Mac
Mac: 18-year-old Mac passed away in early February 2021, shattering my heart into 1000 pieces in the process. He was the last of the old guard having come to me just over seven years prior. At the time, I thought Mac was a senior a senior at 11-years-old. Maccabee, my Hanukkah dog. Mac survived 10 years as a stud dog in a puppy mill prior to being rescued. He was a real cuddler and my constant companion at night … read “bed hog.” Every night without fail, I’d feel the press of his paws against my side, pushing me ever closer to the edge of the mattress as he stretched out carefree. And oh how he loved to run. Mac ran around the grounds off leash like the wind. A true free spirit, making up for all those years of having been locked in a cage. He welcomed me home from deployments. He got along with cats & dogs. He visited art galleries. He cruised the Potomac. He ran a 5K with me; ok, he rode the doggie stroller and I ran. He attended black tie galas. He really, really LIVED. At nearly 19, he defied so many obstacles: dementia, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, toothlessness, deafness, losing your eyesight along with too much weight. Ultimately, it all proved too much for his frail, little body. Life without Mac is so much emptier. So much duller. I miss him now and forever.