Megan becomes Max — A Tail of Gender Dysphoria and Reincarnation

Megan, our Miniature Schnauzer, thought she was a boy. She always lifted her leg to pee, patrolled the backyard like a Marine, and "marked" every light pole, fire hydrant and rock during walks around our Canadian neighborhood. In keeping with her male self-image, she thought she was big and was ready and willing to defend herself against much larger aggressors.

Although our long-standing credo was "No children, no pets, no indoor plants," we happily took Megan into our home when I inherited her from my father as he moved into assisted living. We fell hopelessly in love with her then decided she needed a companion and brought puppy Molly, another Miniature Schnauzer, home one day. The four of us lived happily for several years until Megan became ill at age 13. Helping her cross the Rainbow Bridge was the hardest thing I've ever done and was, absolutely, the worst day of my life.

Not long after this tragic event, we moved to Mexico bringing little Molly with us. Thinking she might like a companion, we vowed to adopt rather than buy although we knew it was highly unlikely to find a Miniature Schnauzer needing a home. For almost two years, we had no luck but just a couple of weeks ago we got a call from a rescuer who knew of our quest. Sadly Max, as we call him since nobody knows his former name, ended up in a shelter after his human died of Covid. We were astonished when we met him because he looks almost exactly like Megan - the same coloring, same big expressive eyes and the same straight as opposed to the more common curly hair found on Schnauzers. But he's big for his breed, bigger than Megan and huge compared to Molly.

We adopted him and after having him for about two weeks, we are totally convinced that he is really Megan reincarnated as she always saw herself - a big, male dog. The resemblance in appearance and behavior is uncanny and despite ourselves, we keep calling him Megan. The poor guy is probably going to have an identity crisis to go along with his separation anxiety.

Megan

Max, or Megan reincarnated

Yes, it will take some work to make Max a very good boy. He pushes Molly out of the way when we pet her, plays a bit too rough with her, gets upset when we leave and commits indiscretions in the house. We put the two dogs in my office where we don't care about the rug and where I wrapped the lower sections of the furniture in plastic, but while we were out for a couple of hours, Max marked twice and pooped once. Our vet friend thinks Prozac may help, we assume for the dog or maybe for us too, but we draw the line at weekly doggy therapy sessions. Despite the problems, Max is loving and affectionate, very generous with his kisses and cuddles and once again, we have fallen in love.

Max

Megan

Gratuitous doggie photos

Molly as a puppy

Molly in the snow (I knit the sweaters)

Megan in the snow

Little Molly and Max in bed (the beds are the same size)