Jake

As I sit here on the couch surrounded by my warm and fuzzy snoring balls of energy, I can't believe how lucky I am.  I will share stories about all of them, but we will start with a little history of Jake.  Jake is my first rescue dog and the sweetest old boy I know.  He came home with us on December 1st, 2003 from the Ingham County Animal Shelter at age 6.  He had been turned in to the shelter by his previous owner and had been there about a month. 

On his first night with us, he was unsure and I am sure he was confused.  I remember his first night as he came into the bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed looking at me with those big brown eyes.  I felt for the guy and so of course I let him up on the bed and he curled up in a ball at my feet. I think he knew then that everything was going to be okay.

He was immediately loyal and loving and we loved him right back, but I don't think any of us could have loved him as much as Imke did.  He was instantly her buddy, her playmate, her wrestling partner, her pillow and her best friend.  They were inseparable and he tolerated all of her puppiness.  I credit him for helping raise her and make her the dog she is today.

There are many things that I want don't want to forget about him and probably somethings I have forgotten, and that is why I decided to write this and share.  He LOVED to play ball.  If there was a tennis ball thrown, he would chase it and chase it and chase it.  I have never known a dog who liked to play ball as much as Jake.  Now he may chase the ball (if Imke doesn't beat him to it), but only to bring it back and lie down next to you and protect it so that no one else can have his ball. 

He also loves the hose-if you are spraying the hose, it won't take long before there is a barking dog in front of you biting at the stream of water.  And if you allow him to play in the hose, he will still chase that stream of water as long as you let him.  It may be his favorite thing to do now.  He is my water dog...the one who likes to swim and to chase the waves, who loves to be sprayed and splashed, and who loves to spend the day at the beach.  That has certainly never changed.

Here are a few other things that I will call Jakisms-things that are uniquely Jake:

• Go-go Gadget tongue...there was I time that if you got your face anywhere near his face, out would come the tongue to give you a kiss.  He was always quite the kisser.
• The circle-dance...the way he would run in a circle any time he wanted to go outside and the more excited you made him them more circles he would make.
• The cuddler-of all of my dogs, Jake has always been the one most likely to curl-up in a ball and cuddle.  He especially likes to climb on the pillow next to your head at night and make sure you know he's there.  And he loves to stay in bed and cuddle in the morning.
• The way that he crams his nose against the window in the car...and the way he used to duck down any time we drove under an overpass on the highway when he was sitting in the front seat.
• His love of people...and when taking a walk his constant need to make a b-line right toward anyone walking toward us.
• The bee hunter...he could spend hours watching the bees flying around the sedum plant every year and trying very hard to catch them.  And then when he did catch them, he would shake his head to make sure they were really dead.

There are so many memories I have I certainly can't put them all down.  I love the way he smells when I lean down to kiss his warm head and I love the sound of his sigh as he lies down to relax with me at night when I know he is just happy to be alive.  I just love all of his Jakey-ness.

He is now 14 years old.  He has slowed down.  He has lost some of his hearing, some of his sight, and some of the pep in his step, but with all that he has lost, he has gained a devotedness and sweetness that I appreciate more every day.  He is definitely a different dog today than he was in the beginning and sometimes it is hard to see him in the waining years of his life knowing what he was, but each day with him is a blessing.  I feel privileged to be his mom and wouldn't change one minute of my time with him.