OUR LIVES WITH JEB
I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since we first met
Jeb. We brought him
home on April 16, 2002.
Jeb was a rescue from somewhere around Charles Town, West
Virginia. When we first met him, he was
about 6-7 months old. It was suspected
that he had suffered some form of abuse.
He had been ill, was underweight with thin fur, and was a little
shy. It was love at first sight, though,
for my family and – we’d like to think – for Jeb as well.
One of my first comments, after having Jeb for 2 days, was
“He is the most polite dog I have ever met!” That continued to be true for all
of his life. He was truly a family dog.
He enjoyed everyone’s company but – when it was just him and me – he was
my little shadow, by my side from room to room throughout the house.
My family and I had such a great time with Jeb through the
years – running through the woods on the campus of St. Andrew’s School in
Delaware and on the old logging roads in Maine; camping trips to Shenandoah
(Jeb’s first), Acadia National Park or on the shores of Lake St. George (never
could overcome his fear of water, though); or simple pleasures (for Jeb) like
chasing tennis balls until he would nearly drop.
Jeb did finally discover how to bark – when we first met him
at Victory Farm, we were told no one had never heard him bark – only “roo”
(which was an amazing and beautiful sound).
As he got older and more courageous, his barks grew louder and
louder. When he lost his hearing a
couple of years ago (probably due to his loud barks!), he couldn’t got outside
without a bark! So out he’d go,
pinwheeling and barking to his heart’s content!
Our family lost our gentle, sweet, smart, polite and loving boy on April 7, 2014. Letting go
of Jeb and saying goodbye was one of the hardest things for my family and
especially for me. Jeb became ill in
early March, and by the end of the month, his condition had declined such that
he could no longer walk. Caring for him
in his final days was a labor of love – love that I continued to hope would
bring him through whatever was ailing him. In the end though, our love for Jeb took on a
different meaning – that of letting go.
My family and I would like to extend our thanks and
gratitude to Sarah Ruckelshaus and the Mid-Atlantic Border Collie Rescue for
introducing us to our first border collie love.
And for being there with advice and support over the past few weeks as we
battled Jeb’s illness.
We turn our attention now to surrounding ourselves with memories
of Jeb and giving our hearts to Leap, our other MABCR love!
Donna, with
Bill, Lyndsay & Selena
1 comment:
That is a lovely tribute. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Mary Ann
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