Maximum Bodacious, an English bull terrier and Staffordshire mix, is now one of the world’s oldest dogs, living to 24 years old after surviving a baseball bat attack as a puppy.
While the adored canine is living out his senior years with his loving guardians Lisa Hezzell and Rick Winter, he still faces challenges resulting from his previous abuse. Severely beaten as a pup, Maximum Bodacious doesn’t like hearing Yorkshire accents, which are similar to that of his abusers and trigger post traumatic stress symptoms. To keep him happy and stress-free, the couple is careful about where they take Maximum Bodacious, and they distract him with treats if he starts feeling nervous.
Hezzell and Winter adopted the bull terrier from a shelter after the RSPCA rescued him from his abuser’s backyard, where he suffered broken ribs and had been fed an acid-like substance.
“It meant he can’t bark, but he can squeal like a pig,” Hezzell told the Daily Mail. “They were able to reconstruct his face. When I first saw him he had a lot of hair missing, and no one had picked him because he looked so awful. But as soon as I saw him, I fell in love with him.”
The couple named him “Maximum” as a testament to his strength, adding “Bodacious” in honor of Hezzell’s favorite childhood movie, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. They hope to get him officially entered into the Guinness Book of World Records before their wedding next year.
This heartwarming story reminds us that even abused animals can go on to live long, fulfilling lives with just a little bit of love and caring.
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Poor baby finally seen the happier times in his life because of you 2 amazing human beings. Thanks for rescuing & giving this innocent pup a very healthy & joyous long life….Bless you all…
Bless Lisa and Rick who have given such wonderful care and love to this sweet dog. Thank you for your kindness and compassion!
Wishing this dog and other animals all the love in the world.
All the cruelty of God’s animal need to ✋ stop they are intelligent and they have feelings
He is beautiful. God bless them all.
THANK YOU
THANK YOU SO MUCH for loving and caring for Maximum — keep it up — have you attempted to get rid of the IMBECILE-PSYCHOS who abused this sweet Animal?! — I hope so — may Maximum live many more happy and healthy years.
What a beautiful tale.
who would want to live in a world without our best friends, most royal companions DO NO HARM!!!!
You Beautiful Boy Maximum Bodacious; 24 years of well deserved joy and love❣❣❣❣ I hope you enjoy many more years of loving care 💖 Thank you to those who rescued this baby from abuse (if you see animal abuse; report it!!) and the loving compassionate couple that adopted him and empowered his glorious spirit❣ May his; and all animal abusers, burn in Hell for all eternity!!!
They didn’t ask to be put on this Earth please can’t we show a little love … If you dont want them then for God’s sakes give them to those of us that do!! Thank you Renea Sparks
God bless you Maximum and your kind and loving guardians.
Such a good story! I hope the abusers see it.
This brought tears to my eyes. So thankful for these wonderful people for taking Maximus into their family, even though he wasn’t as cute as the other dogs in the shelter. To think of the terrible abuse he suffered and still live this long is a great story!
Il le mérite bien !!!
Belle et longue vie pour ce merveilleux compagnon !!!
Maximum Bodacious is an inspiration to humans who have survived abuse and gone on to live a useful life and survive into old age. Thanks to his rescuers for making his life better and making a better world.
Thank-you for rescuing Maximim. He deserves only the best in life.
What a story . Such a sad begining but love is all you need. 24 years for a dog is amazing . I had a dog live till 21 and that was great but 24, wow. I hope he does get in the guiness book of records and lives on and on. xx
How do start a petition to end the sale of anything alive on Facebook book nothing with a soul should be allowed to be sold on Facebook book I thought that was a social site to meet old friends not traffic sale and exotic from nature
An eye for an eye, PROSECUTE!!!
An eye for an eye, PROSECUTE!!!
moche
Thank you for your kind hearts in rescuing this beautiful furbaby as a pup. It is amazing the strength he has to have lived this long after the horrific things that were done to him. I pray they found the ingrate and did away with him. He gave up his right to live. God bless you 😇
I am glad for Bodacious. He has loving caretakers and a good home. He certainly deserves that. I hope he lives to be the oldest dog because he was not given much chance of even living with the previous cruel person who hurt him. Thank Goodness, there are people who know how to love and will share it with another creature. Restores my faith in humanity when I hear stories like this one. Good luck, Bodacious, Lisa and Rick. You all are a terrific family and have given us a wonderful blessing-filled story.
Agree.
A very sad beginning to a beautiful life of love and care. Thank you Rick and Lisa, you are true angels.
Harte Strafen für Tiertötungen die beabsichtigt worden.
Merci à vous!!!
Vous êtes remarquables!!!
Well done to you, Hezzel and Rick for giving Max so much love and supporting him. You are a real blessing.
I hope that he makes it into the Guiness Book of World Records.
What a remarkable story of this dog!! I hope that he makes it into The Guinness World Book of Records!!
Love this live on and hopefully you had a wonderful happy loving live since your survival of the attack
Sending love to all who saved him and the family he is a part of. Kudos to all.
Thank you to Lisa Hezzell and Rick Winter for seeing Max B’s true beauty.
I hope he makes it into the Guinness WBR ! Who could say no to that sweet face!
Congratulations to you both.
Is Max B going to be ring bearer?