First there was Max

Max was my heart. He was with me from 7 weeks of age to 13 years. Quite old for a Rotweiller. His birthday was August 8th and I had to put him to sleep on August 12th. I really probably kept him longer than I should have, but I was selfish. I didn't want to let him go. He had developed heart disease, blindness, arthuritis and weakness in his back legs. If it hadn't been for the pain, I would have kept him longer. He had been everywhere with me. He was my constant companion, "my heart". I even have a "America's funniest Animal" tee shirt because of him. He would grab my hand and pull it down to his rear for a scratch. If I didn't respond, he would growl and do it again and again until I did what he wanted.
The day that my husband took him (I couldn't bear it) to be put to sleep, I sobbed uncontrollably for hours. I proceeded to cry every day thereafter for 6 months! People would tell me that I needed to get another dog, but I didn't ever want to get that attached again! The heartbreak was more than I could bear. Finally, my husband couldn't stand it anymore. After 6 months of watching me bawl, he said, "Go get another dog!"
At first, I wanted another Rotty. Then I decided that the best thing I could do would be to adopt an unwanted. I spent months in shelters. If you have never done that, its heartbreaking. You want to take all of them home! Finally, one day, I came across what looked like a 6 week old Rotty mix. The people at the shelter thought she was half Rotty and half Chow. Now, I had had a Chow before. He was a sweetie, but I found out that I had been VERY lucky! Most Chows can be mean. I had decided that I would never have another one, even though I loved Teddy very much. (Teddy Bear) Strike one. Strike two was that she was a female. I always liked males the best. But, she was soooooo cute!
And so, she came home with me. She stunk so bad and her fur was matted. First thing was a bath! She was petrified, but it had to be done. Then we discovered that she had a cough. Our first night together was a horror. She coughed and cried all night long. The next morning it was right to the vets. Kennel cough. The following weeks was force feeding medications, which she hated. We discovered that she was afraid of everything! We also discovered that she threw up every time we put her in the car. Strike three! I take my dog with me everywhere. What was I going to do with one that threw up all the time? Back to the Vets! We also couldn't help but notice that tears constantly poured down her little face. Introverted eye lids. For those of you that have never heard of that, it is where the eyelids curl under and scratch against the eye, causing blindness if not operated on. Strike four! She had to be 6 months old before she could have the operation, so I had to put ointment in her eyes twice a day and sometimes 3 or 4 times. I was determined that she would not be blind.
So was the beginning of our lives with Jade. The complete opposite of Max in every way but for better or for worse, she was ours.