Jakedog and Gary

These days, I spend my time in the gardens. I already have a summer tan. Gardening time is pondering, thinking, dreaming time. Today I was thinking about Jakedog, who often slept beside me when I was weeding. 

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From January to May that first year, we were dog sitters for puppy Jake, taking care of him for my mother. Gary and I began to train him, teaching him to walk with us. It wasn't difficult at all because he always wanted to be at our side.  He was never perfect at heeling, but since he had the general idea, we had no problem with it.  

He quickly grew into his big feet. He kept knocking my mother over. By May, she decided Jake was my dog after a lot of suggestions from her friends about taking him to the pound. Finally it was agreed that Jake would live here in Mathom House with me but she and Gary would share dogsitting duties while I was off on one of my storytelling adventures. 

Jake was an Australian shepherd with so much energy. Gary said the trick was to keep him busy learning new things. Jake was a fast learner if he liked the lesson. 

Gary and Jake were inseparable whenever he arrived. (In those days, Gary lived in Menasha with his father.)   Immediately, Jake was at his side. If I went upstairs, he ignored me. If Gary went upstairs, he followed right along. Jake almost never slept upstairs…except when Gary was there.Gary had only to hide under a blanket, and Jake was there nosing him out. He had to keep track of his alpha male.

When Gary and I left on trips, Jake went into mourning. But when we returned, he went all joyous, and welcomed us in herd dog fashion with sideways body slams, telling his returning sheep to get back into the flock. Then he tore around the yard, happiness boiling over until he exhausted himself.

At Christmas Gary brought for more gifts for Jake than he did for me: big bones, Frisbees, balls. His big stocking was filled with tasty treats and more toys. Baskets and baskets of toys accumulated over the years.  His toy box eventually became a big bin. He was a spoiled dog. There were presents for Mean Ol' Ms Baby Doll but never on Jake's scale. 

It didn't stop with Christmas. Somewhere Gary found a party hat with a rubber band and put it on Jake to celebrate New Year's Eve. That would be Jake’s party hat from then on, carefully saved for birthdays, New Year’s, any celebration. He would wear it briefly, just long enough for photos, then paw it off.

 Gary set up an adjustable jumping fence for Jake and practiced with him daily. Jake loved a challenge.

Spring brought Jake Dog's annual  haircut.. An Australian shepherd has a coat of fur as thick as the wool of the flocks he should be guarding. To cut through it, Gary and I drove over to Bob and Lee Bock's farm to borrow a cow clipper. Jake was patient during haircuts, at least until the growling clippers approaches his cranium. The “grrr” must have been murder on ears that big. I suppose the sound echoed through his brain. That’s when my job was to hold up a dog biscuit before his eyes as a promise of the future reward, a trip to Dairy Queen for the doggy sundae, ice cream with dog biscuits.