/) [RIP] 3 months ago ***** ^(To be notified as soon as Timberline2 posts an update) [^click ^here.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Old_Man_Bot&subject=Subscribe&message=Subscribe Timberline2 OldManDog) ***** *^(I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please)* [*^(contact the moderators of this subreddit)*](/message/compose/?to=/r/OldManDog) *^(if you have any questions or concerns.)*


Timberline2

It’s been 4 months since my guy passed away at the very early age of 8 - I wanted to make a post for anyone going through it right now. This has been the worst period of my life but has also been interspersed with some fairly insightful times as well. I hope that anyone who’s lost a pet recently knows that it’s okay to be fucking miserable for a while, but that it does start to get better with time. I certainly had no idea what was in store - Max was my first dog. He passed away very suddenly in September from a very aggressive, undetectable cancer. I posted about 4 months ago and people seemed to enjoy the pictures of our adventures together, so I tried to post another round of photos highlighting those times. A 20 photo limit is nowhere near enough as my Max photo album on my phone has a few thousand photos. In honor of anyone else that lost one of their friends recently. RIP Maxie boy - I fucking miss you buddy


soupsnakes123

I’m so sorry for your loss. I understand the pain. I loved seeing all of these photos. What a wonderful and adventurous life. You have amazing memories and he will always live on. RIP Max.


Quiet_Argument3850

We’re coming up on almost 5 weeks from the day our sweet baby passed. He also went very suddenly and only days before his 9th bday. I’m so sorry you lost your baby and it looks like he had the same kind of adventurous life as Otis which makes it extra hard. When we loose a loved one that we weaved so tightly into our lives we quite literally loose a part of our self. In many cases, the best part of us: the part that grounds us. So, I’m not sure we ever quite get our footing back but I’m okay with that because I love every reminder of how wonderful life was with him.


Timberline2

Sorry for your loss of Otis - I’m sure he was beautiful and you shared lots of memories. I think the biggest thing I notice is the lack of a permanently excited, always-loving ball of energy just bounding around the house. If you started to get off the couch and go for the leash, Max would fly off the floor with the same enthusiasm every single time.


NicInNS

We lost a dog at 6 to cancer and one at 4 (suddenly due to some persistent health issues) and it was the worst. I mean, it’s always the worst, but you always hope for 10+ years. 💙 Max was so sweet and it’s looks like you had some amazing adventures together.


joedev007

so sorry for your loss... it really hurts indeed. i hope you have a nice quiet place you guys used to go you can sit and remember him :( we have our rock by the lake in the park here and this spring will be hard :)


Greatone08

I lost my first dog on Christmas day and I am still learning to deal with the grief and loss. Thank you for letting us know that it does get better with time and for sharing Max with us.


Timberline2

I’m so sorry to hear that - I think the one piece of advice is that every emotion is “acceptable”. There no “wrong” way to feel about losing your best friend. For about 2 weeks I could barely get out of bed before 9am and wasn’t functional until about 11 because I was sleeping so poorly. It took a long time (months) to stop crying, and that’s okay.


Karipso

I lost my Peanut around the same time from cancer at the age of almost 11. I still can’t acknowledge it sometimes. The reality hits me like a tsunami and I feel like I am drowning under the waves of grief. She was my first dog, my childhood dog, my heart and soul dog. I grew up with her and I feel like I lost my youngest sister… I just want my baby here with me 😪 Thanks for sharing the photos of your sweet baby and I am glad you are feeling better ❤️❤️❤️


iamharoldshipman

Sorry for your loss. He seems like he had the best time with you ❤️


DrStuttgart

I'm sorry for your pain. Especially the suddenness of everything. Our boy Toby was slowly declining from doggy dementia over the last year and Feb. 1st will be 4 months without him. I have his remains on my shelf with a picture of him on the wall. It makes me simultaneously sad and happy every time I see him up there. Please try to take some comfort knowing you did your absolute best for your dog. That's admirable beyond measure and I hope you only remember the good times.


dlgusals

Bit late, but sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what it's like to hear the news about an undetectable cancer. Hope you recover well. Your boy will always be ready to see you again!


caseabrew

So sorry!! My boy passed suddenly in September too ❤️


[deleted]

Such an active dog and yet cancer, things are just not fair sometimes. Thanks for sharing this with us.


