I always dreamt of building an unbreakable bond with a dog. A friendship so strong that I created inseparable bond between my furry friend and I. This dream came true on Sep. 13, 2014. My family and I drove up to Mariposa to adopt a golden retriever puppy.

On the way home my sister and I held the puppy and named him Maximus, after the horse in “Tangled”. I always loved that character and it was the perfect fit for my new dog. In that moment I knew that I was on the verge of a best friendship.

Like all the other puppies, Maximus could not be contained. His boundless energy filled our days with joy. We always stuck to each other. I am beyond proud to be able to not only call him my dog but also call him my best friend. I hoped to go to the beach once he got older and run in the sand, while we hear the waves crash on the shore.

However in the middle of November, my family and I watched as Maximus’ front legs started to shake as he walked. We hoped it was still a puppy phase, but after a few weeks, he still remained the same.

The veterinary looked into it, and after examining him, diagnosed him with a condition, he told us the cerebrum part of the brain is deteriorating. The vet told us Maximus had two months left to live. I was crushed.

My Max was dying. Yet never let his condition stop him from showing love to everyone he crossed paths with.

Christmas came. Maximus’ legs were almost completely useless. Despite his condition he still brightened the spirits of everybody he met. Our unbreakable bond still remained stronger than ever. I dreaded January knowing what might happen during that month. Slowly December passed and January arrived.

There are many lessons Maximus taught me. He taught me to love others even in the worst of times. He taught me to never stop spreading God’s joy. He also taught me to forgive. If you had the chance to meet my dog you too, would understand how much compassion he brought. — Sophia Kalugin 

That whole month I spent all my free time with Maximus. He continually taught me lessons on how to stay happy even during the lowest points of life. Every morning I ran down stairs afraid that he died. Then February came. During that month, he lost complete use of his front legs. He used his back legs to push his body forward. His back legs hopped forward. He moved around like this for a long time.

But his condition did not coincide with the vet’s diagnosis by March. After finding this out, we took him back to the vet. She was perplexed by his condition, and gave him no additional diagnosis. My family and I felt we arrived back at square one.

Slowly Maximus’ breathing started to get worse. My family and I were very worried, but no vet knew why his breathing labored.

Max would not have had his condition if the breeder had bred him and the other puppies correctly. Somehow the whole litter of puppies ended up with serious problems. The thought that raced into my head was “It’s all Maximus’ breeders fault. Max would be OK if it were not for his breeder”. But I knew that if Max were to meet the breeder, Max would have forgiven him and loved him. So that’s when I realized that I needed to forgive him too.

Out of all the dogs in the world why Maximus?  What made him any different than the other dogs that he lost his ability to walk? But through it all he never failed to make me smile. Our friendship never ended. He spent most of his time waiting for us to come home outside. So many people told us how much love he brought to them.

Maximus always waited for us. Everywhere we went we counted on him to be waiting for us. And he always did.

My family and I began to think that his problem could not take his life away. On July 19, 2015 nine days before his first birthday, Maximus my best friend, died.

There are many lessons Maximus taught me. He taught me to love others even in the worst of times. He taught me to never stop spreading God’s joy. He also taught me to forgive. If you had the chance to meet my dog you too, would understand how much compassion he brought.

Although I’m devastated that Maximus is gone, I finally know he can walk and breath like all the other dogs in this world. He was my hero, through all of his difficulties he never stopped loving.

Someday my dream will come true of playing with Maximus on the beach, but until then I know he will be waiting for me in heaven.  

Guest writer Sophia Kalugin wrote this article. For more opinions please read