Jack

Two weeks ago we had to make the decision that every dog owner fears.  When we got home from church that Sunday, it was obvious Jack was in distress.  A year or so ago he was diagnosed with esophageal paralysis, but that didn't seem to slow him down.  It was, as is with many big dogs, the failure of his hips and back end.  We kept him as comfortable as possible until the vet could make his final house call on Tuesday morning.  

It's taken me two weeks to write this and I cry as I do.  Jack wasn't my first pet, but he was my first dog.  He had a personality as big as his size.  He was sweet and loving and attracted both people and other dogs.  People, including strangers, would stop their cars and get out to pet and love on him.  He was quirky and stubborn and mischievous and low key and lots of energy.

For twelve and a half years old, Jack entertained us, kept us company, made us get up in the morning and out in the snow.  At over a hundred pounds, he often thought he was a lap dog.  And who were we to argue?

Jack was our mascot at work.  His picture decorates our break room, posing with a baseball cap bearing the company's logo.  He didn't much care for Santa but had our friends trained to bring him toys whenever they visitied.

He loved snow and could lay in it for hours.  Rain, not so much.  He knew the difference between a ride and a trip.  The former was short and usually to the park.  The latter meant he would see one of his favorite furry friends, Sarah, down in Tennessee.  

When we told our neighbor across the street of Jack's passing, he gave us each a big hug and told us he understood.  He and his wife, both in their sixties, never had children either.  Because of that, he said, our pets take a more prominent role in our lives.  I think he was on to something with that thought.

We used to joke that with so many of our conversations revolving around Jack, what would talk about when he was gone.  I don't know.  It still hurts too much.

He is very much missed.

Pet blessing at church with his "cousin" Hershey.

AMDG

First Photo - September 2019

 Yikes this is late!  The picture was taken on time, almost, but lazy me just never got around to posting it.

The dog days of summer may be over, but the froggy days of fall have just started.  We have been enjoying the patio and falls more than ever, and it seems the frogs are as well.  We have christened our water feature as the Five Frog Falls.  See if you can spot all of them in the first photo below.

AMDG

Jump Start (6): The Adventures of Jack, part 3 – or one smart puppy (aka Draft Folder cleanup, take two)

Clean up, take two.  Just like week three.  Again, again!

I wrote this back in February 2014.  I had it scheduled to post, but apparently never hit "Publish".  So, I suppose it is about time I did.

Since he was already 14 weeks old when we got him, we weren’t sure how house broken Jack was. We decided it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for him to sleep upstairs in our bedroom. Our sunroom has an older rug and concrete floors so we decided that would be the best place for him to spend the night. We took turns sleeping on the couch with Jack by our side. I don’t think he really had too many accidents, he was a quick learner.

Once he knew he needed to go outside to do his business, we decided to teach him to tell us when it was time. We bought a cowbell down in Amish country and a hook to hang it on by the back door. Before we had a chance to install the hook, we gave him a little demonstration. We rang the bell then opened the door.

Until we could hang it up, for lack of a better place to put the bell, we stored it in a basket that was hanging by the door. A day later we found Jack up on the couch nudging the basket. He knew where the bell was and he needed to go out. After one demo he had caught on – we knew then we had one smart dog!

Jack - January 2018

AMDG

Socks – A Sign of Good Things to Come

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I sat down to put on my socks.  Jack got up from where he was laying on the floor watching me.  His tail was wagging so hard his hind quarters were swaying as if he was on a dance floor.  He was doing his happy dance.

Oh, he was happy.  He was excited.  You see, to him, when I put on my socks, it means we are going for a walk.  He is going to get to smell something new and mark trees and mail boxes and fence posts.  Something good was going to happen.

Unfortunately, for both of us, socks today meant I was going to work and not for a walk.  He’ll get his walk when I get home.
 
Lately, my "socks" has been the weather forecast.  Seeing a prediction of fifty rather than fifteen reminds me that Spring is on the way, a very good thing.  The flowers will bloom and the trees will bud and the harsh winter will be only a distant memory.

Sunshine, warm weather, and flowers makes me do my happy dance.  How about you?  What makes you dance?







AMDG

Support groups???

Hi!  My name is Jack and I am a kleptomaniac.

Hi Jack!

It started when I was just a puppy.  My humans were doing yard work so I ran off.  When I finally came home, running through the mud and the muck, they had this shocked look on their faces, staring at what I was carrying in my mouth.  They thought I killed a baby raccoon or bunny.  It was just some other dog’s toy that I liked.  So I took it.  To this day they don't know from where I snitched it and I'll never tell. 

My cousin dog, Hershey, has a few good toys.  When we went to visit last time, I took her puppy.  Hershey’s old, she’ll never miss it.

My next door neighbor, Lucy, has really great stuffies.  I went over there yesterday for a visit and left with my fourth toy from her this spring.  It’s an unstuffed bunny.  She’ll never miss it!  Himself tried to return it, but I snatched it back from Lucy’s human and she just laughed.  She thinks I’m adorable!

My female human just looks at me and shakes her head.  She thinks I need help.  I don’t think so, do you?

AMDG

Quick Takes (26) - Birthday edition

-1-

April is a great month for birthdays in our family.  This weekend we will be celebrating three of them – my dog’s, my dad’s, and my father-in-law’s.

