In the Sims household, the pets are full family members. Mabel brings the water escapades. Max brings the wildlife.
Mabel and Max live with Christie Sims and her family: a dog who will not stay out of the bathtub and a cat with a neighborhood following.
Mabel Knox, "Mabeline"
Mabel is a 6-year-old English black Lab and a daughter of the champion "Moose" from Smokey Mountain Lab in Knoxville, Tennessee. The family spent two years on a waitlist for a puppy that did not meet show-dog standards before bringing her home.
She is obedient, affectionate and an equal-opportunity lover of dogs, cats, people and even highland cows. Water is her obsession: indoor plumbing, puddles, pools, lakes and the White Water Center. At home she favors the family shower, the bathtub and her own baby pool. Leave a gate open and she has been spotted "pool hopping" across neighbors' yards.
Her favorites are green treats, hard-boiled eggs and a watermelon toy. Her favorite place to relax is curled up with her human brother. She has a knack for sensing when someone is ill or down and moves in with comfort. Her request, if she could make one: "Draw me a warm bath!"
Max, "Maxipoo"
Max is an 11-year-old mixed-breed rescue cat from Charlotte. The Sims family adopted him from a shelter after noticing him alone in his crate; he did not like other cats. He likes nearly everything else: people, dogs and "live action" wildlife, which he stalks between naps on the porch or a wicker ottoman.
Neighbors catch him pausing a hunt to pose for selfies, which get shared far and wide. Rumor has it he may have a secret Instagram account. If he could speak, the family figures, he would complain that Mabel is spoiling his stakeout and propose going hunting instead.
Why the family loves them
Together they are a mix of sass, adventure and snuggles. Mabel leads the family into unexpected water escapades; Max provides warmth, companionship and a touch of wildlife excitement. Life with the two is never boring.
This story appears in the June 2026 issue of Stroll Providence.