Jack Copac

Jack had to be put down Saturday morning. His liver had been failing, and his heart had gotten extremely weak. The vet suggested that he'd been throwing mini-strokes which had lead to dementia. He wasn't able to get up stairs, he was barely able to walk in general.

Jack was such a wonderful dog. He was in our family for close to 14 years. He was a gift to me when I was a senior in high school. He grew to become a family dog, though. He wasn't just mine. He and dad spent hours out working in the yard. He was very protective of his family and the household. His worst enemy was the "evil" UPS truck. Whenever he saw one drive down the street he would bark like crazy. He used to love jumping up on the back of the couch and watching the world go by. He'd also sit out on the deck and just smell the world.

He was an ornery son of a bitch too. He was very demanding of our time, and there were many times I yelled at him and told him to just leave me alone. I feel horrible for having yelled at him like that now, since I can't take those words back. He was just a dog for goodness' sake, he didn't know any better. I feel horrible for all the times he would bark at me for attention, and I would ignore him or yell at him.

Even though his last months/years were met with hardships and pain, I miss him so very very much right now. I miss the way he would incessantly (almost addictively) lick my legs when summer came around and I started to wear shorts. I miss how when I used to lay in bed on a sunday afternoon, and he had to be up on the bed with me, and laying across my chest. I miss throwing the ball across the living room and him fetching it. I miss how he would get a new squeaky toy and would play with them so much he'd break the squeaker. Whenever a guest would come over for a visit, if they were "good" people, he'd have to run and get a toy squeaking it incessantly, almost as a way of greeting them. I miss the different barks he had, and how I could tell just by the way he was barking what he wanted, whether it was food, a walk, or just attention.

It's quieter in the house now. Mom and I are able to do things we want to do for longer periods of time without him interrupting our plans. But it's not a good quiet, at least not yet. I miss you, Jackson. You be a good puppy up in heaven. Dad's waiting for you up there, you guys have alot of work to be done in the yard up there.