Max the Miracle Dog
I must confess that when it comes to depression which is the subject of today’s story, I have no personal experience. In my life, I have always been blessed with an optimistic outlook and a positive attitude plus I have been fortunate to have been able to cope with tragedy and whatever life has thrown at me. I have always been pragmatic, even in the face of a stroke and never suffered from any negative thoughts. Some of this I can attribute to my mother, a nurse, who repeated her favourite mantra regularly.
“No matter how bad life is for you, there is always somebody worse off.”
Plus, of course, during my entire life, there has always been a dog!
Like most people, I didn’t realise at the time the amazing contribution these dogs had on my well-being, particularly when growing up.
Monty, the crossbreed, followed by Goldie, the cocker spaniel and Pepper, the boxer, were my childhood companions. All three listened patiently as I complained about the injustice of having to go to bed at night when I was wide awake and being forced to get up in the morning when I was fast asleep. They seemingly understood as I moaned about having to go to school, tidy my bedroom, not having enough pocket money, the unfairness of homework, and the unreasonable behaviour of adults, particularly parents who appeared to be against just about anything that was fun. That included just about every issue that plagues the life of a person growing up. One of them was always there, and of course, their presence contributed to my ability to face adversity in adult life.
This having been said, I have never had to face a situation so awful, where the quality of my life has been so appalling and the future so miserable that life holds no hope.
One can only imagine a life so lacking in quality that suicide is an option. It seems so unimaginable to me, but then, of course, extreme pain is so debilitating, and nobody who has not experienced this cannot judge.
Kerry Irving
Kerry Irving was a high-powered executive without a care in the world until, in 2006, he was involved in a car crash. His life then became a living nightmare. Tormented by unbearable pain, a cocktail of ineffective pain relief medication and a spiralling descent into depression, he contemplated suicide.
His loyal wife, Angela, unknowingly was to be the catalyst for change; little did she know where a simple request would lead. It was her in 2009 that sent him for a pint of milk one day mainly to get him out of the house.
On route to the shop, Kerry Irving met Max, the Springer Spaniel. Max was poking his nose through the bars of a gate, and from that day on, the world of Kerry Irving was to change. Not in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated how his life would be transformed, and not just his life but for Max the Springer Spaniel and for so many other people who Kerry would never personally meet but who had the quality of their lives improved by him and Max.
From that day forth, Kerry would volunteer to go to the shop purely for the chance to meet Max. Unfortunately, the owner of Max was a carer and unable to give Max the exercise he really required, so Kerry suggested that if it was ok, he would be willing to take Max for walks. Needless to say, the initial walks were agony for Kerry. Even a few yards that an able-bodied person could manage in a few minutes took Kerry up to an hour, leaving him totally exhausted and gasping for breath.
Adoption
This continued for some while, with Kerry borrowing Max regularly but suffering torment after each outing having to return him to his owner. However, as luck would have it, the owner of Max had to move away and, in 2012, offered Max to Kerry to adopt.
The next few years would see extraordinary changes in the fortunes of Kerry Irving. He would retrain as a locksmith and start a business with Max named as “head of security.” He would climb Ben Nevis with Max and spend months recuperating from the event. He created a Facebook page, “Max out in the lake district”, detailing his walks with Max, which was followed by a hundred thousand people. People from as far away as Australia were regular viewers, and such was his fame. There have been two additions to the group with the adoption of two more Springer Spaniels, Paddy and Harry. They were all invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party where they met Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Max was featured in the ITV programme Britain’s top 100 dogs, trained as a therapy dog and brought immense pleasure to hundreds. Max was awarded the Order of Merit Medal by the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), the first pet ever to be awarded the honour. He raised over £300,000 for charity, and finally, Kerry wrote a book titled.
Published March 5, 2020, by Harper Element
In Hope Park, Keswick, Cumbria, England, there is a bronze statue of Max sitting on a bench and on the legs of the bench are the names Paddy and Harry. Emblazoned on the edge of the bench are the words. MAX THE MIRACLE DOG
Sadly in April 2022, Max, who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour, fell asleep when out for a walk and never woke up. He passed peacefully and left a legacy.
With the assistance of a dog, anything is possible.
“To call him a dog hardly seems to do him justice though inasmuch he had four legs, a tail and barked, I admit he was to all outward appearances. But to all who knew him well he was a perfect gentleman.”
Hermoine Gingold