Well, I guess we will survive without Max. Each day comes and goes despite the fact that he isn't. So lonely, but thank goodness we have the cats. The cats, especially the kittens spend alot of time searching and running to check out every noise but they are starting to settle down now.

But I don't feel he is really gone yet.

Twice now in the night I have felt a bump against my side of the bed and when I put my hand down I swear I can feel his head!! Max used to come to my side like that if he was restless during the night. I would get up to let him out or pat him and tell him to go lie down. This is also what he did the night he died. When he was ready to go he came to get me just like that. The first night it happened afterwards I was so shocked and sad to realize he couldn't be there Took me forever to fall asleep.

Then one morning I was driving out of our driveway and looked up as I always do to the window he would always watch from. Of course he wasn't there, but just as I looked away the sheer came loose from the tieback and fell across the window. This would happen occasionally if Max took a flying leap at the chair and ran into the wall! Now the thing here is that the cats were in the laundry room for the day and the hubby was already at work, so no-one was there......

And just a few minutes ago, with all the cats asleep upstairs on our bed, and hubby in the shower and me on the computer, Max's dremel tool and case just fell off the laundry room shelf!!! Brought Dean out of the shower pretty quick that is for sure! Now Max wasn't in the habit of getting up on the shelves that I know of, but Dean figures he is hanging around to make sure we will be okay, and he has to let us know he is okay. And maybe he has to say goodbye too

Deb,

I don't doubt that Max is there with you.

I had a similar experience when I had to say goodbye to my rottie mix, Gretta. several years ago. She had cancer and the vet came to the house to help her to the Bridge and we buried her in the backyard near a favorite spot. For a couple of days, I felt her by my side....a bump, a slight brush on my leg.... I knew she was there. One evening, I heard the doggy door on the backporch, heard her scratch at the door and I went to the backporch & told her it was okay for her to go, that I was going to be okay and it was alright to leave me.

Gretta's presence was SO strong but then when I said that to her, it felt like she evaporated (for lack of a better word). I felt her leave me. I have no doubt she was there and waiting for me to tell her it was okay to go.

Nope...no doubt about it here either!! We have personally had way to many things "happen" after losing a loved one...I am a firm believer that they do stay around until they know we will be OK. One night after losing Hannah, I was the only one up and in the quiet of the night I heard the doggie flap soooo clearly that I actually got up to make sure a wild animal or something had not come in. Of course nothing there.

One other night my husband and Goliath were together in his workshop and very plainly heard a dog barking in our backyard. Goliath had been asleep but when the "barking" occurred, my husband said Goliath jumped up and ran outside, so he knows that he heard it too...When they got out there, the only thing in the corner of the yard where the barking came from was none other than the neighbor's cat. Now we know that cat wasn't barking but I gotta tell ya that Miss Hannah Sue NEVER missed an opportunity to bark at that cat when it got too close to our fence.

When Jack entered out lives a few months later, he was sooo much like Hannah that it was amazing...he would even dig in the very bottom of the toy box and take out the old toys that Hannah played with as a pup..things I had not seen in years. He did so many things like her like catching live birds etc that I swore she was coaching him.

Eventually the happenings stopped and we knew she had gone on then for sure...or at least we thought she had. But over two years later, when Jaimee came to live here, she would totally freak out and bark like crazy at a picture of Hannah...I mean hair raised..the whole bit and I wondered if Miss Hannah had come back long enough to "mess" with the new girl!

Embrace it while you can and know that Max will never be very far away as he lives on forever in your heart.

I agree, he is most definately there to check you guys are okay, and when he knows it he will move on.

We too have had some experiences here but they are still occuring as we speak.

We had many cats growing up, one in particular, a little black gremlin (her ears were to big for her head as a kitten ) got ran over when she was still fairly young (around a year I think). I don't rememebr much about her, except that she used to like laying on my legs to sleep and she was the only cat my dad ever really liked thus far (not sure why, but she was a beautiful creature and she could fetch things like a dog?). So I'm not really sure why she of all cats is still here, and who she's here for. Dad doesn't believe anything about it and refuses to talk about and says its nonsense..

She still to this day is at my mums house, patrolling. We don't see her often-I've seen her maybe 6-8 times since she died (one time most recently about two years ago - I saw her walk over my feet in the lounge). Usually she is just a wisp of black bum and tail, that you see out of the corner of your eye and put it down to the other cats (then realising later they are locked in the laundry).

DF has never believed me from the start about this (although it did freak him out when it freaked me out that she walked over my feet that day, that was very brazen of her to do so). We had only just been talking about her on the trip down there, and my eyes were watering and my heart was going mad.
UNTIL...
He stayed at my parents house one xmas (year before last) alone (we'd gone to our shack, he was meeting his dad) and was sitting in the lounge, and from his spot looked into the hallway to see the reflection of a cats eyes in the dark. Didn't think about it - then thought about it (mums two cats were in the laundry), looked again, still there. Looked back, gone - went into the laundry, both cats were fast asleep and door was shut firmly.

