Jack

It's taken me 10 months to draft this post about losing Jack to an abdominal tumor that erupted. In early September, Ken went on an around-the-world business trip. At the time of his departure, Jack seemed fine, but eight days into Ken's trip, Jack stopped eating; he ignored anyone at the door; he was completely listless; and his belly seemed distended. We knew that he wasn't well, but we didn't realize just how sick he was. Upon his return, Ken took Jack to the vet. I met them both there just in time to hear the sad news and to say good-bye to Jack.

In any given week, Jack drove me crazy with his making a mess of the kitchen trash; with his clawing at the front door when mail and packages were delivered; and with his incessant barking whenever anyone came over. He shed a lot, too, so the first floor looked as though it always needed to be vacuumed. So I surprised myself at how many tears I shed over Jack. He had been with us for 10 years, and we have lots of fond memories of him. Here's the excerpt from the 2010 holiday card:

"This year we had to say good-bye to crazy Jack, the dog that I had brought home one night when Ken was away on business travel. Good ol’ Iron Gut. That dog could eat anything and not get sick. He once ate an entire bag, aluminum foil and all, of Kit Kat bars – the kind that you give out on Halloween. Contrary to popular belief, processed chocolate, as it turns out, is not poisonous to dogs. (Apparently baking squares are another story.) So again we live and learn. On yet another memorable evening, Jack, while visiting Ken’s parents, sneaked downstairs after everyone was asleep and polished off three-quarters of a blueberry pie. His poop was purple for two weeks after that. As much as Jack drove me crazy we all miss him and thank him for 10 years of the most exuberant greetings you’ll ever receive upon entering a home. Bryn, sadly, is allergic to dogs, so getting another is not currently an option, at least not until Ken identifies a suitable boarding school."

Here's a list, assembled by Ken, of other things we remember about Jack:

*Crazy Jack - Running around as fast as he possibly could, often in circles


*His fondness for Arnie, the 70-year-old+ dogwalker in Center City, and Anita our housekeeper and Dan our contractor and Jeannie our dogsitter

*His disdain for Mushy, the neighboring dog in Center City

*Sleeping at the bottom of our bed -- under the covers, until we learned that Bryn is allergic to dogs. From that point forward Jack was restricted to the first floor of the house

*Taking Jack to a beach in a NJ state park where his paws spread out like fingers on a hand. He wasn't fond of the beach.

*How much he loved car rides -- and sticking his head out the window

*Running up to Penn's campus with Ken

*His fear of city grates -- and of being tied up outside any store in Center City

*Being startled by lion statues in Center City

*Conquering the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac River

*Devouring a chicken leg bone -- and not requiring any kind of medical attention

*Eating rancid meat and disgusting stuff he found on the street. The only thing that ever made him really sick was changing his dog food when the local grocery store stopped carrying red bags of Iams. Thank goodness for the supply at the nearby PetSmart.

*Snatching an entire slice of pizza off of Mike Leahy's lap

*Stealing a baguette and then hiding chunks of it in between couch cushions in the living room

*Playing tug-of-war with an old sock. His grip was fierce.

*In another game, Ken would put gloves on and swing his arms at Jack's legs. Jack would jump to avoid Ken's arms and bite at the mittens.

*His greetings. Even if you were gone for 10 minutes, you'd get a nice greeting upon your return. But when you went away for a week, you'd get a song and dance that lasted an eternity.

Thanks, Jack.