Maxx Hylton -- RIP -- 8.18.95 to 10.7.10

Maxx came to live with us on November 4, 1995, and -- sadly -- left us on October 7, 2010, at the age of 15 years, 1 month, and 19 days.  Our hearts are broken to lose our beloved Maxx...our home will be lonely without him.

Below are pictures taken of him throughout his life (click on individual pictures for larger ones).

Maxx when we brought him home at 11 weeks of age:

He hasn't grown into his ears yet!

Maxx was crate trained (you can see his crate in some of the above pictures)...something we firmly believe in.  When we were on our 1998 trip to Alaska, Maxx finally decided, at the age of almost 3, that he no longer needed the crate.  After some experimenting, and finding that he wasn't destructive when left alone uncrated (unlike a lot of Basenjis), we folded the crate, put it away, and he never used it again.

We took Maxx to Puppy Kindergarten (he was the smallest puppy there, especially at the end of the classes when all the other dogs had really gotten big).  Maxx and I are in the back row, second from the right:

One of Maxx's favorite pastimes was napping:

As you can see from other pictures, this was one of Maxx's favorite sleeping positions!
Strangely, even though he spent a lot of time sleeping on my lap when he was a puppy, Maxx didn't turn out to be a lap dog (unlike our first Basenji, Seymore, who loved napping on Earl's lap...as you can see from the picture below), although he usually claimed the most comfortable place in the house as his!



October 2000




August 2003




September 2003



Maxx did like taking naps with his Dad, as the above two pictures can attest to.

(March 2001)

If there was a little bit of sun, you'd be sure to find Maxx there!

Another of Maxx's favorite pastimes was taking long walks, principally with his Dad:



Cochise's Stronghold (AZ)



Kiskatinaw River Bridge (B.C., Canada)



Joshua Tree National Park (CA), May 2003



Don's & Patti's place in Lakeside, MT




 

Independence Rock (WY), May 2002



Valley of Fire State Park (NV)
(It's not that Maxx's Mom never walked him...it's more that Mom was the one usually taking the pictures.)



On the Oregon Coast near Florence, June 2002
(On a couple of occasions, we were far enough from people and roads that we could let Maxx run free on the beach.  He love chasing the sea gulls...that is, until he finally figured out he'd never be able to catch any!)

 

Running free on our land near Mobile, AZ
(Our land near Mobile is far away from any roads...in fact, to get there, you have to drive a few miles on nothing more than a goat track.  Maxx never got too far away from us...he'd stop on occasion and look to make sure he could still see us and he was always good at coming back...with some coaxing...when called.)





At Don's & Patti's place in Lakeside, MT



Zion National Park (also the picture below)




Maxx also like to get up high...he seemed to have no fear of heights:



Joshua Tree National Park, May 2003

Joshua Tree National Park, May 2003



Salmon Run Adventures RV Park, Haines, AK (that's a log he's standing on)



Somewhere in Texas, April 2002

Our friends, Don and Patti (see pictures above), also had a tri-colored Basenji by the name of Chico.  Maxx and Chico had a great time playing with each other (Maxx has a red collar and a white blaze on the forehead):

Don with Maxx & Chico checking out the lake.

Look at that pretty face!

And his cute butt!

Maxx is inviting Chico to play with a play bow, March 2001

March 2001

Earl (in yellow), Linda, and Don with Maxx & Chico, March 2001

March 2001

March 2001



March 2001



Miscellaneous pictures:



Conway Summit, north of Mono Lake in California (1996 or 1997)




Ridgecrest, CA at The Tireman getting specialty tire stems on the Lazy Daze, 2004



Out on our land near Mobile, AZ (probably 1996)




I'm not sure where or when this was taken, but we were fulltiming, so had to be 1998 or shortly thereafter.




At Don's and Patti's place in Quartzsite, AZ, March 2001



Taken at our home C2C park in Whitney, TX during the spring (April 2001)



Maxx loved to be picked up so he could lick horses' noses!

 




 

Both this picture and the one above it were taken at Fish Lake Campground in Steens Mountain south of Burns, OR (probably 1996 or 1997)




At our friend's house in Glendale, AZ -- Buck & Phyllis Draughn



This was taken at Don & Patti Hellman's place in Lakeside, MT.  Although Basenjis don't like to get wet, Maxx was fascinated by water, and often tried to catch waves lapping up on shore.



Crack in the Ground north of Christmas Valley, OR.  This picture was taken within the past two years.  If you enlarge the picture by clicking on it, you'll see the gray around Maxx's muzzle.



Giant Cedar north of Elk River, ID (2009)

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado section along Harpers Corner Road, July 2003



The Rainbow Bridge

(Author unknown)

Just this side of heaven is a place called the Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to the Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together....

