Saying goodbye to our dog
Feeling a little better, and in my state of deliriousness from my fever, my dog Max has been running in and out of my mind. In honor of Max, (yes, even my Dog was a boy) 
I’m sharing a shortened to 1 minute Youtube video of his life. Very touching, as it shows my 4 year old trying to push the case that perhaps Max isn’t as old as we think; he’s only seen Max have 4 birthdays, not the 13 we are claiming. Max, in our 4-year-old’s yes, represented his current state of life, and he was not willing to let Max flow on to his final resting place.
I have posted this before, but that was before I got so savvy with You Tube. And hey, because I’m the publisher and I’m sick, and I can pull rank like this when I have too. Sorry, you’ll have to imagine Elton John’s “Friends”
I want to impress upon you the importance of making movies of your dog, your first house, your kids — and the everyday stuff. I know you think you’ll remember all that stuff, and you probably will. But right now it’s current, and life flows, and these events will drop away to give way to new current events. But watching your life in video form makes you an observer of your own experience. You become the witness of your life, and you keep it current. In this video, we realized that Max was a time marker. He went through life so quickly, and we are aging much slower than him, and we hardly notice what’s happening.
By the way, if you have VHS tapes lying around, it’s time to convert them to disc. They deteriorate very quickly. Here’s the software to get the job done. Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus
And now, the story of Max’s final days:
Max was 13 last summer, with tumors, and could no longer run. It was painful to watch him try to walk. My husband tried to avoid it as long as he could – but here we were – packing 4 kids for an 8 our plane trip to Idaho — my husband nervous about competing in his first Ironman (hence the trip). And due to our nature to put this off as long as we could, this was the day it was going to happen. Things were crazy, hectic – and nobody had time to grieve Max.
Our 4-year old, knowing that Max would soon be leaving us — started asking me questions – like “Did Max have any birthdays?” “Did you know that, one time, I saw Max RUN!!” He was pleading Max’s case. “Maybe Max isn’t OLD.” Even though I was VERY busy, I had the foresight, (I’m usually not that bright), to pick up my video camera and capture his questions. Then, we went on our trip, and lots of video coverage of the Ironman Race, our vacation, and funny stuff got layered on the tape behind my 4-year-olds innocent questions.
I really didn’t know what to do with this dull portion of the tape – as it didn’t fit in with all the happy moments of the summer. But his words kept running through the back of my head.
After several months, I finally heard what he was really asking. “Mom, I don’t know Max – I’ve only known him 4 years out of the 13 he’s had. What was he like as a puppy? What did he look like when he ran? How is he different today.”
I answered my 4-year-old’s questions with a 10-minute DVD of Max’s life. And, it gave us a chance to grieve. The video runs pictures of Max as a puppy, interspersed with video of each of my 4 boys as babies climbing on Max. The song I chose? Elton John’s “Friends.” “It’s a crime that we should age (just as we watch the baby footage of each child have his turn jumping on Max) and “When you’re friends are there, everything’s all right.”
The video shows 13 years fast-forwarded into 10 lovely minutes, and you realize how fast time is moving every minute. And it gently shows my 4-year-old that this was how Max used to be and it was time for Max to go.
Posted for MamaSaysOm.
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Susie,
I just had to tell you that your 1 minute video was powerfully poignant!
As a dog lover who lost her beloved 16 & 13 year old hounds a couple years back, this tribute was SO fitting and profound. I can only comfort you by saying that the hole in your heart may heal in time with the addition of new padded paws…never ‘the same’ but equally worthy…
I adopted two MIDLIFE brother/sister golden retrievers from ‘rescue’ two years back, that bonded instantly and profoundly in a way I’d never imagined possible.
They are SO appreciative and thankful to be adored and loved that they’ve already seen me through some MAJOR life storms I’d never thought possible without my ‘old guys.’ Hang in there. And thanks for also posting the ‘converting tape to digital’ link.
oh , susie.
My heart goes out to you and your boys for the loss of their beloved ‘puppy’ . i say puppy because he seemed just like another boy , playing joyfully with your children all of those precious years.
I hope Colin gets to enjoy Lula the chihuahua for as long as you lived with max.
Sweet sweet video.
Even without the music it brought tears to my eyes. Loved seeing him frolic in the waves, and your son climbing on him. Reminds me so much of my kids with Bone, our golden retriever. He’s going on 12 and we’ve had him since he was 4. He’s slowing down, but still doing well. Sorry for your loss, losing beloved pets is so very hard, I lost my Sassy last June (cat I had since she was a bottle fed kitten) and it still hurts.
Rory: Thank you.
Amy: thanks for the encouragement
Lasireneserene: I think you’ll get your wish.
Mandy: I’m so happy he’s doing so well. That’s pretty good for 12. Sassy — what a great name for a cat.
Hello and I love your little boy and your sweet max … almost made me cry to hear your lil one talk about the # of birthdays and how max could not be ‘gone’. I remember those same talks. Cool for sharing. Yes, we DO remember but underneath layers and layers … I love to look back and I do have TONS of movies to review one day. (time)
Oh, glad you are feeling better.
Now, on to my question: HAHA. Do you have any idea how to take vhs to youtube or will that solution present itself once I get them to disc?? I have a camera which is vhs but has digital signal processing which a friend said makes it digital. hmmmm. If I could find the manual I suppose I could figure it out. If it will take you too long to answer please overlook my query and keep posting your cool thoughts but if you know another lil program (i have an old dazzle but unable to find the updated software) … that will help such as the ulead you mentioned, that would be great.
And, carry on … I love stumbling into peoples’ cool ideas.
Thanks Vox for the well wishes. Yes. It will take care of itself, once you get it to disc. Once you have your “file” in your computer, convert it to MPEG (a feature on your software), and that is the file you upload into YouTube when it asks.
Your old software will still work — but if you want to upgrade, I like Ulead and Magix — I’ve used both. It took a long time and trial and error for me to learn how to do - the software manuals are not very helpful. So, if you feel frustrated — it’s normal — and it will come. Both of these software programs are very intuitive, and the answer to a problem you’re having will hit you in the middle of the night.
But do convert!! The tapes deterioriate. And, unfortunately, I just read that recordable discs only last 5 years — so keep them on a hard drive, or remind yourself to re-burn them to new discs.
Many many many thanks. And, especially for the reminder that it will be frustrating …
I really do appreciate it. I realized when poring over your site looking for this post that I have been here before and seen these adorable guys and laughed at your humor and your where i came from … so you and I must have other ideas in common for me to have found you before this query. At any rate … thanks …
keep on keepin on ….
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