Photo by Payton Egnew
On Valentine’s Day of this year, I said goodbye to my childhood dog for the last time.
Living away from home, I was used to saying goodbye to her, but her health had drastically declined while I was away so this was the final goodbye.
When I was just a year and a half old, my family brought home a brown-haired miniature Dachshund named Maya. Of course, I was too young to remember that day but as I grew up, she became my best friend.
Maya had always been the sassiest dog I had ever met. She always got treats, and would rip up or pee on something when she didn’t get her way. Besides her sassy personality, she was also the sweetest dog I knew.
A couple of Maya’s favorite things were cheese and potatoes. Anytime someone had her favorite foods, she would beg them for just a bite. We would always make sure to give her a little, which made her happy as can be.
Maya and I did everything together. I would take her on walks around the neighborhood, and she would fake limp because she hated walks so I would always end up having to carry her back to the house. She and I would snuggle on the couch and watch movies as I told her my secrets, and she would fall asleep in my bed when I would sneak her out of my parents room.
Throughout her 16 years of life, Maya was always pampered and well taken care of. She would regularly have her hair and nails done to perfection until she was too old to stay calm during the appointments.
I remember when Maya was about eight years old, she jumped off my parents bed and became paralyzed. We thought that it was the end of the road for her but after a few months, she bounced back and slowly began to walk and run around the house.
The next time she got hurt falling down the stairs, we also thought she wasn’t going to recover. But of course, Maya bounced back to her normal self.
Years went on and she exceeded the life expectancy for Dachshunds without looking back. Although she was chugging through life, I knew that one day she wouldn’t bounce back. I knew I would have to say goodbye to her.
Around the end of last year, her age started to get the best of her and she was declining. She was going blind, having accidents in her sleep, and wasn’t running around like she normally would.
The week before Valentine’s Day, my family made the decision to put her down. Feb. 14 came faster than I ever wanted it to, and my family made the trip to the vet. As I held her in my arms walking into the vet’s office, I saw another dog who was coming in to the vet to get their shots. The dog was a young puppy and was bouncing around and barking at Maya. We were led to the back and I held her in my lap as we said our goodbyes and held her close.
Walking back out of the office empty handed, I saw the dog I had first seen when walking in. The dog was just as chirpy as before, but the owner gave my family a sad look as I stared at her dog with tears running down my face.
I felt envious that she got to go home with her dog. I was angry that I could never have my best friend back. I also felt a feeling of joy that she still had time with her dog and didn’t have to go through what my family went through just yet.
Looking back at Maya’s life, I couldn’t be more grateful for the 16 years she was with us. I couldn’t ask for a better dog than her.
Maya Rose, I will love you always. Thank you for being my best friend all these years.
