From the day he first chose me to be his owner, Maslow named for the famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, was no ordinary dog. Abraham Maslow, as many know, wrote about the five stages of development in humans — the lowest being physical needs such as food and water — and the highest need – self actualization.
Maslow was a fully actualized dog the moment he reached adulthood. His vocabulary of understanding was tremendous–this was a dog who could be sent to my husband’s basement office to fetch him for dinner. He also provided a kiss to my calf each and every time I filled his water bowl. He also knew the difference between “car”, “truck”, and “van”, and could sit next to the correct one. He enjoyed riding in all three.
He knew which side of the car to go to when we told him “the cows were out”, so he could marvel at what they were. He then would cross to the other side, because within a half mile the miniature ponies would probably be out, and he liked to see them too. I think he thought they were an amazing sort of dog.
Just three weeks ago Maslow suddenly developed autoimmune deficiency syndrome. Our veterinarian, who had cared for him since he was a puppy, did everything he could but in the end, Maslow could not get up by himself. This was a true blow to such a dignified animal. Maslow never considered himself to be a dog. Carl, our mutt, was a dog. Not Maslow. We had to do the right thing and let him go.
We love and miss him every day. This is the dog my children grew up with. And the last child leaves for college next week. Perhaps it is right that he had the opportunity to leave them rather than the other way around. He would have missed them all this year, so much. However, I’m his mom and I miss him now. I will always miss him. There will never be another dog like my fully actualized Maslow.
Love you, Maslow,
| Maslow |
| Cheryl |