Jack's Vacation

A number of you have asked after Jack, and how he has been handling our abrupt departure. We have not been home since Saturday, but don't worry; Jack is fine. He has been on vacation.

For those that don't know, Jack is a Jack Russell Terrier that we adopted through a rescue program about three years ago. We think he's five or six years old now. He's a typical JRT (if I had to describe him with one word, it would be 'insistent.')

Jack has been staying with my mom and using that insistence as well as his natural charm to forge new ground as far as pet permissions go. He has, for example, been able to break the 'no dogs on the bed' rule as well as the 'no lap dog' rule without any repercussions.

Grandma Lynn's yard also comes with a built-in playmate: a Husky named Mariah. Mariah is a full-blooded Husky, although it would not surprise me if there was a bit of wolf blood in her--and a little horse, as well. She is huge. She could pull a sled across the Alaskan tundra even if that sled had an F-150 on the back of it. She can take scraps off the dinner table without putting her paws on it. When she stands on her back legs, she's easily taller than I am.

Henry 'helped' build Mariah's doghouse. 

She loves to play, too. Like me, she tolerates lesser creatures as long as they don't make too much noise, so she and Jack have gotten along famously. They've been running around in the back yard--even with the snow--in intermittent rounds of doggie tag. Jack enjoys keeping out of her reach, darting away from his lumbering pursuer. He's always enjoyed showing off his speed. Things were going pretty good--until Jack's boy-dog instincts kicked in.

Jack doesn't know that he's a little dog and, if you were to try to tell him, he wouldn't listen. It was probably only natural for him to try to take their relationship to the next level (anyone who's visited our house has a leg or a shoulder that can attest to that), and if he had any concerns about not being able to reach his intended target, he didn't show it. He just kept climbing higher and trying harder. He got his front paws almost up to Mariah's haunches before she reminded him of his place. Jack may not know that he's a little dog, but he is a smart dog--and he's smart enough to know his place once it's been shown to him. They're back to being friends now.

I'm sure that he misses us and I know that we all miss him but, with continued prayers and lots of protein, I think we'll be out of here soon. In the meantime, we'll visit when we can. He doesn't know it yet, but he's in for a walk tomorrow, when I take my first trip out of the hospital since Henry's ordeal started. I only hope I'll be able to keep up.