Kevin Irving who was a victim of a car accident, adopts Max the miracle dog and turns his life around
Kevin Irving was a victim of car accident after which he suffered depression and chronic pain. He would spend his days watching TV until he met his neighbour's dog, Max, that became a high point of his day. Not only did he began taking Max on walks & posting photos, but also ended up writing the book, "Max the Miracle Dog."
The COVID-19 pandemic was a dire time for most. Yet, in the United Kingdom, many people were inspired by the story of Max the Miracle Dog.
By the time the pandemic outbreak reached the UK in early 2020, Max was already a 12-year-old springer spaniel, placing him in the upper age range of dogs worldwide. Yet, his energy would capture the hearts of a nation and world desperately in need of a heartwarming story.
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Max was adopted by Kevin Irving sometime after a horrendous road traffic accident in 2007-08 which left Kevin with agonizing, severe pain and depression. But in these hard times, Kevin just needed a small ray of hope; a reason to keep going. And then he found it.
Kevin immediately fell in love with his neighbour’s dog, the young springer; they became close companions and Kevin even cited Max as giving him reason to carry on living following the accident.
The neighbour would encourage Kevin to take Max on a walk, and that became a new routine for him. This was something much healthier for him, than spending his days wallowing in grief and watching TV.
Kevin had also started posting their walks on his Facebook page, where Max gained an enormous social media following, ballooning to well over 120,000 followers on the page, titled "Max Out In the Lakes". The page had actually existed and done well for years prior, with Max receiving awards in 2018 - by then having met 10,000 people for meet-and-greets, charity walks and so forth.
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The content on social media was simple: Kevin would photograph and film Max out and about on his walks. In a dog-loving nation, this is precisely what viewers wanted to see during the pandemic, where attention to Max would rapidly grow. He would become the first ever recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit, known as the "animal OBE," in February 2021 - he would proudly wear it around his neck!
Max would become known as the "nation's therapy dog" and would continue playing an integral part in charity walks, meet-and-greets etc prior to his death on 6 April 2022, shortly after being diagnosed with a brain tumor at 14 years of age.
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Following his death, Kerry Irving has written a book about Max titled "Max: The Miracle Dog - the Heartwarming Tale of A Life-Saving Friendship." A statue honoring Max was also built in his hometown of Keswick and is a hotspot for visitors wishing to pay their respects to a lovely dog beloved by hundreds of thousands.
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