MackTruck
Member
I haven't been on the forum for over a year due to the sudden and tragic passing of my sweet puppy Mack. Last April, the day before Easter my mom, Mack and I were hiking behind our property in WV on our neighbor's land (he knew we went up there often). It was a beautiful spring day and Mack had on a brand new red collar and was enjoying a weekend in the country (a nice break from Columbus). We hiked up the the top of the mountain, sat and looked down on the valley for about 20 minutes, and took a ton of really special pictures. Then as we were heading back down to go home Mack wandered over to a little sign. Since it was in the middle of a huge pasture we didn't think anything of it...it looked like the little signs people put in their yards after they have their lawn treated. Therefore, in this location it just seemed so out of place. My mom and I walked over towards Mack (he was off leash because he listened well and we thought it was a safe location) and he started barking. He sounded really funny and I was actually recording him because it looked like he was barking at a little shrub. Even though he was 160lbs he would get scared of little things like real estate signs and leftover Christmas trees on curbs....I though this was just another one of these funny Mastiff moments.However, looking back I know I should've trusted my Mastiff's instincts (like the books say and like I normally did), but I didn't.
The next few minutes happened very quickly, in a blur, and in a way that changed my life. My mom and I noticed a carcus, and we thought for a moment that it was one of our neighbor's dogs that had been missing for awhile. Then we realized it was a coyote. Then I looked up and Mack was walking away (tried to get away from us so we didn't see him die). I ran to him just as he no longer could stand and he collapsed...such a sweet gentle giant just falling helplessly. I fell on top of him and stroked his body as he started seizing. I was hoping that whatever he got into wasn't enough to kill him, since he was so much bigger than a coyote.
I maintained hope as I ran (which was really painful at a high altitude, while crying, and praying) to my nearest neighbor about 2 miles down the mountain. After running for a few minutes I heard Mack cry out and I know now that was the moment when he left this world. I called an emergency vet who told me that the nearest open animal hospital was over 2 hours away since it was a holiday weekend. He also told me that I probably wouldn't have that kind of time given his symptoms. My neighbor Doug drove me back up the mountain where my mom was sitting with Mack, holding him in her lap. The neighbor who owned the property also met us up there and helped us bring Mack down in a jeep. Doug then offered to bury Mack anywhere that I'd like that day. However I wanted nothing to do with that area and I surely didn't want Mack's final resting place to be in the very hills that took him from me.
I called vet's offices until one located two hours away worked it out for us to bring Mack in to be cremated. We got him to that office around 9PM and that was the last time I saw my sweet big boy. I kept his big red collar and it jingled as we drove home that night...just a reminder that Mack was and is still with us.
It took me over a year to be able to write this and since then I have been back up to the place where Mack last ran free in the mountains a few times. My neighbor also stopped using cyanide coyote traps; he still feels terrible about how it happened and how he didn't tell us they were up there.
But most importantly, I rescued my sweet little "mini mastiff" Nala a week after Mack died. My aunt (who I lived with in Columbus at the time) found her on craigslist. She was a 10 month old runt and had never been to the vet, worn a collar, or been socialized in any way. She was a handful at first and it took us a few weeks to bond. However, we are practically inseparable now and needless to say I am very overprotective of her. I am glad that I was finally able to share this and I will definitely be taking part of many areas of the forum regarding Miss Nala!
The next few minutes happened very quickly, in a blur, and in a way that changed my life. My mom and I noticed a carcus, and we thought for a moment that it was one of our neighbor's dogs that had been missing for awhile. Then we realized it was a coyote. Then I looked up and Mack was walking away (tried to get away from us so we didn't see him die). I ran to him just as he no longer could stand and he collapsed...such a sweet gentle giant just falling helplessly. I fell on top of him and stroked his body as he started seizing. I was hoping that whatever he got into wasn't enough to kill him, since he was so much bigger than a coyote.
I maintained hope as I ran (which was really painful at a high altitude, while crying, and praying) to my nearest neighbor about 2 miles down the mountain. After running for a few minutes I heard Mack cry out and I know now that was the moment when he left this world. I called an emergency vet who told me that the nearest open animal hospital was over 2 hours away since it was a holiday weekend. He also told me that I probably wouldn't have that kind of time given his symptoms. My neighbor Doug drove me back up the mountain where my mom was sitting with Mack, holding him in her lap. The neighbor who owned the property also met us up there and helped us bring Mack down in a jeep. Doug then offered to bury Mack anywhere that I'd like that day. However I wanted nothing to do with that area and I surely didn't want Mack's final resting place to be in the very hills that took him from me.
I called vet's offices until one located two hours away worked it out for us to bring Mack in to be cremated. We got him to that office around 9PM and that was the last time I saw my sweet big boy. I kept his big red collar and it jingled as we drove home that night...just a reminder that Mack was and is still with us.
It took me over a year to be able to write this and since then I have been back up to the place where Mack last ran free in the mountains a few times. My neighbor also stopped using cyanide coyote traps; he still feels terrible about how it happened and how he didn't tell us they were up there.
But most importantly, I rescued my sweet little "mini mastiff" Nala a week after Mack died. My aunt (who I lived with in Columbus at the time) found her on craigslist. She was a 10 month old runt and had never been to the vet, worn a collar, or been socialized in any way. She was a handful at first and it took us a few weeks to bond. However, we are practically inseparable now and needless to say I am very overprotective of her. I am glad that I was finally able to share this and I will definitely be taking part of many areas of the forum regarding Miss Nala!
Glad Nala and you are bonding.