Jake's Photos

A Little Bit About Jake

Breed: Sheltie

Gender: Male

Favorite Toy: little trampoline bed

Favorite Treat: "Jake, treat?" - Bones, wafers

Best Trick: roll over, gimme paw,other paw

Favorite Game: stair-running & tug-o-war

Favorite Pastime: being cuddled, brushed by Mom

Special Skill: friendly to Rusty, Louie & all

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THE SWEETEST DOG IN THE WORLD - OUR SHETLAND SHEEPDOG, JAKE ARNOLD

Jakie was a beautiful sable Sheltie who stole my heart. He was locked in a cage at a pet store when I first saw him as a 12-week old puppy, but way too expensive for our budget. Still, I couldn't stand the thought of him being in that cage. I would visit him every day during my lunch break from work. Finally, I just broke down and bought him, bringing him home to my husband's and daughters' surprise. (Though he doesn't admit it, my husband liked finally having another "guy" around, and they'd hang out in the garage together every day for the last twelve or so years..Jakie loved his company too even if he did get jealous when I'd come out and talk to David and not him first :)

Jake was sweet all the time. His only annoying habit was occasional bouts of barking, but it was his instinct to keep his family safe. I even found his "herding" behavior really precious although as he'd try to "herd" me often his leash would get very tangled. Shelties think their job is to keep the herd together so they circle their family members and small animals. He also would stay right by my side when he was in the house, another "herding" behavior. At first it felt like he was my shadow, and it was a little unnerving until I realized his intent was to protect me from harm and do his job.

When he was a baby pup, I would hold him in my arms and sing him lullabyes and look into his big brown eyes. I would teach him tricks and surprise the family with how smart he was. His brown eyes melted my heart and cheered me up when I was blue.

Jakie always welcomed the family cats. He would play with them until they tired of it, and he was always kind and never rough; he made it fun for them. He loved Shadow and Rusty, even though they were somewhat indifferent and aloof with his attention (i.e. "cats"). Then, when Louie, my daughter's Chiweenie pup came home with her, Jakie was also friendly and welcoming to him, even though Louie stole a lot of the attention away from Jakie. In many ways, Jakie seemed very unselfish and protective of us; he seemed secure and fulfilled guarding the homestead.

Jake struggled with hip problems common to Shelties and wasn't always able to run at the park. But when he was able, after taking his glucosamine, he would run happily through the hills there, as if back in the Scottish moors of his ancestors. He loved to chase the rabbits. He was sweet to other dogs too. He was not aggressive. He loved to play with the other dogs off their leashes. But he'd never stray when off his leash. Ever. Sometimes he'd experiment by running a little down the street while I would take out the garbage pails, but, even when at the park where there were acres to run, he always looked to make sure I was nearby and would come running back to me as soon as I wasn't within close proximity. He always heard my voice and would immediately run toward it.

He lived mostly in the garage and the backyard but loved coming into the house to get his "treats" which would make his ears perk up whenever I'd say the word. And many people were entertained by that, as well as his running up and down the stairs at my command. Jakie never DIDN'T have an appetite and would eat anything and everything so we had to make sure to limit his portions. He loved to eat! A day with a steak bone was heavenly to him. But, he especially loved finding that mouse in the garage he had as hors d'eouvres one day.

Jakie turned 12 over the last year and recently, his wheezing got a lot worse; the vet said he probably had a heart murmur along with some allergies. He began slowing down a lot and, while he still had an appetite, wasn't as voracious as usual. He wouldn't run up the stairs and a lot of the time seemed to be saying "no thanks" to walks to the park and wouldn't jump up when he went into the garage anymore. With Louie living here now, Jakie seemed to be willing to pass the baton to him and almost treated him like an uncle would treat a little nephew, playing with him and being very patient with him even when Louie got extremely feisty. Louie always goes on walks because he's a pup, and sometimes I'd take both of them together, which was really fun and cute, seeing this long-haired Sheltie papa dog with this little prancing Chiweenie together tickled me. But, Jakie wasn't as obedient a walker as Louie and would always wiggle out of his collar (although, again, never strayed from me) so sometimes I'd just let him stay home and rest on his little trampoline bed.

The other night after I took Louie for a walk around the neighborhood, I felt a strong urge to spend time with Jakie and try taking him for a walk, just him and me. So I got his leash and he happily let me put it on him and we set out to take a midnight stroll. Jakie was wheezing a LOT and it concerned me but I pushed forward and Jake seemed to be OK, strength-wise, and kept walking at a brisk pace with me. We were out less than ten minutes when suddenly Jake fell over and I looked down at him, thinking he was doing his "if I can't get my collar off, I'm going to rebel" routine, but his breathing was labored and he wasn't responding to me. He always responded to my voice, but this time, his eyes were really distant. Within minutes, he was dead.

My husband and his best boy buddy, David, came across the street and scooped Jake up in his arms and brought him home.

I swear I still hear him barking to protect his family...and I'm certain he'll be there when I wake up in the morning...but that's not true anymore. My little Jakie is gone, but I know that God has him now. I'm sure of it. But, my broken heart misses him so. 

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