-2-

My not-really-a-puppy-anymore puppy, Jack, is five years old today.  And what better way to celebrate than to torture him with a party hat.  He only chewed two of them!

-3-

My dad will celebrate his 71^st birthday tomorrow.  I think he's finally enjoying all the perks that now come with birthdays, namely free meals at some of his favorite restaurants.   I know he's got at least two dinners and one breakfast planned. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of him, taken on a birthday more years ago than I’d care to admit.

-4-

My father-in-law will be celebrating his 74th on Sunday.  Despite some health issues, he is a man who likes to keep busy.  The grass and gardens are always meticulously kept in the summer and the driveway is cleaned clear of snow in the winter.

-5-

We will be celebrating on Sunday with dinner, steaks on the grill, and a very decadent chocolate cake.  A girlfriend gave me the recipe, aptly named The Best Chocolate Cake Ever, and it doesn’t disappoint. 

-6-

Everyone celebrating birthdays this weekend is in good company as Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate his 85th on Monday.  Happy Birthday Papa! 

-7-

“When we step into the family, by the act of being born, we do step into a world which is incalculable, into a world which has its own strange laws, into a world which could do without us, into a world we have not made. In other words, when we step into the family we step into a fairy-tale.”

– GKC in Heretics

Check out more quick takes at Conversion Diary.

AMDG

The Adventures of Jack, part 2 – or Destructo Dog

Little did I know how completely unprepared I was for raising a puppy.  We had watched my sister’s dog, Hershey, a number of times, but she is an older, well trained, settled dog.  A puppy is so very completely different.

We had to go out one day soon after getting him, so instead of taking the chance that he would have an “accident” in the house, we decided to lock him in the laundry room.  Big mistake.  The door, the molding and the drywall all paid the price.

After that, we would just let him roam the house when we were gone.  Our Jack is mister social and didn’t like being left alone.  He suffered from a bit of separation anxiety and took it out one various things throughout the house.  We would take bets as to what would be destroyed when we got home.  At various times in his puppyhood, he managed to chew on, tear apart, mangle or destroy:

curtains, pillows, his bed, guest bedroom comforter, many rolls of TP, several baseball caps and a number of shoes and a couple of bras, Bob Feller baseball card, firewood, tennis balls, kitchen chairs, tissue boxes, lots of stuffed animals, a just released library book, a wooden carving, kitchen and entryway throw rugs, a couple of leashes, the electric cord to a lamp, two of Himself's books including the "Regan Letters"

Owning a puppy was much, much more expensive than I had anticipated.  There were all the things I knew he needed, food, leash & collar, vet visits, but the replacement and repair of things destroyed caught me off guard.

AMDG

It’s a dog’s life or the Adventures of Jack, part 1

When we moved into our house everyone asked us if we were going to be getting a dog soon.  We have a rather large yard, so in most peoples’ minds a dog was a given.  We always answered with an emphatic “No!”  About nine months before we moved we buried our beloved cat, Tequila, and we just weren’t ready to invest emotionally in another animal.

 About three years later, I was ready; Himself, no so much, but I convinced him it was time.  I’ve always liked big dogs but we thought we would be better off with a medium sized one.  So we did our research and found that Labradoodles usually grow to 50 to 70 pounds and shed very little.  Perfect!

We found a reputable breeder not too far away and e-mailed to find out if any puppies were available.  We had fallen in love with several they had on their website.  Yes!  There were still a couple looking for homes.  A couple days later we were on the road to see if one of these puppies would be our new “fur baby.”

At this point we weren’t 100% certain we would come home with a dog. Or maybe we would get two, so one wouldn’t be lonely.  We wanted to “meet” the puppies before deciding.  The breeder had to think we were nuts.  We came totally unprepared – no collar, no leash, nothing.  Since we had talked with them, one of the dogs had been adopted.  They brought out the last remaining one, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Himself will tell you he knew by the look on my face that we would be going home with another passenger in the car. 

The puppy was gentle and patient.  A litter of younger puppies was crawling all over him as he lay in the pen.  It didn’t seem to faze him.  And he wasn’t afraid at all of meeting two new strangers.  I was hooked.   We filled out our paperwork, wrote out a check, and headed on home with our new puppy on the end of some borrowed twine.

Apparently, riding in the car made him a little nervous.  As he lay in Himself’s lap, he farted the whole way home!  SBDs.  Silent But Deadly.  Our eyes were watering.  My nose was running. It was about an hour and 45 minute drive; halfway home we stopped so we could air out the car.

I think all three of us were quite grateful when we finally arrived home. 

At first I was going to name him Lewis, for CS Lewis, but that just didn’t fit.  Himself reminded me that CS Lewis’ nickname among his friends was Jack.  That name fit our new puppy perfectly.

When we took him to the vet the next day, we found out our puppy was already 44.5 pounds and we could expect that he would at least double that weight.  So much for a medium sized dog! 

To be continued. . .

AMDG

Lap dog?!

Apparently Jack decided he needed some one-on-one attention and I was it!  When did my 105 pound puppy become a lap dog?  I was trying to read Belloc's "The Path to Rome".  Oh well, later.

A New Low

Well, I hit a new low.  For walking in the cold that is.  When Jack and walked this morning it was -3 degrees, without the windchill.  But you know what?  I really enjoyed it.  There was a glorious red and orange and yellow sunrise.  It was quiet and peaceful.  A good start to the day!