Update 6 July 2011: Jasper has had a heart murmur since before we brought him home, but it hadn’t really given him any problems. Sadly he does now have a poorly heart and has been put on medication. He has a vet check-up in a couple of weeks.
We’re obviously very worried about him
but he will continue to have all the love, help, company and enjoyment we can possibly bring into his life and as I said above, every day with him is indeed a blessing. Please keep him in your thoughts though, we’d all really appreciate that. Thank you.
18 months ago on New Year’s Eve, this wonderful little man came into our lives.
Jasper was an emergency, last minute foster. His previous owner had become very ill and his family had taken Jasper to the vet to be put down :( You can read some of his original story here if you haven’t before.
Jasper (a new name we gave him to represent his fresh start) is a fabulous dog who fitted straight into our family with our existing rescue dogs. New Year’s Eve isn’t the best day to bring a new family member home, but Jasper’s need was urgent as the vets was closing that day. We stay in on NYE these days anyway, due to one of our other dogs having a fear of fireworks – and really I can’t think of a better way of thinking about the past year and looking forward to the next one, than being in my home surrounded by those I love most in the world.
The first almost year of Jasper’s new life with us flew by smoothly. We were told not to let him off lead as he had no recall but we developed a bond and carried a bag of tuna cake and after a time, off-lead he went. He’s very good and when he’s a little way ahead, turns his head back frequently to check we are still there. He also seems to recall to the camera, if I crouch down to photograph him and he notices, back he comes
Jasper is a bit of a poser for the camera, as you can see above (and click on the smaller thumbnail images below), especially if tuna cake is involved. He’s been perfecting his butter wouldn’t melt look. He was clean in the house from day one. He walks very nicely on the lead, travels quietly in the car and is a steady boy. He was obviously upset and unsettled when he first arrived with us, clearly missing his previous owner and/or the other dog he lived with (who was rehomed within the family), but we offered him love, comfort, good food, Reiki, human and canine company and walks. After a while he started enjoying his walks with us, rather than seeming to be trying to get “home” as he had at first.
These days Jasper very much regards us as his family and this place as his home. He has realised that it’s ok for him to get onto the sofa or an armchair for a snooze – and sometimes I come downstairs to see what he is barking at, to find him lying on the sofa calling for his breakfast
We have had a few scares with Jasper in the last six months or so. We knew he had a bit of a heart murmur and some arthritis when we brought him home, but he has suffered a couple of stroke-like episodes since just before Christmas but, with the help of good food and holistic healthcare, he has made a good recovery from each. He has a few ongoing health concerns, but we feel truly blessed that he is still with us and see each day with him as one to be treasured.
People often say how young he looks in his photos – I think sometimes they are a bit deceptive as he is now a fairly old dog with a few health concerns, but he has a great quality of life and a huge appetite both for food and enjoyment. He went off his food following his stroke-episodes, which is always a big worry with any animal, but I found on the most recent occasion back in March, that adding a little mackerel in tomato sauce got him eating again. I don’t add that to his food each time anymore, because I want to keep something “extra” back should it be needed for encouragement again in the future, but Jasper did persuade me to introduce Mackerel Monday and Fish Friday for him and his canine siblings. Look at his face – how could I refuse?
Jasper is a cheeky boy and when he thinks it’s time for a feed, he will nudge me (or nudge my husband to remind me!) and if we head into the kitchen, he’ll stand staring in hope at the fridgeThe boy does love his food and after the heartbreaking times he has turned his head away from the food bowl, I won’t complain a bit.
We very much believe that Jasper was meant to join our family. I never offer to foster, I help rescue in other ways, but when I heard about Jasper I just had this feeling about him – and that night as my husband walked in, I casually asked him if he might be up for bringing an oldie home to foster for a few days. In the meantime, another regular fosterer had been contacted and agreed to take him, but on the morning of the planned transport run, their car packed up, so we offered to take him for a few days. A few days – ha, ha! Soon as that dog was sat in our car, I think we all knew he wasn’t going anywhere.
My lovely husband popped out to rent a few DVDs that New Year’s Eve, so we could all relax. He came back and was showing me what he’d rented – he said one was about a dog who came to stay on New Year’s Eve and never left. In surprise I asked “really?” He said, “no, silly”. And that, was that. Jasper was home. And we love, love, love him.
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