Goodbye Jack

Jack ????-November 3, 2008

For most of my life, Jack has been here. My Granddaddy got him when he was just a puppy. No one really knows how old he was because we never could remember exactly when Granddaddy got him. But Jack was special to all of us. He would always great us at the driveway. He loved all of the grandkids, kids, Granny, and Granddaddy.

My Granddaddy loved Jack. Jack followed him everywhere around the farm. When Granddaddy sat in the swing, Jack lay at his feet under the tree. If he went out to the barn to check on the cows, Jack was there by his side. When my Granddaddy died ten years ago, Jack grieved too. He wouldn't eat much and he would be gone for days.

Jack was all puppy too. He chased cars, chased dogs, and loved to play with us in the yard. Over the past couple of years, all of it started to catch up with him. He started to not get around as well. He was deaf and mostly blind. Last year we thought we were going to lose him a couple of times, but he bounced back and started acting like a puppy again. He had a great summer. He followed us around everywhere we went, would greet us when we got to Granny's, and would lay under the same tree he used to with our Granddaddy if we sat in the swing.

But when the weather changed and it started to get colder, Jack's health just went down hill. He lost all movement of his hind legs and could long drag himself. It was sad. We all knew it was time for him to go, but it was still hard when I found out. I know to some people he was just a dog, but to me he was family. To me, it was like the last part of Granddaddy left. Jack was there for all of us growing up.

It will definitely be hard not to think about him when I'm at Granny's now. I still expect him to come running around the house to greet us at the barn. But now, I just imagine him sitting with Granddaddy under a tree watching all of us from a cloud. And that makes me smile.