Words by Smiley Team
After locksmith Kerry Irving, 56, had a serious car accident, it led to significant mobility problems and severe depression. But then he met Max, a springer spaniel who helped him to recover, giving him fresh enthusiasm for life. To thank his newfound companion for turning his life around, Kerry started fundraising for animal charities such as PDSA and has collected over £300,000 to date.
While driving home one day in the Lake District, Kerry had slowed down when, suddenly, a truck drove straight into his car. He suffered several back injuries and prolapsed disks in his neck and lower spine. He had to have about eight operations, there was a lot of nerve damage and it impeded his mobility to the extent that he couldn’t walk more than 50 metres at one point.
Then, a while after his accident, Kerry’s wife encouraged him to get out by fetching some bread and on his way to collect it, he saw a small dog sticking its head out from between the slats of a garden gate.
“I thought ‘The poor little fellow is locked up in a small yard’,” recalled Kerry. “He was a springer spaniel as well, a breed that needs a lot of exercise. Anyway, there was a connection between us and the next day I went to see him again.”
With both Kerry and the dog, Max, experiencing physical restrictions, their bond grew, and when Max’s owner had to move away, she gave him to Kerry to look after. Their companionship pulled Kerry out of severe depression and helped him to start getting active again.
To give back to Max, he decided to raise money for animal charities. He and his wife had set up a Facebook page for Max, which attracted over 200,000 followers. This fan base offered them a willing group of sponsors for fundraising activities and to date, they have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“I can never repay Max for what he did for me, and there are thousands of Maxes out there,” he said. “A pet might be the only support for someone struggling with mental health issues. Then if something happens to that animal, the owner might not be able to pay the vet’s bills to help them. So that’s where the PDSA steps in.”
From cake sales and sponsored walks to climbing Ben Nevis, they’ve organised a huge range of fundraising events.
“Last year, for Max’s 13th birthday, we did a charity walk and a raffle. We wanted to raise £10,000 across the two events. But in the end, the charity walk raised about £46,000 and the raffle raised £43,000 within six weeks. Max received 1,400 birthday cards in the post and I got 10 for my birthday,” he exclaimed.
The UK’s leading veterinary charity, PDSA offers low-cost and free care to pets of deprived households. They have been helping animals in need and promoting responsible pet ownership for over 100 years.
To support their work donate to PDSA.
