R.I.P., Yukon Jack

Jack died today, at 3:50 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. Born Jan. 16, 1996, he was 13.

I'm still sorta numb. It came on so suddenly. He was feeling as frisky as ever when we hopped in the car and drove to the Sunday dog meetup. He even slipped down off his doggie seat in the back, scrambled across the floor and squeezed his way around the side of the front seat to sit right next to me. He was an escape artist until the day he died.

The attack happened the second I stopped at the parking lot for the meetup. He fell on his back in the car, crying and stiff, then he went limp. I did a brief attempt at CPR, felt a heartbeat, then rushed him to pet emergency three blocks away. My friends from the meetup were there for support.

The vet doesn't know what happened. Jack's bloodwork and X-rays were normal. No toxins were found in his body. They suspect a brain aneurism or something similar. Even before he started to slip away, he was posturing strangely and looking like he'd lost control of his faculties.

My first inclination with this blog was to try to memorialize him by explaining just what a special dog he was and how much he meant to me. But that's not only impossible in one story, it's unnecessary.

Jack's whole adult life, beginning with my first failed attempt to get him by answering a classified ad, his two life-threatening surgeries and his countless adventures, are all right here on YT in discussions, pictures and video links. I take immense comfort in that.

But even more, I'm overwhelmed at the outpouring of support and sympathy coming from the members here. Some of you I've known for four years, even before I got Jack as a rescue in 2005. Others I've met more recently. Still others don't know me but nevertheless sent their heartfelt condolences.

In the movie "The World According to Garp," someone asked Robin Williams why he would dress in drag and risk his life by showing up at a radical, all-women's memorial service for his activist mother. His answer was something to the effect, "I wanted to be around people who loved my mother as much as I loved her."

Toss out the part about the radical women, lol, and that's what you guys here on YT have done for me. I've read all your posts on the thread announcing his demise, your profile messages, your PMs, your text messages and your Facebook comments. I cry and cry as I read them, but more out of genuine happiness than sorrow. You guys knew Jack. You followed his adventures. And you loved him as much as I did.

What better memorial is there than to have such an incredible outpouring of love? Jack will not just be in my heart and memories until the day I die, he will be remembered by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of you guys as well. Not a bad legacy for a 4-pound Yorkie.

I joked one time that Jack was not my dog but YT's. Members had sent me a check and hundreds of dollars in toys when he had his first surgery, and it seemed appropriate to share the ownership. After reading all your comments, again and again, I see it was not a joke. You do feel his loss as much as I.

Several people have asked me if there's anything they can do. I ask just one thing. Keep YT alive through your donations. The stories of all our dogs are right here. As long as YT is here, we have a permanent record of our dogs' lives that we can revisit any time we want. I can assure you I'll be doing a lot of that in the years to come.

So, from me and my wife, Kelly, thanks for the love. Jack was a lucky dog to have so many good friends.

Below is the last picture ever taken of Jack.

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