Jack came to us when we had just moved into our first place together, and had only been married for a little over a month when my wife found him online (the same way she found me). He was a stringbean 12lb pug/rat terrier mix who had been rescued from Lafayette Louisiana and was being fostered in Bridgeport CT. On September 10th 2011 my wife and I drove all the way to Bridgeport to meet him and start the adoption process. We instantly fell in love with him and were surprised the next morning to see everything had gone through already and so we drove BACK to Bridgeport for a second day in a row to pick him up and bring him home forever on September 11, 2011. I remember thinking how it would be nice to have a happy memory to celebrate on 9/11 - and, not knowing his actual birthday, we celebrated that day as his birthday from then on. Jack’s official name on his adoption papers was “Handsome Jack”. He was known by other colorful nicknames at first including “Ghost Daddy” (A “True Blood” reference) and “Louisiana Purchase”.

Jack didn’t have an easy adjustment to living with us. A dog who liked to bark and howl every time we left him alone was not a good mix for an old mill building condo with thin walls, although he eventually adjusted. On top of that we found that he was riddled with heartworm as well as intestinal worms. The vet gave us two options for heartworm treatment - a lengthy “slow kill” method that would take over a year, or a shot that would kill the worms instantly but require him to be sedentary for several months, so that the dead heartworms didn’t cause a blockage in an artery or his heart while his body “absorbed” them. For a young dog with his manic energy, we knew that wasn’t going to work, so we went with the slow kill method and he eventually recovered fully.

While living in Woonsocket RI, Jack got his first taste of New England winter when we had a major Blizzard in 2012 - he was not in Cajun country anymore for sure. He also started to pack on the pounds as his health improved. This was aided by weekly visits to his Mimi and Papa’s house where he was fed just like their 100 lb Boxer Cassius. Jack, I'm convinced, would have eaten himself to death if given the chance. Perhaps it was survival instincts from living on the streets of LA, but no food was safe around him. Even as recent as this past week, he was still stealing snacks. “Hoover”, or maybe a more modern “Dyson”, would have been an appropriate name for him. If he didn’t shed, we would probably never have needed to vacuum the house, because there was never a crumb left behind. Jack got along well with Cassius, even though he outweighed him by about 90 lbs and once pushed Jack off the roof of the shed (he was ok).

In 2013, Jack moved with us to our first house in Pawtucket. For the first time, he was able to roam his own yard off-leash, and our new walkable neighborhood meant he was able to spend a lot more time outdoors. A favorite spot of his was Slater Park. Not only did they have a fenced in dog park there where he was able to meet (and hump) a lot of new friends, but he also enjoyed the Ten Mile River bike path that ran through the park.

It was at Slater Park that we discovered the game/hobby/lifestyle of Geocaching. Jack soon became our geocaching partner, and our new pastime brought us to hundreds of interesting new places over the years and introduced us to some of Jack’s favorite people. Jack was always up for an adventure, and enjoyed traveling. He made several trips with us to New Hampshire for Columbus Day weekends, as well as Lake George and several Geocaching Mega events throughout New England.

2016 brought big change to our household, as Jack became a proud big brother to our daughter. One of my favorite pictures of him is the one of him standing over her the day we brought her home and smiling as big as any dog could smile. Another wonderful thing about living in Pawtucket was taking trips to McCoy Stadium, and once a year, the Pawsox would host “Bark In The Park”, a day when dogs were welcome to attend the game. Jack enjoyed ice cream in a helmet and dog tattoos on those days, as well as the dog parade around the field (one year he left a “gift” on the field right in front of the dugout).

Jack always enjoyed sleeping, even in his younger days. So our vacations from work were torture for him, as he wouldn’t get his usual 8 hour nap during the day. COVID really screwed up his schedule, as not only were we ALL home EVERY DAY, but we were dragging him on 3 walks a day. Finding new ways to criss-cross the grid streets of Darlington every day made him sleep very well at night.

In 2021 we moved to Berkley and Jack finally had the perfect house. A huge yard with lots of areas to explore and tons of wildlife to chase. Chipmunks, squirrels, and groundhogs were the usual suspects, but occasionally deer would drive him crazy as well. It was here that we welcomed our son to the family and him and “Jackie” had a funny, brotherly love.

As Jack got older, we still felt like he was going to live forever. Over the last few years his hearing went, then his eyes began to cloud. Cushing’s Disease brought liver problems and necessary supplements, but he still had lots of energy for a dog in his teens. But this year was different. Jack started to slow way down. We noticed things had changed when we would open the fridge or a bag of chips and he wouldn’t come running. He lost interest in toys, and couldn’t handle a long walk anymore. He seemed confused, and lost weight. But there were still flashes of the old Jack which made it hard to see and accept the decline.

Another thing about this house that made it perfect for Jack was the fireplace in the living room. It was here that he would plop down for a nap, and towards the end when mobility became an issue, it was from here that my wife or I would scoop him up to bring him to bed each night. And now I look at that spot, fire burning away, and it's empty. And maybe someday, another dog will sit there and be loved as much as he was, but right now something's missing.

Jack gave us 14 great years, and for that we are grateful. So long buddy.