FROM THE WILD TO THE STAGE
Maxwell's story from his point of view written by Amanda Creely

I must have been loved when I was a baby—even though I don’t remember. Someone had to have taught me all the neat things I know, like how to sit and shake paws, and love people. But something must have happened. Maybe they went away and gave me to someone who didn’t care much about me. All I remember is that they were so busy that they forgot to feed me and water me and brush me. In the end, they forgot I was even there. That’s when I ended up all alone in this big old world.

While wandering in the woods one day, I met some friends--two very old dogs and one very young one. We became a family and took care of each other. One night as we were looking for food along a road, a bright light shown in my eyes. I couldn’t see where to run so I just stood there. And then…WHAM…I was hit by a big old car. I walked away from that crash with bumps, bruises, scrapes and a badly hurt toe. Every step I made was painful.

A few days later, a funny animal came upon our dog family. Everyone was afraid. “Run,” they barked. But I looked at the funny creature and thought, “I know you. You are a human.” I walked right up to him. I wasn’t afraid because I remembered that a long time ago humans were kind to me. I also began to remember some of the things they taught me. “I know how to sit,” I thought. And so I sat. “I know how to shake,” so I gently placed my injured foot in the man’s hand. As he looked at my foot, he patted me on the head and led me to the truck. My friends were afraid of the man, but I trusted him. It took many hours for him to catch my whole family, but he did. He then took us to a place called the pound where they bandaged my foot and gave us all something to eat.

My friends were very sad to be locked up at the pound. All their lives they had never had a person be nice to them. All they knew about people was that they were mean and would hit them and yell mean words at them. They never knew the love of a person’s hand and how good it felt to be petted or to have a child hug you. My companions were old and set in their ways. They were so afraid that they acted mean and barked and tried to snap at the people. They would never be able to find a good home if they wouldn’t trust the people. I felt sorry for them. When I looked into their eyes they looked tired. Not tired from not getting enough sleep but tired from the many years of people being mean and ignoring them. They were tired in a way that only someone who has never been loved could feel.

It was at the pound when I first heard the term, “heartworms,” and I learned that I had them. I never knew that one simple word could be the matter of life and death for dogs like us. I learned that dogs get heartworms from mosquito bites. If we are given medicine every month we won’t get them. But I had no one to love me enough to give me medicine. Then people from a place called the Perry County Humane Society came and took me away from the pound. It was sad to leave my family behind, but it was a happy day for me.

The Humane Society people made me a lot of promises. They promised that I would get my foot fixed, that they would get rid of those heartworms, and they would love me. And they did! It was a good place, but it didn’t feel like home. The best days were when the smallest volunteer came. She was seven years old and was a dog lover from the day she was born. She would brush me and take me for walks in the wheat field and talk to me about…well, half the time I didn’t know what she was talking about, but she would take her time to talk to me and that is what was important.

Then one day, the most wonderful thing happened. A volunteer at the Humane Society just happened to hear that Three Angels Broadcasting Network needed a dog for their children’s television show Kids’ Time. She thought I would be perfect. She was an angel. She made a phone call and that night the host of Kids' Time, Brenda Walsh, came to see me. At first Miss Brenda was afraid of me. She had never been around dogs before and a big black dog was not exactly what she was thinking would be a good dog to be around little kids. I knew she was nervous, so I didn’t bother her much. I just put on the old charm and figured she would come around. And she did. In one hour she went from being afraid of me to feeding me and even letting me lay on her feet. She was another angel. By the end of our visit Miss Brenda knew that I was the dog for her show…but she had to make sure.

She decided that I should audition for the show to see if I would behave and if anyone at 3ABN could find a lot of room in their heart-- and a little room in their home for me since Miss Brenda traveled too much to keep a dog.

Well, let me tell you, I was a smash at the show. I felt like a million bucks standing on that stage and being around all those people—especially Miss Brenda and the kids. The problem with me is not that I needed a lot of correction or training.It is that I just can’t stay awake. I am so happy and feel so loved by my Miss Brenda and all the children that I feel like for the first time in my life I can relax.

Now here’s the best part of all, there at the audition, I found another angel in the form of my new mommy. She had just come from a far away place and there was a big hole in her life that only a four-legged friend could fill. It was love at first sight.

So, that’s how I got my new home, my new job, and my new name, Maxwell—MAX for short. The best part of all this is not that I am going to be a superstar (although that doesn’t hurt), but that every day when I get off work I get to go home. I get to go on long walks with my new mommy and I get to roll around on the floor with my new kids. Jesus, who I’m learning about in my new home, really has blessed me. Every day I get to go on Kids’ Time television and be a role model for dogs from the pound. Plus, I get to show all the great kids who watch Kids’ Time the right way to take care of a dog and how to love all of the animals that God created.

Ahhhh! Sorry I’m yawning—but I’m getting sleepy again. So, I will see you on KIDS' TIME! Until then, remember to be kind to animals—and to each other.