18/09/2026
Remembering Max
Iโve not been able to write this until now. It has simply felt too painful.
On 5th August, my beautiful Max, my best friend and our much loved office mascot, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge at the incredible age of 17 years young.
I suppose one reason I wanted to share this here is that, unless you have loved and lost a pet, it can be hard to understand how much it hurts.
For anyone working alongside someone going through that loss, whether as an employer, manager, colleague or friend, a little extra kindness and understanding can mean so much. They arenโt simply pets. They are family, part of our everyday lives and routines, and the grief when they leave us is very real.
And Iโve seen that with our own team too. Max wasnโt just my dog who happened to come into the office. He was part of our DBR family and his loss has affected all of us. They were used to seeing him, talking to him, giving him a fuss and, naturally, sharing the occasional biscuit with him. There is a Max shaped space in our office now that we all feel.
Max came into our lives as a rescue and I donโt think we could ever have imagined just how much this beautiful golden boy would become such an important part of our family and Debbie Burbage Recruitment too.
Many of you who have visited us over the years will have met him. He would quite possibly have left you with a little bit of golden fur to take home with you and if you had a biscuit, you were instantly his best friend!
Max had been by my side since 2012 and became a familiar face to so many clients, candidates, friends and team members. He had his own special way of welcoming people and making the office feel that little bit more like home.
To me, though, he was so much more than our office pooch. He was my best friend, my companion and a beautiful little soul who was beside me through so many chapters of my life.
We rescued Max all those years ago, but in so many ways I think he gave us far more than we could ever have given him.
Seventeen years is an incredible life and I know how lucky we were to have him for so long. I just wish it could have been longer.
The office isnโt quite the same without him, and neither are we. We all miss him in our own way and I miss him more than words can say.
Sleep peacefully, my beautiful boy.
Thank you for all the love, all the memories and, of course, all that golden fur.
You were so very loved, Max, and you always will be.
