Mack: A Big Dog in a Small Package (Part 2)

This is the second of a three-part Plants & Animals series. Look for Episode 3 in December; Read Episode 1 here!

The dog was an absolute mess. We were looking for a small dog, and so we visited the Lynn dog pound.  They had a small white dog that had been picked up wandering the streets of Lynn. We claimed him and waited the required 10-day period for an owner to show up. No one did, so he was ours.  We brought him right to a pet store to get a crate and supplies, but he was so filthy, the owner demanded that we take him outside.

We soon learned this dog was afraid of nothing. If you touched his food while he was eating, he sounded like he would take your arm off. He once chased after two Rottweilers, yelling at them ferociously the whole time. Fortunately I was able to catch him before he reached his target.

I wanted to give him a name to match his demeanor, and the bulldog hood ornament on large trucks came to mind. So, we named him Big Mack.

Big Mack weighed 9 pounds.

And he had 9 lives:

Life #4: The Solitary Wanderer

Our close friends' family had 3 kids and a dog. One of our favorite activities was to go into the municipal golf course and the adjacent woods on a moonlit night when no one was there. It was a special treat if we were there on a warm summer evening and the golf course sprinklers came on. One night when we went there, our “pack” was 4 adults, 3 kids and 4 dogs. Knowing it would be completely dark when we headed back, we tied glow necklaces on each dog. All the way back to the car I was nervously counting necklaces in the dark to make sure we were all together. When we got to the car, I discovered that one of the people was carrying one of the necklaces and Mack was missing! I said, "Why are you carrying Mack’s necklace?!" The answer: it had fallen off and they'd picked it up without thinking. So, we all turned back to look for Mack. He did not respond when called. When we eventually found him, he was a half-mile away. Headed into the woods. In the dark. Alone. I told you he was fearless!

Life #5: Dog on Fire

No, that's not a typo.

When we remodeled our house in Lynn, we put an extra-large, two-person Jacuzzi bathtub in the main bedroom suite. There was a small TV on the vanity. Jane and I would make a bubble bath and watch the Celtics games together. It was a wonderful luxury. The tub was enclosed in a large, tiled cube with a 6” tiled shelf all the way around. Jane loved to put candles on the shelf while we soaked, and Mack loved to lay on that border and watch the games with us. One time, the three of us suddenly all looked at each other and said, “what is that smell?!” Then Mack realized his tail had gotten too close to a candle…it was in flames!!! Before we could grab him to dunk him in the tub, he calmly dropped to the floor and rolled around on the rug until he was extinguished. “Stop Drop and Roll” had saved his butt. (Literally!)

Life #6: Dog Overboard!

Mack did not float. Quite the opposite - He sank like a rock in the water. We were entertaining guests poolside in our Burlington yard one late-spring afternoon when their large dog accidentally bumped Mack into the pool. We all ran to the pool to see him calmly standing on the bottom, 4 feet under water with all 4 paws on the gunite floor, looking up like “is anyone gonna help me outta here?” Our friend Nanci was the quickest to jump in and rescue him. She went in clothes and all in an unheated pool in the spring. Brrrrr! Mack was fine. It didn’t even seem to bother him.

Even though he had no buoyancy, Mack always lived right on the edge of the pool if anyone was in it, so we bought him a life jacket. His body was so dense, even with the life jacket on he barely floated with just his nose above water.

To be continued...

I still smile every time I see Mack's picture. A friend once told me “His name shouldn’t have been Big Mack, it should have been Quarter Pounder.”  He was wrong. The soul that lived inside that tiny frame was big indeed. "Wacky Macky" was the funniest and feistiest pet we ever had, and his story isn't over yet. Stay tuned for the further adventures of Big Mack.

Bill Boivin is a scientist, retired from 30 years of active duty with the United States Public Health Service.  He is a Burlington Town Meeting Member and Conservation Commissioner.  He and his wife, Jane, grew up in Lynn and now live in Burlington with their 2 mini dachshunds, 7 chickens, and Maya, a ball python.  Bill and Jane have shared a love of nature, gardening, and wildlife for over 50 years.  They have fostered, healed, raised, and loved a remarkable variety of animals in their time together. Learn more about Bill.