Sigmund Freud wrote: "Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate in their object relations." In other words, unlike people, dogs are without ambivalence. People can love and hate the same person, on the same day, even at the same time. This is unthinkable for dogs. Some people believe, that it’s because dogs are just not that complex. I believe, they are less confused about what they feel. It is as if once a dog loves you, he always will, no matter what you do, no matter what happens, no matter how much time goes by. Dogs have a remarkable memory for people they have known and an infinite loyalty for the ones they love.
While growing up, my family had several dogs. I enjoyed every one of them, however it was not until I got my own dog that I felt a true bond with an animal. He was a black lab mix. I named him Jake after the country song “Feed Jake”, because that song always touched me. All the other puppies in his litter were getting sick, so Krista, his mothers owner called me and said: "If you want this puppy then come and get him, but he will require extra care.” He was three weeks shy of the proper weaning age and so tiny. For three weeks I got up with him every two to four hours to bottle feed him. This ritual created a bond that I had never felt before in my life.
Jake grew up healthy and happy. The first few years of his life we lived just off a riverbed, so he had plenty of running space. He was never gated in or tied up. He would run and play most of the day and come home every evening about the same time to eat. Sometimes he came home alone and sometimes he brought stray dogs home with him. One time, and I believe one of his proudest moments, he brought home a dead calf carcass. He left it on the front step and joyfully wagged his tail when I came out the door. It was the grossest thing I had ever seen and that is saying a lot.
Most nights after dinner I would sit at the table to do my schoolwork and he’d lay on my feet and keep them warm. He was very protective over me and only me until I introduced him to my first born daughter, Alyssa. When Alyssa was born I was a bit nervous to have such a big dog in the house with such a tiny baby. It wasn’t long until I realized that my fears were unnecessary. He loved her as much as I did. By the time Alyssa was toddling around, Jake had begun to watch over her too. I remember one time she took a tumble in the back yard and he barked to get my attention then ran to her side nudged her with his nose to make sure she was ok. They spent most afternoons playing together in the back yard and in the summer time, Alyssa was more than happy to share her little plastic pool with him. Then when Kaylee was born, Jake had another person to love and the same with Joshie.
In Jakes life he:
Was in several fights with other dogs.
Got tangled in barbed wire.
Was hit by several cars.
Made several visits to the pound.
Dug too many holes to count.
Took a swim in the neighbors pond and ate their koi fish. (They didn’t like that)
He also let himself into their house through the doggie-door to sleep on their sofa.
( The man of the house woke at 4:00 am to find a 100 lb dog on his sofa. He was really not happy then.)
Fathered an unknown number of puppies.
Peed on almost every one of our Christmas trees and chewed up numerous gifts.
He also,
Barked when someone strange approached our fence.
Played numerous rounds of tag and hide-and-go-seek with the kids.
And hours of Frisbee and fetch with anybody who would join him.
He was a jungle gym and pillow for little Josh.
A dress-up doll for Alyssa and Kaylee.
He was a hunting companion and a security system.
He was always happy to see us come home and sad to see us leave.
He trusted each one of us explicitly.
He kept us safe and always gave us unconditional love.
Jake had a very forgiving heart, one of the before mentioned cars that hit him was mine. I actually hit him twice in his later years, because I had taken for granted the speed of his youth and backed into him. The guilt I felt broke my heart and I kissed his stinky head and apologized profusely, but ultimately it was wasted energy, because Jake never held it against me. He never asked for much either. All it took to make him happy was food, clean water and a quick rub behind his ears.
He never complained about us, got angry with us, forgot to greet us, or ignored us when we needed him. Although, we did all of those things to him.
It has been two years now since we lost our Jake. I was working at the track and Josh was out working in the yard. Jake’s health had been getting worse for several months. He had stopped eating and was in visible pain. We had planned to have him put down, but didn’t want to spoil the Easter holiday for the kids, so we had decided to wait until the following week. It was as if our loyal friend knew how incredibly difficult that decision had been for us, so he went on his own. He had been sleeping in the garage and Kaylee walked past him, as she did so, he growled. Growling at any one of us for any reason was way out of character for him. She knelt down by his side as he continued his growl. Kaylee yelled for her dad, because she knew something wasn’t right, but he was out in the yard and couldn’t hear her at first, but when he finally did, he joined her at jakes side as he took his final breaths. Later Kaylee told me that she didn’t want to leave Jake alone. She sat with him in the garage petting his head and telling him he was "a good boy". When they knew he was gone, they called me on the phone and I came right home. The sadness in my heart over Jake’s death was quickly replaced with the pride I was feeling for Kaylee. Not many eight year olds would have shown such compassion and maturity.
Jake was one of a kind. I am sure many other dogs will pass through my life, but I will always reserve a piece of my heart for Jake. He’s been a good dog.
R.I.P. Old Friend Oct. 1994 to April 2009
Jake sounds very much like my Midge...RIP
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