My Friend, My Companion, My Jake

April of 1995 I went to the Columbus Humane Society and saw a little fur bundle hiding in the back of his crate.  Because he was a puppy, he shared his crate with another puppy.  There were at least four puppies available for adoption that day.  I pulled Jake out of his crate and never put him down. 

 

CAHS named the puppy Jake. my husband named my daughter Sarah and my father named my son Sean.  This is somewhat important to the story as I was able to name my kitten.  Her name was Kitty, someone didn't want me living with a Puppy, Daughter and Son.

 

I digressed.  Jake lived quite the charmed life, to say he was loved by all who met him is quite the understatement.  I knew at the time that many children were afraid of large dogs, because of this, I wanted to have a well behaved dog.  This is where Mark Frederick entered our lives.  Mark came to the house twice a month to train Jake and me.  We learned how to sit, stay and come on command.  He taught us about the cruel collar and the shock collar.  PETA would have a fit, but I had Perfect Dog.  My father bestowed that title upon Jake when we were at my parents house one day. 

 

So we're at mom and dads.  Jake sits, Jake stays, Jake comes and he lays down.  The Perfect Dog moniker came when I put Jake in a down/stay.  He wasn't perfect because he stayed there for hours on end.  You see Jake became Perfect Dog when he was able to crawl his way from the den to the kitchen without ever standing up.  He had stayed down, which is what I had asked of him, but like any young child, he was able to make his way to where he really wanted to be without breaking the down OR stay command.

 

It didn't take Jake long to capture the hearts of many humans, including my friend Debi.  Debi and I met under odd circumstances, but we've remained as close as siblings.  Of course, what's sibling A if she doesn't move in on sibling B.  Debi was looking for a home in the Dublin area, so when she was looking at a home with a fenced yard and doggie door, who do you think helped persuade her to purchase the home?  Jake of course!!

 

What is a house with a kennel area and a doggy door without a live in dog?  To hear Jake tell it - one downright boring doggy daycare.  So, Jake began the hunt for Ms. Perfect Dog.  He found her when he conversed with Bark Mark (his trainer).  Seems as though there was a young lady needing a new home.  Her name was Kia and she was ready to be dropped on Debi's doorstep for her birthday. 

 

Actually Kia was presented to Debi at Neighbors, but that's a whole 'nother chapter and not quite appropriate for right now.  Jake and Kia spent many days together.  Jake would go to Doggy Daycare, to spend the day romping and playing. 

 

Jake also earned another of his nicknames while at Kia's during the day.  Seems as the holes started appearing, Jake continued to get blamed for them.  It didn't matter that Jake's nails were covered in caked on dirt, he continued to try to blame it on Kia, with no success, she always gave him up. 

 

Jake was so good at excavating that it took an entire bag of Quick Crete to fill in one of his holes.  This was the one that was going under Debi's deck.  She had it filled in to stop Jake's forward progress, in fear that there may be something buried under the deck that we may not want to see.

 

April 1995 I brought Jake home in my purse, his first visit to the vet he weighed 1.5 pounds. 

 

Tomorrow, January 2, 2009, Jake will visit Dr. Riggs for the last time, as I send him to the Rainbow Bridge to meet up with those who went before him and to wait for those who will be joining him later.