Max the Miracle Dog: The Heart-Warming Tale of a Life-Saving Friendship
By: Kerry Irving / Narrated By: Marston York
Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
Huzzah! A Feel-Good story with many layers and a whole lotta heart!
2006. A car accident that was not his fault comPLETEly upends Kerry Irving’s life. A man who found solace in riding his bike 60 miles a day is now confined to the sofa, living in unbearable pain, having thoughts of suicide. He rails at his (EVER loving and patient) wife, Angela—Yes, she’s carrying the entire financial load now, working extra shifts, seeing to all his needs… BUT…
This is his Life! What has he become?
And so we have the story of Max the Miracle Dog. Because Angela will NOT give up on Kerry, and (God I love her!) she won’t be beaten down by his tirades or by his debilitating anxieties. One day, she opens the fridge to get some milk for their tea, swishes the carton, decides there’s not enough: And she sends Kerry to the store. THIS he canNOT do: He can’t walk, can he? What if he falls? What if he panics? What if? What if? What if?
But she sticks to her guns and soon Kerry finds himself out and about, struggling, yes, but continuing to live. And while he’s out, he comes across the most glorious Springer Spaniel named Max. The two hit it off, as Kerry has owned a Springer in the recent past, and he, spur-of-the-moment, offers the owner to walk Max. This gets Kerry moving even more.
And when a new job means Max’s owners will have to move? It just kills Kerry. But soon, that move is an opportunity: They can’t take Max… will Kerry give him a home?
Soon, Max is Kerry’s life’s companion, and he joins Kerry when Kerry becomes a mobile locksmith (Movement on his terms). And soon, Kerry creates a FaceBook page for Max, chronicling their off time and showing just how intrepid, loving, and delightful Max is. The page is an instant hit—videos of Max with his flying ears reaching a million views—and Kerry starts using Max’s fame as a Much-Loved Pup to help social causes.
What I reeeeeally loved about this book is that it starts earlier with Kerry’s childhood. There were some bits of sun, but this is a story of how a beaten-down boy, fearful of taking a step, becomes a courageous and loving man who is NOT afraid of wearing his heart on his sleeve (Welllllll, okay, maybe he’s a tad hesitant about it: He weeps during interviews, wonders if people’ll cringe to see his emotions, but they respond in WONderful ways!). The scenes with his stepfather are horrifying; the scenes with his father are just plain sad (Don’t ever expect an alcoholic to change; your dreams will just be shattered).
This is a story of small steps punctuated by BIG leeeeaps of faith, striving to find love, embrace it, honor it, and then to spread the love around. All Kerry wants is to keep Max’s love in his life, and that leads to showdowns with Angela (Who haaaaaates sitting in dog hair… or Hoovering it up CONstantly). But, as Kerry is quick to point out, he’s kinda a low-maintenance guy, doesn’t hit the bottle, is financially stable, loves her to death. This leads to two other Springers joining their family.
Usually, I get all twitched off when I read about (Er, listen to) people who find “replacement” animals cuz they’re afraid of the grieving process. But here, in this story, Kerry just wants the love to go on and on; he’s not replacing anybody and, goodness knows, he’s up for the grief that’ll come when his beloved pups pass: He knows he’ll be a wreck, but he’s open to Love and to Life to that great a degree.
Marston York does a stellar job with the performance; I actually thought he was Kerry there SEVeral times. He just knows the material backwards/forwards, never falters. Plus, he adds soooo much emotion when Kerry is struggling. And he does a really mean stepdad (Wanted to throttle the guy… I hope a copy of the book finds its way to him and that he sees himself for the small bully he is!)
A really good audiobook, chockfull of what Love can do for a life, of all that is possible if you just take that single step, if you just try based on what is in your heart.
So good I googled Kerry Irving and read all those articles where he opened up about his depression and the suicidal thoughts. So happy to read all that was referred to—
Huzzah for Max! Huzzah for his Springer brothers!
And Huzzah for Angela cuz THAT woman must be covered in dog hair by now, Heaven love her!
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