The Beginning

   This is a picture of my first dog, Jack.  His full name was Jumpin' Jack Flash, but Jack is what I called him.  Ever since I was a child reading the Little House on the Prairie books, I wanted to have a dog named Jack, like theirs.  He was a Bichon Frise, although he didn't look much like one. He was a lot larger than they're supposed to be, which made grooming somewhat of a challenge since grooming is what Bichons are all about.  He hated being combed, and therefore wasn't combed a lot.  Here you see him in his summer "do".  

   Jack was a very head-strong dog.  His primary interests were food, getting free to run around the neighborhood looking for food, figuring out how to get me to give him food, waiting for table scraps while sighing loudly to remind me that he wanted food, and ........ food.  I imagine you're getting the picture.  

   Jack liked other dogs well enough, but he preferred his own company when given the choice.  He hung out on the perimeter of groups, as far away as he could get.  Actually, Jack did like attention, but only on his terms.  First thing in the morning. if I would sit on the floor, he would come and ask for attention, but any time after that, he would tolerate attention, but just barely.  He would escape as soon as he could from those who would pet him.  I always felt extremely honored when he would come and sit with me ... but usually it was because I was eating something that he thought he might get some of.  He would put his chin on my leg at these times and look up at me pitifully.  He was a champion "pitiful dog".  

   Bichons generally live to be quite old ... 18 isn't unusual.  However, Jack got sick when he was 12, and when the tumor growing on the left side of his chest began to really bother him, I didn't have the heart to make him go through any kind of treatment.  He didn't like to be "messed with" and vet visits, injections, pills, etc., would have made him more miserable.  So, one evening last Autumn I took him to Valley Animal Hospital where they euthanized him.   On the way there, I apologized to him for not being a better owner, and told him I would miss him so much ... and I do.  Although I was able to be with him as the drugs did their work,  the thing that stands out as the most difficult was when I handed him over to the Vet Tech who took him into the back of the hospital to insert the IV.  But, he got to eat as many cookies as he wanted while we waited for the Tech to come ... and he managed to eat quite a few!  I think he was feeing pretty happy then.

   For a few weeks after that, I caught sight of Jack out of the corner of my eye several times.  I know that it was only my brain, out of habit,  thinking that what I was seeing was him, but it was nice none-the-less.  Jack and I were kindred spirits.  I don't know if he knew it, but I did.  I am like him in several ways, including some of those those listed above.