Building memories with Jack
The older Jack gets, the more I value my time with him. And the more I worry.
He's 12 now and pretty darned healthy. We've gone on two walks a day almost every day in the 2 years since we rescued him. And he keeps up pretty darned well, summer and winter.
But he's also had health issues. He had surgery on his leg when we first got him. When the vet first told me how much it would cost, my jaw dropped and the first words out of my mouth were, "I could buy a purebred champion for that." He nodded in agreement.
But the leg has held up magnificently. I can tell it's not perfect. He'll occasionally wobble when he's lifting his other leg to pee. I wouldn't be surprised if it went out on him entirely some day. But, hey, 2 years of two-a-day walks on a healthy leg has already been worth every cent.
He also has a perineal hernia, which is potentially more serious. It shows up as a big, soft bump on his butt because his intestine is going where it shouldn't. It causes him no pain, so I've held off on surgery, which could be fatal to a little guy his age. The surgery is no guarantee either. It could make him worse.
But no surgery could kill him too. So I worry.
I take hundreds, thousands, of pictures of Jack because I don't want to forget a moment of our time together. When others here have lost their beloved pups, I usually tell them that memories never die. I want to make sure I have some good ones.
It's amazing to me that I've fallen so head over heels in love with a 4-pound dog, the epitome of everything I made fun of just a few years ago. At a glance, he has few redeeming qualities beyond his spinning trick. He has very few teeth left. Bad breath. He's the king of yap. He occasionally pees in the house. He's always under foot.
But he pays it all back with unconditional love and a heart that belies his frame. He's afraid of nothing, not even Eddie, who used to beat him up. I think that's where our bond started. He placed all his trust in me to stop those beatings. And I did. I couldn't let him down after all he'd been through.
A couple days ago, I dug through the microfilm at work to find the classified ad that brought Jack into my life. I don't want to forget it. It's astonishing to me how much love came from these three tiny lines.
They brought me my champion.
Comments 22
Total Comments 22
Comments
How touching, It brought tears my eyes. You were a blessing to little Jack. | |
Posted 05-15-2008 at 04:10 AM by Breezeaway |
Wow... it takes a REAL man to admit how much he loves his 4lb Yorkie. Your blog brought tears to my eyes... Jack is truely lucky to have you in his life - no dog could wish for a better companion... | |
Posted 05-15-2008 at 04:33 PM by Gypsy & Me |
Woohoo, thanks for the comments. I'm 2-for-2 on tears. Maybe I should be writing romance novels. :P | |
Posted 05-16-2008 at 07:44 PM by alaskayorkie Updated 05-16-2008 at 07:47 PM by alaskayorkie |
WOW! You just wrote exactly how I feel about Hallie. Maybe that's why her and Jack are such a good match You and Jack are meant to be and that's all there is to it. I have to go gets some kleenex now~ | |
Posted 05-20-2008 at 02:55 PM by simonandhallie |
Oh my, Mr. Mike, this just made me fall in love with you , in a virtual sort of way, of course Jack is sooo blessed to have you as much as you are blessed to have him in your life! Enjoy every moment | |
Posted 05-23-2008 at 03:08 PM by AprilLove |
You're an awful man for constantly making me cry. This is so beautiful. | |
Posted 05-24-2008 at 07:14 PM by snoopy42 |
simply beautiful | |
Posted 07-11-2008 at 08:40 AM by tobyfan |
Jack is a lucky little guy to have you in his life,thats how I feel about my little babies no matter what I will always love them unconditionally..... | |
Posted 09-12-2008 at 06:24 AM by lexilove |
I remember when you rescued him and when he had his surgery. You are such a loving Daddy! My Chloe is going to be 4 years old in May. She had to have surgery also and her little leg is holding up pretty good....it's the other leg that we have to watch now!!! It's really nice to be back on YorkieTalk....it's been a long time! Joy and Chloe | |
Posted 12-13-2008 at 05:04 PM by Joy 1 |
Mike, I have not been one to read the Blogs and yours will surely change my mind on that. I have ALWAYS loved your videos, because you just seem to know how to capture the moment with film, both moving and otherwise and now I will forever be a fan of your Blog entries as well. I sure wish I lived back up there in Alaska so that I could meet your best buds and spend some time getting to know them, but since I cannot do that I will have to be satisfied with the Meet Up in July and I will be the one jumping up and down with Joy when that time comes . Thank you for providing the kind of life your furbabies deserve. You truly are a very special person. | |
Posted 01-05-2009 at 11:05 AM by ryorkies |
Mike, I am now sorry, i didn't read this blog earlier but am so pleased it is here, for you and others like myself to go back and read. Your love for Jack was wonderful, reminds me of my hubby Kevin's unconditional love for our CoCo! I was so looking forward to my meeting of the whole family in July... I still can't wait, but am saddened that precious Jack will not be a part of it. Thank you for all the wonderful stories and beautiful memories you have given us of Jack. He had a wonderful life with you, and for this we are all blessed. | |
Posted 02-09-2009 at 01:28 AM by saphire |
thats very nice of to take Jack in like that i had tears in my eyes | |
Posted 02-10-2010 at 06:43 AM by tp95718 |
woa! that was so cute! also try to visit my site, MALTESE PUPPIES. maltese and yorkie are both cute breed of dogs so i`ll hope you`ll enjoy on that site! THANK YOU! ) | |
Posted 09-16-2010 at 04:36 AM by annsyusuke |
wow thats awesome | |
Posted 05-11-2012 at 09:21 AM by luvinMYgirlz |
Your story is just amazing! I wish you many more years with Jack. They say yorkies can live up to 17 plus years.. :) | |
Posted 05-13-2013 at 08:47 PM by brange |
Omg this literally brought tears to my eyes...my baby is not even a year old and I love her so much...I can't imagine what 10 plus years will do to me knowing her years are numbered | |
Posted 09-22-2013 at 10:40 PM by Bellabumf |
It is heart warming to read about your special bond with Jack.. | |
Posted 11-13-2013 at 02:18 AM by Sophpepper |
I'm sorry to hear both you and Jack especially, have gone through so much in such a short amount of time. Best luck and wishes to the both of you. Thank you for sharing your story. | |
Posted 01-19-2014 at 02:28 PM by CJoy |
I think every owner who owns a pet should feel like that. My Shanti is 4 years old and really healthy. I just wish the best for her. | |
Posted 04-15-2014 at 04:37 PM by Fluttercat |
Your story has inspired me to continue to be the best parent I can be to my Rocco, he's my huge 5 pound Yorkie, huge at heart of course, so thank you for sharing your story, it's very touching. 😊 | |
Posted 08-28-2014 at 10:34 PM by MyYorkieRocco |