A TRIBUTE TO BEAUTIFUL BOY MAX!

Today we are REMEMBERING the emotionally intelligent and super beautiful souled MAX!

We often send questions to anyone we are writing for! The questions are returned and we write up the story from these answers!

We sent Nicola a list of questions! – The questions were answered so beautifully that we didn’t want to change a single word!

The photos of gorgeous boy MAX are so very beautiful and as for the videos, we have watched them many times over!

Falling in love with MAX as you read his story is a promise, he entered the lives of Nicola and her family and changed their World so profoundly, he will be remembered with love in their hearts every single day of their own lives!

Max’s Story – written by his Mum Nicola!

1. Did you have Max as a puppy?

No not as a puppy, Max was around 8 months when we brought him home. He wasn’t very nicely treated and didn’t have the best start off in life. When we went to see him at the flat he was kept in he shared a medium size crate with his brother and there was another crate next to that for the dad. The dad had a muzzle on and was kept on a lead and wasn’t too friendly with other people being around, so we all went out to the garden. We had another dog at the time called Fitch (also crossed rainbow bridge) so we took him to meet Max to make sure the two pups would get on well. I should also mention Max was called Tyson when we first met him. Because he was a gentle giant we just thought it was too much of a big name for him and wanted something softer to suit his character.

• How did he settle with you when you first got him?

We immediately fell in love and he and Fitch got along like a house on fire and we instantly knew we were not leaving that flat without him. We paid the £100 the man was asking for him, and we popped them both in the car and brought him home. The first night was bizarre, it was as if Fitch and Max had been together in another life and knew each other. They played in the garden for a bit then at bedtime they snuggled up on the sofa beside each other and went to sleep. They did not leave each other’s side from that day on. It was like he had always been a part of our family we just had not found him yet 💙

• What were Max’s favourite things to do?

Max absolutely loved the beach. He loved the outdoors and fresh air and he 100% loved to swim in the sea. He would get out of the car and bound towards the sand then straight down to the water. He also loved paw massages, he would sit in front of you and his big spade paw would come up and onto your knee waiting to be stroked.

He loved being a family dog and loyal companion, he lived for being there for us all but especially our daughter Jessica who he adored and protected!

• Did Max do anything quirky?

Max had several little quirky things about his personality. We taught him how to close the door, so you would say ‘shut’ to him and point to the open door and he was use his shovel-sized paw to push it closed.

Anytime Max would come out of the water and onto grass he would roll around on his back making the most satisfying of noises as if he was scratching a bad itch, this always made us giggle.

• Is there anything he did on an occasion that still makes you laugh when you think about it?

Many things Max would do that would make us giggle. The closing of doors is probably my favourite memory that makes me laugh every time. However, he would also sleep in the most uncomfortable positions. My daughter’s Dad, Ben used to have this gaming bean bag chair in our old house, and Max claimed this as his bed. The positions he would sleep in were hilarious. Once I looked over to him and he was laying on his back and his head was hanging off the bean bag, upside down and his chops were flapped open.

He would also dream a lot and his little face would make these weird, funny movements.

Max would also stop, drop and roll in the most inappropriate places. For example, I was visiting the crematorium where my mum lays to rest, and he decided to roll around on his back on the grass next to my mum’s plaque while I stood embarrassed but laughed a little and had to take a video. When my brother was looking after him for me once, he sent me a video of him doing the exact same thing.

• Was Max a people person as well as a doggy one?

Max was like a human trapped in a dog’s body, is what my mother-in-law would say. She was never fond of dogs but he was different and she loved him. He seemed to instinctively know what a person needed emotionally and physically and god knows he helped both me and Ben through the darkest times of our lives together and separately. He had such a protective instinct with my daughter who is 8 years old and grown up with Max always being there. Max would watch you playing with Jessica, we would tickle her till she laughed uncontrollably and shouted stop, this would make Max think she was in need of his help and he would come over and push himself between the two of you and look at you as if to say, “that’s enough now”.

Max loved playing with other dogs. Obviously, things started to change in his behaviour as his illness took over and he became less interested in playing with others and became a bit possessive over his toys/bowl etc. But this was made clear why once we had a diagnosis for him, things started to make sense.

My brother had a collie/lab named Bex, who was not good with other dogs and was quite a nervous dog but loved all humans. We introduced him to Max a few years after we had Max, and they played together amazingly. It was like Bex knew Max was never going to hurt him. Max was then the only dog that Bex would go for walks with and play in the garden with.

• Did Max have any favourite toys?

Max was never a big toy playing dog, but if you had a stick or a ball….then he was your best buddy. Once he found what he believed to be a stick, little did he realise it still had half of the bush attached to it…..it did not stop him from picking it up and walking off.

• How would you describe how Max made your life lovelier?

Wow. This one is going to be emotional, to say the least, but, here goes. Ben has written that Max not only made his life better, he also gave it a different purpose from that of our daughter Jessica. He made him go out and run, take in new sights and locations while running up hills or along the coastline, without him there no run will ever be as enjoyable again.

For myself, like said previously, Max knew what you needed emotionally. He was there like no other person would have even been. Waking up in the morning and hear his little chats (groaning) what we call Rotti talk. He has been like no other dog I have ever met. He made me feel protected at home and out for walks, if I had Max there I knew I was safe and secure. That was exactly how he changed my life for the better, security, protection, and unconditional love.

• Was Max a clever boy?

Max was very intelligent, very smart, and by far a very clever puppy. He was loyal. You can walk him anywhere he stayed by your side and never wandered off. He was very easy to train, the saying is wrong. You can definitely teach old dogs, new tricks.

1. Anything else we can think of about Max?

I always thought throughout the years, that Max would be an amazing therapy dog. No matter who he met, even those frightened or not keen on dogs, would say how lovely and friendly he was. Max also had a girlfriend (or we like to think they had that kind of relationship). Her name is Luna, she is a 9 year old husky and they loved to go for walks together. My friend and I would meet with the two of them and they would just light up the moment they seen each other, walking side my side. If Max did something to annoy Luna, she would give him a warning, a little grunt or growl as if to say “knock it off”. Just like in a real relationship haha.

Ben added, I am forever grateful that my life was graced with Max in it, forever grateful I got to experience his beautiful soul and forever grateful I got to call him my dog, my boy.”

My mum and brother loved Max. They both had this incredible bond with him. My brother looked after him a few times for me. Every time my mum would visit our house or we would take Max to visit her, he would lie across her feet so she couldn’t move. She was also the first one to sit for ages and stroke his paw. Starting the paw massage phase. My mum sadly passed of Lymphoma in 2018. I believe without a shadow of a doubt, that she was waiting for Max at the end of the rainbow bridge.

We are so in love with you MAX! You found the family you were supposed to be with at a young enough age to forget about the not-so-nice start you had!

This really is a CELEBRATION OF YOUR LIFE!

You were surrounded by so much love, each and every single day! Your amazing love of life is beautiful to hear!

You really earnt your ANGEL WINGS and it was then the time for you to go and spend time with your Nan!

The World was a better place with you in it but now the RAINBOW BRIDGE has been blessed and you can share your beautiful soul and passion with all the other doggies and human’s who welcome you with their open arms and paws!

Thank you so much Nicola! Your story, photos and videos are wonderful and we are honoured to publish MAX’S tribute story!

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