Lets just say he believes me know AND he slept in the lounge in front of the heater with the doorway to the hallway SHUT

A firm believer here too. When my Roxy left us, she didn't really go either. I had gone upstairs to nap and was in between awake and asleep and i felt her lay down next to me. It was very comforting. As Karen did, after a few experiences like this I told Roxy that it was OK to go, we would see her at the bridge later. I also had the same experience when I lost my cat. I do believe that they linger until they are assured that we will be OK. And we ARE ok, even though we miss them with our heart and soul, we know they are angels watching over us.

Good Bye Poem


I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, you found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear.
"Its me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here"

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea.
You were thinking of the many times your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today, your arms were getting sore.
I want to take your parcels, I wished I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today, you tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you that I'm not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house as you fumbled for the key,
I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "It's me".

You looked so very tired and then you sank into a chair,
I tried so hard to let you know that I was standing there.

Its possible for me to be so near you everyday,
to say to you with certainty "I never went away".

You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew
That in the stillness of that evening I was very close to you.

The day is over.... I smile and watch you yawning
and say, " Good Night, Sweet Dreams, God Bless,
I'll see you in the morning".

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide
I'll rush to greet you and well stand together side by side.

I have so many things to show you, there's much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out; then come home and be with me.

Deb that was so nice, you guys all made me cry What beautiful stories... Ryker my rottie is very protective over us. He's got to sleep very close and your always tripping over him, I know when he leaves for the bridge, I will still be tripping over him Love him and Oz so much.

I always felt that Puckers would guide us to a new dog, It did not just happen our breeder called us about the puppies she rescued, It didnt just happen Duchess, Puckers sister, crawed in my lap and gave me a hug like Puckers used to do upon 20 min. of meeting me, or was it when we brought P.J. home that she settled right down and got into sitting on the dog toys like you know who used to do. I am sure she still here and keeps an eye on all of us! Rob

Deb that was beautiful. Thankyou for posting that.

ok....that really made me cry (in case you couldn't tell) especailly with the possibility of Benny now having cancer....(check out my post under health)

I'm so sorry about Max, and I do believe that Max is right there beside you.
Cherish every little bump int the night!

Now im also in tears

Me too!

That is beautiful. It made me cry too. Thank you everyone for you wonderful posts about your amazing furbabies. I never experienced anything like that when Boo left us for the rainbow bridge. One thing I did notice was Hershey spent alot of time staring out the french door looking at the dog house she shared with Boo. At the time I thought she was doing it because she wasn't used to be inside or because she missed Boo. Maybe Boo was laying there all along reassuring her that things would be okay.

I remember bringing Boo home from the vet. My husband wanted me to make Boo ride in the back all by himself but I of course refused. I wanted to let all the dogs smell Boo and be close to him before we buried him. Odie was completely offended as he generally is by many things. He kept his distance. Sammy and Kato were curious but soon lost interest. I will never ever forget how Hershey refused to leave his side. She sat down next to him and waited. We penned the other three up and took Hershey down to his grave while we buried him. Losing Boo was the hardest thing in the world but having Hershey helped me so much. As I sat by the grave with tears rolling down my face, Hershey kissed them away. Soon after Boo was gone Hershey took to laying in my arms as Boo used to. Like a baby with his little belly in the air completely content as I rubbed his belly. Now Hershey does that. She is so much closer to me now. She never wants to leave my side. I know this isn't on the same subject but this thread has made me want to share my memories of Boo's passing. He was the sweetest little dog. Always in motion and happy. He was my little hunter. Somedays I still tell him good bye as I drive past his grave in the mornings on my way to work. I used to yell out the window when he was alive Bye Bye my baby booboo and HersheyPercy every morning. (Good thing I don't have neighbors.) And they would bark and howl and run the fence.

Thank you everyone for your posts! It helps Dean and I so much to know how many of you can share our experiences. Letting go is so difficult. We told Max it was alright to go the night he died, that everything would be alright, but it feels so final now and definitely doesn't feel right yet! But it will be. Thanks again for your support.

Deb, that was a beautiful poem. Thank you so very much. Is it one of your own? If so, you have a very special talent and I thank you for sharing it. Even if the poem is not yours', thanks for sharing, we truly appreciated it.

No, it is one of those "Author Unknown" things. Someone sent it to me when Hannah died over 4 years ago and it brought me so much comfort that I have kept it and still go back and read it when I "need" too. Hope it helps you in some way also.