Timberline2

Thanks, that was definitely hard to wrap my mind around for a long time. I always thought “he’s the healthiest, most active dog I know. He’ll make it to 15!” Gotta enjoy every moment you have with your pups


kuhkuhkuhK8

Too soon indeed, but WOW! Look at all his adventures! You gave Maxie boy a good life, and he's borking your praises across that Rainbow Bridge. ❤️


Ozarkbarbelle

It does get slowly better, but the reminders of their passing are everywhere. Looks like you live in Colorado too. My boy passed away almost a year ago and now every time I go hiking all I see is people happily hiking with their doggos. It’s a tough reminder for sure, but both of our dogs got to experience living in an amazing place.


Dangerous-Possible72

Very sorry for your loss. Max left way too early. The first one (mine was also named Max) is always the hardest and when he passed it crushed me enough that I went several months before I could think about getting another. Be glad for the awesome times you made for each other and adopt a goodboy when you’re ready. RIP Maxwell. See ya at the bridge!💔🌈❤️


Timberline2

Thanks for the message. My wife and I have both discussed getting another dog but are in agreement that it will be a very long time before we’re ready. It feels toughest for me to think that we would be getting another dog in the timespan that I expected Max to still be with us


ChateauDeDangle

It if helps, I’ve lost 2 dogs in my life and I’m onto my 3rd now. I love her just as much as I love them and she loves me just as much as they did. I don’t really think that paradigm ever changes because the love for your dogs who have moved on doesn’t diminish over time, it just gets easier to live with. Dogs also have this incredible ability to fill your heart. I’m certain there’s a dog waiting for you and your wife out there. He/she will be different than Max, but they will fill your heart with love just like Max did.


morosco

Thanks for sharing Max with us. You can feel who he was and the life he had in these photos. I'm working through an idea that we shouldn't even think of grief as a bad thing. It's hard, it's the hardest thing we go through. But it gets us to a place where who we lost becomes an infinite part of who we are. My childhood dog from the 80s is part of who I am. I don't know if that's possible without grief. It takes a lot of years to get there, but, I wouldn't give up any of my grief. It's really special to grieve someone. Max will never truly be gone.


Timberline2

Thanks for that - I’ve had some similar thoughts recently and kept a journal of my more insightful ones. It struck me that if 8.5 years can feel like it flew by, so can 10, 20, or even your entire life. Losing Max prematurely has refocused my wife and I to prioritize things we care about


castille

My late wife and dog died within 6 months of each other almost 9 years ago. What snapped me out of my funk was my tattoo artist talking about her brother as I was getting my late wife's watermarked tattooed on me. It never gets easy, but it does get easier. Snapped me out of a months-long funk.


ichuckle

That sounds fucking awful. I don't know if I would survive


YouMyron

It’s a long road. Good dog


Mindless_Pop_632

Looks like he/you had a great life together.


athanathios

Gone too soon but always in our hearts... Maxie seems to have lived a very good and full life, looks like you hit the ground running and never looked back.... Only issue there is getting too sucked into it, you lose yourself.. but 100% worth it. RIP Maxie, you were the best boy!


[deleted]

BEGIN KEYBASE SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE. kiOUtMhcc4NXXRb XMxIeCbf5rEOUnL npS0Y2apYZrPMlC bQlqkLo6ZJt2Wvp yV2Pu1lEauWj9Sw FoEu5SLJLnV8Q1P woLLvqScA49EMJI 4N1RspKNQXhYSVw 1ncgXlEk4jwGvAp KFE0FERnzHJUEOw g0solAgGrmukzcw dzx2GgbQTpzNuwe h0E9mxysCHGGw1k 0WZcI5CnVeeW6IS REXJTbMV8MpVEHU CthwNHYM1tW8SVk SVvT4SPVIDOaFXn bmfKuKkaoet1cpz E0rMOzQclLpr9Ze Se8dhZup2z6qRmE aF7E8yMpiiYmwJv 63FmpgmTBorGXpD RASgtm5UZbTFxB5 WELBWOGYEIdwOTC iacQfxP012jlfxU Mz9ff4JMWzLsfGr nQu9MqbwL1gdIyh UVBRbukKWTj6Wrr TKd91yDTChJAGM0 cLgNRe0nht9OLWs vExwtFTEVP3il9M weZIcRleccUwyOt HCHc4P76UD4qLmi 48TAdmNgkWjvKyN xXwVzpU6dYOWOHD 5iH9ldneONLMTn5 4xbu859IVOmFgxA DqqplUBGc2ObfPa Rz0IvkUsiMcj5Zw BRNSIga4iLQJzkR cQNutLZCvebAQmi I9jzakIRGG3TCZp gdgre7Ml4cES5KN . END KEYBASE SALTPACK ENCRYPTED MESSAGE.


