Bark If You Love Me

[Originally posted September 2008]


I was catching up with a friend the other night and mentioned that my mom had to put her boxer, Max, down a few months ago because he had developed health complications, including an enlarged heart. My friend said, "Well, we all know how big his heart was; he was a very loving dog."

Mom adopted Max from Boxer Rescue about seven years ago. He was then at some indeterminate age between baby and adult. His growth was no doubt stunted by the nearly two weeks he spent chained in some depraved person's backyard with no food. When animal welfare workers investigated, Max had just enough strength to lift his funny little face up so he could be seen. This resulted in not only his own rescue, but that of another puppy who was too weak to move.

Max was devoted to Mom from the time she took him in, and clearly recognized that she was his savior and his champion. He adored me, but he understood that I wasn't his person. If I said, "Where's Mommy?" when she wasn't in the room, Max would look anxiously around until he located her. I do believe that Max's heart became enlarged by all the love he received after his traumatic start in life. He was a sweet, gentle soul and he is greatly missed.

Speaking of boxer rescues, there is a wonderful memoir called Bark If You Love Me that reminds me of Max's story. Louise Bernikow, a New York writer and someone utterly unaccustomed to animals, finds herself adopting an abandoned boxer on impulse, then becoming infatuated with and transformed by this charming interloper. I highly recommend it as an unusual sort of love story. One that will make your heart larger and fuller.