LIFE UNLEASHED

Life Unleashed

My father got a dog when I was 8. I remember he brought him to my grandma’s house, he was tied up to the back door. He was only a puppy at the time. I remember he had a small body and a big head with big ears. When I first saw him, he looked at me and turned his head, ya know the way dogs do when they are confused. He was the cutest animal I have ever seen.

My dad named him Max. Just max, over the years he had so many nicknames. But to us he was just Max. He had the strangest colors. He was white, brown, tan and had a complete oval on his back. He was a germen short haired pointer. a hunting dog, I guess. I asked my dad bewildered what does he hunt? Because to this little girl that puppy was the cutest lovable dog that she has ever seen. Pheasants my dad said. But why in the world would he hunt pheasants? We don’t even eat pheasants.

My older sister, me and Max grew up together, We were all around the same age. So Max would always love to play with us. As a matter of fact I don’t remember a time when he didn’t.

A lot of times I would play school. (he would be a student) I would have my classroom with my black chalk board set up and all my dolls and he would be in the class. I would tell him to pay attention a lot. He would look at me wag his tail and patiently lay in the middle of the class waiting for my dad to get home from work.

It was my birthday and I asked for a crocodile mile. I got it of course because my father got me and my sister everything we asked for. My sister was grounded. And I didn’t want to play alone, and I didn’t want to wait. so, I ran out to the back yard Max always ran with me (it was his favorite thing to do) So I set up my crocodile mile hooked up the hose and off I went. I would take ten giant steps back and run as fast as I could and slide all the way down and hit the bump and fly into the pool. Max saw me do this several times and decided it was his turn. he ran down the slip n slide part and jumped into the pool. I couldn’t stop laughing because he tried to mimic what I did. I have to say for a dog he wasn’t far off. Except for the fact that he ripped up the slip n slide part with his paws, but I didn’t care. Because at least I had someone to play with on my birthday when I received the best gift I have ever gotten. Max just knew things like that.

My dad finally took him hunting and when they got back my dad was frustrated. When I asked him, what was wrong he said, he didn’t hunt. well he’s a pointer so has supposed to point, but my dad said that all he did was chase rabbits and goof off. Max was so happy to be with my dad I bet all he did was play. I smiled that night picturing him in the woods in the snow pouncing around playing with the rabbits as I fell fast asleep with the biggest smile on my face.

All 3 of us (me my sister and max) really didn’t like my stepmom and we all made a new game to play where we would ruin things of hers on purpose because she was ruining our lives (don’t judge I was a kid) We figured out what max decided to ruin of hers in the game we played, he ate all her pantyhose which he did so happily. We knew it was what he chose when it was time to clean up the messes in the yard.

In our teenage years, we moved to a big house just me my sister my dad and max. So, me and my sister decided to play hid and seek and Max was IT. We blindfolded him, he never tried to take off the blindfold like animals usually would do even when he would run into things in the new house.

His favorite game was tag. He would play this game when he got out of his leash because then me and my sister were IT, we chased him for hours and hours praying we would catch him before my father came home, ya see he loved this game because while me and my sister would frantically call him and chase him around the neighborhood. he would stop abruptly hunch his back up, wag his tail and when me and my sister would get close… he would dart away from us pouncing in such glee. Until he heard my dad yell his name. Then he would slowly walk back to the house knowing we were all in trouble and the game was over. But that never stopped him from playing it when he could. because that game Max finally got to be the one not IT.

Even so after I had my first child, I didn’t play anymore, and Max was getting older so he wouldn’t play as much but he would lay on floor and let my son climb all over him, pull his ears and tail. Max would never budge, he would never get mad. He knew my son was playing with him and somehow, he knew that he was his uncle.

Ya see my Dad through all the years that we had him would always say, Max is not a dog… He is your brother. I remember the last time I saw him before my dad had to put him down, I was walking out of my dads house ready to head home and there was a prescription bottle on the counter, I grabbed it and read the label and it said, Patient: Max Osuch. I laughed because I never thought I would see a label that said Max Osuch, to us he was just Max… but as I walked out of my father’s house, I smiled and said Max Osuch…. He sure was the best part of the Osuch’s.

Thank you for always being the best brother and someone to always play with.

My story of our dog Max ; A Life Unleashed.

Melissa Osuch-Landon

(Thru Her I’s)