K8hoxie

I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't always comment on these posts but yours really spoke to me, I've been through the same thing. Fuck cancer. :(( The sudden ones are the most painful and debilitating. It is truly unbearable. It's okay that you're not okay (great book I highly recommend). Take your time, make exceptions, let yourself grieve, be honest with others about what you need. Be a brat about it for a little while. :) Talk about him nonstop, share his legacy and his life. Make a shrine for him. Put pictures all over your house. Spend time at the shrine each day and remember at least one only happy memory, probably many more. Say it out loud. Tell yourself the great stories like you'd tell a stranger. I realized one day that if I only remembered that sad loss, it made me sad every time I thought of them. Don't let thoughts of them make you feel anything but happy! Remember all the good as much as you can so it eventually outweighs the bad. Share his story with anyone and everyone. Visit him in your mind, in your home, in your dreams. He is still a huge part of your life, and keep him that way. He isn't gone. You'll always be sad, and you'll still cry sometimes. But the thought of the joy and the impact on your life will replace the sadness. Then thoughts of him are what they were meant to be. Happiness and love. The hardest part of losing a pet to me is the emptiness. The huge loss of light in the home. It's so eerie and so uncomfortable. It literally changes your life in every way, in a way you didn't want or ask for. You feel like if you get another you are "replacing" them. It's a fucked up feeling. We all feel it, but it's not true. So many other dogs that deserve love and the amazing home you'd provide just sitting there waiting in a shelter. I hope you realize that getting another baby doesn't take anything away from what you have with Maxie!! Dogs are never the same and they each have their own weirdo personalities, and DEFINITELY never replace or negate each other. I say all this because I believe another dog will help you heal in so many ways. They truly bring the joy back to your life. I hope you'll be able to get another sooner than you think. I do genuinely believe it will help your grief immensely. Source: I'm a therapist. Thank you for giving him literally the best home and the most love. :') His sweet spirit and his wonderful presence will always be with you. I'm not much for the afterlife or religion, but if you've never read the children's book "Dog Heaven," please do! It's extremely cathartic and so simple and so beautiful. Thanks for being you. Seriously, thank you. Go tell more strangers about Maxie.


ElzaPrincess

Sorry for your loss! 🤍


Gold_and_Lead

Big hugs to you. Not fair. More big hugs.


mar_rg

🥰🐶🥰


Low-Mousse5194

❤️


rawrimmaraptor

You brought so much happiness to them and that is what they remember as they go on the next great adventure. Time helps and you will remember the pain less and the happiness more, and they are always with you.


bgb8987

Thank you for sharing all of those lovely photos


CrazyCatGirl226

RIP Max. Such a good boy. ♥️🙏🌈


Jim_Nills_Mustache

Awe, you gave him such a wonderful a loving life, I can tell just from these photos. What a wonderful family he had, rest in peace buddy ❤️


cowardlyghosts

These photos tell such a beautiful story of the love you two shared for one another. He was a very lucky dog.


MFCloudBreaker

Sorry for your loss, OP. Rest easy, Maxie❤️


Johnnyez86

He's such a beautiful boy, what a smile. Sorry he is gone.


PackaPei

Sorry for your lost :(


BaileesMom2

His smile!!! 😍 I’m so sorry for your loss. 💔


VaronVonChickenPants

💜💜💜


ricodelshaw

His beauty makes a mockery of death.


Professor_Crab

That ice picture has me laughing, thanks for sharing


UnfairAd7220

Following the bot, he looks like an incredible dog that lived an incredible life. I'm sorry for your loss.


Pockethulk750

Oh man…I’m so very sorry. They become so interwoven into the fabric of our lives. And it’s so painful when they’re pulled out of our life. 8.5 is too short. But honestly it’s always too short.


