Jack - Adopted 2017

To the wonderful staff at Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts,

On September 26, 2017, 18 days after his 7th birthday, I brought home Jack. Back then, you knew him as Jax, but with a new life ahead of him, we wanted to give him a fresh start with a fresh take on his old name. I didn’t know it then, but I had won the “Jackpot.” Pun intended.

A Jackpot is typically used to denote a collection of something desirable. How on earth he ended up at a shelter, in the company of “the undesirables” is lost on me. There must have been some mistake. As with all animals, there is no such thing as an undesirable, is there? Surely, I would take him home and his previous family would eventually come back telling us a tale of how he got lost and couldn’t find him. Or perhaps, a series of unfortunate events that forced him to be surrendered, but alas, they came to their senses! The luck of finding such a special dog, made me weary of sharing him with you, on the off chance his family was scanning your page in hopes of being reunited once more. Deep down, I knew this wasn’t the case. I had few pieces of his story, but enough to know that no one was coming back for him. Still, I wasn’t going to chance it. That’s how great he was.

I want you to know that Jack was loved. Truly loved. He lived with Bella and Bailey his golden retriever siblings and his best buddy, another boxer sister named Harper. He had doting grandparents, aunts and uncles. He had the love of my nieces when they visited who cuddled him endlessly, read him stories, and even invited him to tea. He ate well, very well, probably due to the awful begging he learned from his sister, Harper. It took him close to 2 years to really figure out how to play with toys, but once he learned, he found happiness in a furry squeak toy I would buy in bulk from TJMaxx. Looking back, I wonder if he thought it was something I actually enjoyed, and played with it entirely because he thought it made me happy. He loved his patio and would spend his summer days relaxing in the shade for as long as you let him. From the very first day, he protected our yard as if he’d been there forever. He must have known he was home, and he protected it well. Especially from pesky mice that tried to find a home in my parents kitchen. He was a good hunter and would wait out a mouse for hours beside a cabinet, even catching one, initiating screams from me and my mother that could wake the dead. Everyday he was grateful. We could see it in his eyes and could feel it in the weight of his head that always found a spot in our arms as he slept. His snoring could win contests, but somehow, the sound didn’t bother us. It meant he could rest. And he rested well. He loved a good party. The more the merrier and he would sit and watch cornhole games and occasionally steal a bag or two. On occasion he got a lick of expensive scotch or Grandpas bourbon when he sat with the boys outside. I scolded them for doing so, but secretly, I loved it. And so did Jack. He didn’t know much pain. When he was diagnosed with cancer over a year ago, he was treated with chemo and vaccines that gave him quality time to live, love and eat whatever he wanted. He was comfortable until the day we said goodbye, the day after the first of the year. His last breath was in our arms and in the comfort of the place he called home.

We gave him all our love, but he gave us so much more. This “undesired” dog entered a house on a sunny September day and we were never the same. They tell us to adopt or to rescue, if you will. But what they simply don’t say is that they actually rescue you. Day after day, they rescue us….from bad days, sadness, slights, boredom, pain, and the cruelty of the world. And on the good days, they join in on our happiness. Everyday, they choose us and make us feel unconditional love. We could learn so much from them. I hope everyone finds their “Jackpot” wherever they may be. They are just waiting to meet you, their forever family. We absolutely found ours.

I want to thank you all for the work you do. It’s hard and I imagine, gut-wrenching to do this kind of work. It takes a special type of person to work with animals and you should see the reward in a life well-lived by a dog who, when you knew him, was at his lowest. I want you all to know the good you bring to the world. You bring families together. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Please view the video attachment below to see the difference you made in our lives.

With a dog’s heart full of love,
The Moran Family