 

Here are some other essays/poems about dogs:

Where My Dog Lives
(author unknown)

Here in this house... I will never know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness, and be allowed to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.

Here in this house... There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand, I can enjoy the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!

Here in this house... I will never be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who I should be.
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher for blame.

Here in this house... I can trust arms that hold, hands that touch...
knowing that, no matter what they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored. If scared, I will be calmed. If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly, or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and as fair as dogs.

Here in this house... I will belong. I will be home.

I Am a Dog
(Author Unknown)


I am a dog. I am a living, breathing animal. I feel pain, joy, love, fear and pleasure.

I am not a thing. If I am hit – I will bruise, I will bleed, I will break. I will feel pain. I am not a thing.

I am a dog. I enjoy playtime, walk time, but more than anything, I enjoy time with my pack – my family – my people. I want nothing more than to be by the side of my human. I want to sleep where you sleep and walk where you walk. I am a dog and I feel love…I crave companionship.

I enjoy the touch of a kind hand and the softness of a good bed. I want to be inside of the home with my family, not stuck on the end of a chain or alone in a kennel or fenced yard for hours on end. I was born to be a companion, not to live a life of solitude.

I get too cold and I get too hot. I experience hunger and thirst. I am a living creature, not a thing.

When you leave, I want to go with you. If I stay behind, I will eagerly await your return. I long for the sound of your voice. I will do most anything to please you. I live to be your treasured companion.

I am a dog. My actions are not dictated by money, greed, or hatred. I do not know prejudice. I live in the moment and am ruled by love and loyalty.

Do not mistake me for a mindless object. I can feel and I can think. I can experience more than physical pain, I can feel fear and joy. I can feel love and confusion. I have emotions. I understand perhaps more than you do. I am able to comprehend the words you speak to me, but you are not always able to understand me.

I am a dog. I am not able to care for myself without your help. If you choose to tie me up and refuse to feed me, I will starve. If you abandon me on a rural road, I will experience fear and loneliness. I will search for you and wonder why I have been left behind. I am not a piece of property to be dumped and forgotten.

If you choose to leave me at a shelter, I will be frightened and bewildered. I will watch for your return with every footfall that approaches my kennel run.

I am a dog – a living, breathing creature. If you choose to take me home, please provide me with the things that I need to keep me healthy and happy.

Provide me with good food, clean water, warm shelter and your love. Do not abandon me. Do not kick me. Do not dump me when your life gets too busy. Make a commitment to me for the entirety of my life, or do not take me home in the first place.

If you desert me, I do not have the means to care for myself. I am at the mercy of the kindness of people – if I fall into the wrong hands, my life will be ruined.

I will experience pain, fear and loneliness. If I wind up in an animal shelter, I have only my eyes to implore someone to save me, and my tail to show you that I am a friend. If that is not good enough, I will die.

I am a dog. I want to give and receive love. I want to live. I am not a thing. I am not a piece of property. Please do not discard me. Please treat me with kindness, love and respect. I promise to repay you with unconditional love for as long as I live.

From a Grateful Dog
(Karen Clouston)

You're giving me a special gift,
So sorrowfully endowed,
And through these last few cherished days
Your courage makes me proud.

But really, love is knowing
When your best friend is in pain
And understanding earthly acts
Will only be in vain.

So looking deep into your eyes,
Beyond into your soul,
I see in you the magic that will
Once more make me whole.

The strength that you possess
is why I look to you today
To do this thing that must be done,
For it's the only way.

That strength is why I've followed you
And chose you as my friend,
And why I've loved you all these years...
My partner till the end.

Please understand just what this gift
You're giving means to me.
It gives me back the strength I've lost,
And all my dignity.

You take a stand on my behalf,
For that is what friends do,
And know that what you do is right,
For I believe it, too.

So one last time, I breathe your scent
And through your hand I feel
The courage that's within you
To grant me this appeal.

Cut the leash that holds me here,
Dear Friend, and let me run,
Once more a strong and steady dog,
My pain and struggle done.

And don't despair my passing
For I won't be far away;
Forever here, within your heart
And memory I'll stay.

I'll be there watching over you,
Your ever-faithful friend,
And in your memories I'll run...
A young dog once again.

A Dog's Will
(Author Unknown)

When humans die, they make a will
To leave their homes and all they have to those they love.
I, too, would make a will if I could write.

To some poor wistful lonely stray
I leave my happy home,
My dish, my cozy bed, my cushioned chair, my toy,
The well-loved lap, the gently stoking hand,
The loving voice,
The place I made in someone's heart,
The love that, at the last, could help me to
A peaceful, painless end, held in loving arms.

If I should die, Oh! Do not say,
"No more a pet I'll have, to grieve me by its loss."
Seek out some lonely, unloved dog
And give my place to him.
This is my legacy I leave behind
’til all I have to give.