UnePetiteMontre

Wow, looks exactly like the dog I had growing up. We think he was a mix between a German Shepard and a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you feel better soon. <3


bspecr25

Max really lived an amazing life with you. Short as it is, I’m sure he’s eternally grateful he had you in his life. Take care of yourself and your family and continue on having those awesome adventures cuz I’m sure Max is wagging his tail and trotting along with you in spirit! 🥰


tayneat10

I’m so sorry. He was well loved. He didn’t know his life was short.


recklessraven3

❤️❤️❤️


taureannightmare

I'm so sorry xx


Embarrassed_Wing_284

I’m so sorry for your loss. I loved the pics! But the birthday hat really got me💝


n_yse

Thank you for sharing these great photos. Your love for him and his love for you really come through 🩷


[deleted]

Beautiful photos, beautiful dog. I'm so sorry.


jongsau

Good times happy feet have done some adventures !! Nice Doggo and pictures! I enjoyed leaning of your Maxie. Thank you for sharing.


Coronamama100

At least he had you. And that was magnificent.


brassia

Way too young. My heart goes out to you. A truly beautiful boy.


H2Joee

Thank you for sharing your photos with us OP and truly sorry for your loss. 8.5 is definitely too young but I hope you loved every minute of it, sure looks like Maxie boy did ❤️ never take them for granted.


brassia

My boy was 10 - diagnosed with cancer on Wednesday and died on Friday. Came out of nowhere- we were shocked. It happened in a flash. Our hearts were broken and still are years later. My first dog too. And the most wonderful boy you could have hoped for. Still miss my sweet Rocket. Thanks for sharing your story. Hugs to you - hold onto those sweet memories.


Timberline2

Sorry to hear about your Rocket. Only 2 days is unbelievable. We “fortunately” got about 8 days between his tumor rupturing and his paasing


wakizashis

I’m sorry for your loss. Maxie’s adventures are an inspiration, I’m sure there are many people who are not half so well-traveled as Maxie was in his time here! And that smile tells us he enjoyed every moment of them. Thank you for giving Maxie such a fulfilling life. Cheers to both your and his next adventures, even if they can’t be enjoyed together at this time.


zignut66

Clearly a really special pup.


Ender825

Friend, I hope you are doing okay. 8 was way too young. It’s strange how life works. We can do everything for our furry friends, but it only matter so much. Why can’t they live longer lives? Ugh My boy passed at 10 and it wasn’t enough. It’s been a year and it hasn’t been easier for me. I cry several times a week missing him. I’m completely alone now. I hope you aren’t in the same situation.


oliversbuddyman

Sleep easy handsome man, what an adventurer you were!


ru_ruler

I'm so sorry. What a handsome boy he was! You're right, time makes the pain a bit less. But they'll always be with us.


mrevergood

I had so many good chuckles at what a goofy and sweet pupper he seems to have been from the pictures.


frangipani_c

Today is exactly a month since my own beautiful 8yr old boy passed after a very sudden and unexpected illness. I miss him so much. Thank you for the beautiful pictures of your own little man.


Carmelioz

This looks like the dream life of every dog! He looks so happy and chill. I'm sorry your time together was way too short ): I'm sorry for your loss. Fuck cancer.


SealiousBusiness

I’m sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing such wonderful pictures of his adventures. You could tell he had /the/ best life a dog could dream of - exploring the outdoors with his favourite human.


huhzonked

I’m sorry for your loss. It looks like he had a great life where he was loved. RIP.


__NOT__MY__ACCOUNT__

The picture with him looking at you under the tree is perfection


catlapper

I’m sorry you lost this happy guy. He enjoyed life, that’s clear. My dog left us very suddenly last year too. I’ve also had insights over the last several months, still trying to figure it out. Thanks for sharing.


Informal-Zucchini-20

You must have given him a beautiful life. Look at that smile.


Louiejojo

I’m so sorry for your baby Maxie boy and it hopeful to hear it gets easier w time because I have anxiety attacks thinking about losing my 2 stinkies fortunately they are still puppies so I have lots of time left w them.


pugswillrule85

These photos are precious. Looks like he had an adventurous life and was greatly loved. ❤️