Jackson Browne 03/17/2000 - 05/05/2011
What started out as a beautiful day, sun rising and blue skies, turned horrible for our family as we had to put our precious 11-year-old puppy dog, Jackson Browne to sleep this morning. About 7:30 a.m. we were all in the kitchen and Dean let Jack out to go potty. When he opened the door to let Jack back in I heard him say "What's wrong, buddy?" and I could tell by his voice that something was wrong. Jack was not able to walk up the two stairs that lead from the backyard into the house. Dean was able to get Jack in the house but he couldn't walk very well. Jack actually looked like he was drunk; he had no control over his back legs and was falling over and had to lean on the kitchen cabinets to attempt to remain upright. Dean and I could tell this was not good. After a few minutes I called the vet and made arrangements to take Jack in at 8:00 a.m. At this point Dean and I were both crying as we feared the worst and we decided to give Ben an option of going to school or going with us to the vet. We were honest with him and said that Jack might be very sick and there was a chance he might not come home with us. Ben wanted to stay with Jack.
Dean got Jack into the car and we headed to the vet. Jack's behavior was very atypical on the way to the vet. He just leaned on Dean's arm the whole way and didn't bark at any people we passed. He didn't even bark at another dog in the waiting room who was aggressive and barking/growling at Jack; Jack didn't react to the other dog at all. If you know Jack, you know that is odd behavior. We are pretty sure Jack thought he was human. He had no interest in being around other dogs. Period. After examining Jackson, our vet, Dr. Foster, determined that something was going on with Jack neurologically and his brain was not communicating with his hind legs. He said the only two options were to give him medicine to make him comfortable (which would likely not work) and take him home, where we would likely be forced to return him to the vet within a few days, if not tomorrow, or to use humane euthanasia to end Jack's pain. Dr. Foster left us alone to discuss and ultimately say goodbye to Jackson.
Jack continued to be "not Jack." He is normally OCD when it comes to licking and he didn't offer up any kisses. He just laid on the floor while we all cried and hugged him and told him what a good boy he was and how very much we loved him. It was horrible. By the time I left the room to get Dr. Foster, he and two of the other veternarian assistants were in tears in the hallway (I'm sure from listening to the boys sobs). It was about this time that Jack started vomiting. I asked what was going on and Dr. Foster just shook his head and said that his body was reacting to whatever was going on inside of Jack and that it was time to let him go. I took Ben and Joe outside for a walk and Dean stayed with Jack.
I guess it was hard for them to find a vein on our furry little monster but once they did, Dean said he coerced Jack into giving him one last kiss and then he was gone. It sounds like it was very fast and very peaceful. In true Jack form, he passed gas right after they injected the medicine...giving Dean a little gift to remember him by.
I was able to go inside and see Jack one last time after Dean came out to sit with the boys to say goodbye. It was so strange seeing Jack lying on the floor. So still. I sobbed as I wrapped my arms around him one last time, apologized for all the times (which were many, many, many) when I complained about how much he smelled or how much he shed or how much he licked. I would take it all back and then some if we could have our boy back. I assured Jack that we all loved him so much and we always would.
Today was a crummy day. The boys and I hated being home without Jack. You know it's been over 11 years since I have been home without him; the house seemed so quiet. We kept ourselves busy out of the house, including a long bike ride and 2 hour trip to the park. Ben had a soccer game tonight and said he was playing for Jack. Dean and I are just ready for this day to be over.
Jack was our first baby. He was my 22nd birthday present. I remember when Dean and I went to the Humane Society to pick him out in May 2000. Dean fell in love with him immediately but I liked another liter of puppies better. We took one of "my" puppies into a private room and he was a dud. I let Dean talk me into taking Jackie into the room and we just laughed and laughed as he entertained us and clearly put on a show trying to win us over. It worked.
My dad went with me to pick up Jack at the Humane Society a few days later. When they finally brought my puppy to me, we could smell him before we could see him. They handed this smelly little bundle to me wrapped in a towel and said "sorry, he's going to need a bath right away. He was rolling in poop." I always said I should have known then and there he was going to be a s***head.
Another favorite memory of Jack is how he tried to control his OCD. He was so smart (other than the fact that he ate his own poop) and would pick up a toy, shoe, whatever was handy when anyone would come over. He didn't ever damage the item, he just liked to have something in his mouth so he wouldn't feel compelled to lick the person to death. He would waddle after the visitor with his big rear end wagging and monster tail banging against the wall. Jack never met a stranger. He LOVED people and people loved him. He was a good boy. We will never forget him and will love him forever.
Rest in peace, sweet boy.
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