MAXX

WELCOME TO MAXX’S MOUNTAIN

A MEMORIAL PAGE FOR MAXX-AMILLION – (Be sure to sign MAXX’S Guestbook at the bottom of this page)

BORN: May 31, 2008 – DIED: January 4, 2024

(The following post is from a Facebook/META post dated: January 5, 2024):

My name is MAXX-Amillion Harrington.  I was born 5,697 days ago on Saturday, May 31, 2008.  I died last night, Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 11:33pm.  (May 31, 2008 – January 4, 2024).  

If you look at those dates, the little hyphen is all that really matters.  What I did, where I went, and who I shared life with between those dates is the good stuff!  Make sure that is the case with your “dates” once you’re gone.  If you’re still reading this far down, thank you!  Chances are good that you knew me (or my humans).  And that makes you very special to me!  Thanks for taking the time to read this.  

If you never knew me, then maybe I can at least share a little bit of my life and my story with you today.  I want you to know that my 15 years, 7 months, and 4 days were incredible and I am thankful for each of those days and my dear humans that loved me so well!  My journey was a little bumpy at first as I actually met my main human (this is his Meta platform) on a cold Saturday morning at a flea-market. 

Now let me make it clear that the folks at the home where I was born didn’t “hock me off” at the local flea market.  They had previously arranged for me to go to my new home in Sumter at just a few weeks old and they just met up at the flea market for me to then make my journey to Sumter.  It was an exciting day for me.  

I spent the next few months literally in the lap of or on the desk in the office of my earthly, human “Paw” Richard.  He was patient and worked closely with me as I learned to go outside to dispose and to play well with others.  He did a pretty good job including naming me MAXX (which he used as the name of a business he then started called “MAXX-LIFT Suspension & Off-road Products”).  Yeah, that’s where that came from and I’m MAXX!  Nice to meet you!  

A few short years later I matured some and well, with this being Sumter I “fathered” quite a few pups throughout the years.  There are some really good ones out there, but the ones that really stand out to me are:  Bentley, Pippa, Darla, Little Max, Minnie, and Paisley. 

A few years later in life I worked hard to be a Certified Pet Therapy Dog and I also earned my AKC Canine Good Citizen (AKC-CGC) Status.  I’m not 100% sure what all of that meant except that I was able to go and visit a whole lot of nice people in the hospital and nursing homes that seemed to have extra time to share with me and make my little nub (docked-tail) wiggle and woggle like crazy so much!  Wow, I met a LOT of nice people who had so much love and time for me!  I am so very grateful!  

For many years I would go visit these fine people and they would smile and tell me about their dogs, the dogs they had as a small child, and just how much they loved dogs!  What an honor to have all of those people to make my day so special!  I love each and every one of them!  I would sometimes leave them a little card with my photo on it that said they had a visit from me today! 

Although many of them needed for my human to take me to them (I guess maybe they couldn’t drive) it was so warming to my little “special” heart to have all those people show me love and warm my heart for all of those years.  Humans can be really wonderful, so don’t give up on them all just yet.  

Did I mention my special heart just a ways back?  I had a little heart “murmur” since I was very young, but I can tell you that it had a super strong and loud beat that made more than one Veterinarian back up and pull the ol’ stethoscope out of their ears!  I know at this point you might be thinking that heart murmur took me out, but it didn’t. 

The truth is I just got tired, really tired, and my main human held me most of the afternoon up to his own chest, near to his own heart, looked into my face and told me he knew I was tired and that if I needed to go, that it was okay.  He said he understood and that he was so grateful for having spent at least most of those 5,696 days with me.  

We looked into each others eyes for many hours yesterday and I could tell he didn’t want me to go, but he understood that I was really tired and I needed to rest.  The love that is willing to let go can sometimes be the hardest love but at the end of the day, it’s really what love is…. wanting what is best for someone else in spite of what we might want.  And I am sure he tried to love me well right up until the end.  And he was surely “my human” for most of my life! 

I do have several others that are very special humans and I am really thankful for how they added so much to my life as well.  Heck, if you’re still reading, you’re pretty special too!  

I wouldn’t want to ever leave out some super-wonderful people who showed me so much love in my life in recent years as well.  Just about two years ago, I lost my ability to hear.  Just about 18 months ago, my “Paw” took me and had about everything done that could possibly be done to figure out why I now lived in a silent, and sometimes frightening world.  He ultimately communicated to me that my ears would never work again, but that there are other ways to communicate.  I could get that message from his eyes as he “explained” it to me.  

Then I met the most remarkable and wonderful lady named Emily, who taught me sign-language!  She configured an “alert” system that vibrated my collar and taught me to stop, drop, and roll!  I know you’re thinking someone is on fire at this point, but no that is not the case. 

I will explain for those who are confused.  Whenever I feel the vibration, no matter what is going on, I stop in place, drop my tush to the ground, and roll around clockwise like I’m sitting on a “lazy-suzan” and look for my human who is about to give me one of a half-dozen simple commands.  My favorite is the whole hand waving towards them.  That one usually means to “come” to him and I’m probably about to get some super hugs or something to eat, or at least a treat.  

He also from the time I was very small puppy would hug me and say “good boy” and he would still do that with an emphasis to make sure the words transmitted through his jaw-bone onto the top of my head and I could understand him.  It was nice to “hear” again and communicate in a new way that was like “secret-code” that other dogs didn’t understand!  I won’t boast and say that I was smart, but I was special like that for sure!  Thank you Emily for adding so much life to my life in the past two years!  I ruff you for that so much!  

I found myself feeling and looking a little rough a few years ago and Allison was always sure to make me look like one of those movie star tv commercial dogs with the best, gentlest, most loving grooming and weekly “spa treatments” that any dog could ever want!  I felt like I was a super star dog living the life of luxury and not some “flea market” pup!  I even got a gentle sprucing up to keep me comfortable and in the best possible shape with a “Pup-GQ-Magazine” worthy trim, brush, and grooming of my wonderful, platinum beard. 

I can honestly say I haven’t ever been so clean, shiny, and loved as I have in recent years!  It’s nice to be over 100 in doggie years and still look handsome!  I am so very grateful to you Allison, my best Mom ever!  You got me my very first “pup-cup” and wow!  That was sweet!  Thank you!  

I am also very glad for the past few years with Millie, Sydney, and more recently with Maggie as they have been my canine family and have been really fun to share in life with.  If you’re still reading, thank you for loving me that much even if I don’t know your name or if you were in my life for a little while or a long while. 

Please don’t be sad about anything you have read because life is what you make of it, and mine has been wonderful.  Just this past year I couldn’t hear my human ask me if I wanted to go on vacation to the beach, but I got to go and loved it!  The golf car rides and all of those nice people petting me was so fun!  I couldn’t hear my human ask me if I wanted to go on vacation to the mountains, but I got to go and I loved it!  The creek was super-cold, but so much fun!  And they have “pup-cups” there too!  

Even though I couldn’t hear Richard ask me if I wanted a banana (my absolute favorite food in the entire world, even more than he likes chicken-wings), he always gave me some sliced up, even on yesterday before I had to say goodbye.  I am so thankful for my happy life and I know that I lived my best life with the ones who loved me!  

Be sure you do the same because life is short.  And don’t let a day pass that you don’t thank God for all you have and the life you live.  I know that is something my human does everyday.  I will close by simply saying, thank you for reading my story.  I hope your story will be better in some way having known me, or having known of me.  Love, MAXX

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