In Honor of Jasper Joseph

My sister is putting her dog, Jasper, to sleep this afternoon. This is hard for me. Jazzy has been battling cancer for a few months now and it's gotten to the point that his quality of life is poor. He is suffering and his suffering needs to end.

It's hard for me because Jasper and Montana, one of my dogs, are siblings. My parents had their mom until she passed away earlier this year. The mother, Belle, had been hit by a car and found on the side of the road. She was a stray and was seriously injured. After many surgeries, she healed, and my parents adopted her. We found out she was pregnant shortly before Christmas of 1997. Belle had been pregnant before she was hit. The vet warned us that the puppies may be stillborn or they may have severe birth defects given the numerous surgeries and all of the meds Belle had been on.

Belle gave birth on January 2, 1998 to seven healthy puppies. An eighth was stillborn. As soon as Montana was born, I chose her as my dog. It is hard for me to accept that Jasper is going to pass. He is Montana's brother and it makes me face reality that Montana, too, is ten years old. I will also be faced with the same decision that my sister is facing. That makes my heart hurt.

Jasper has lived a good life. He loves camping, fetch, the water, and car rides. He is patient and unbelievably kind. This is a picture of Jazzy. It's not the best, but it's the only digital image of him on this computer:

I love you Jazzy Joe. You will be missed.