Jenny Mae

[BoSoxGal]

The light of my life for 14 years is gone over the Rainbow Bridge today; Jenny Mae I will love you until my last breath. Be happy, be jumping and running and chasing cats and rabbits; most of all, be at peace. Thank you for loving me without condition!

[Lord Jim]

My condolences BSG...

[Guinevere]

I'm so sorry for your loss BSG.

[BoSoxGal]

Thanks, guys. Thank you especially, Guin. I just wanted you to know that Jenny loved to chase cats - really anything that ran away - but she never, ever hurt them. She wanted them to play with her, is all, and didn't understand why they didn't feel the same. She met a few cats in her life who weren't runners, and she was very timid when they put her in her place. She was a very kind, gentle dog - I never saw her curl her lip at anybody or anything, ever.

I will miss her so, SO much.

eta: Just to clarify; LJ, your condolences mean as much, but I know I've really pissed off Guin at times here in the past, and I'm very grateful that she weighed in with condolences, even though I don't think she likes me very much - which I don't hold against her at all.

I'm kind of a mess right now, so please forgive any awkwardness. It's nice to not feel so alone after losing someone so dear.

[rubato]

Sorry for your loss BSG. Dogs are a higher form of consciousness than most humans.
..

yrs,
rubato

[MajGenl.Meade]

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie)

[Sue U]

So sorry for your loss, BSG. It's been a rough go for you lately. Best wishes for a brighter future.

[Big RR]

My condolences BSG; my own dog has just turned 12 and it sometimes depresses me that she is aging at a much faster rate than me.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I am very sorry for your loss bigskygal. I have no other words

[kristina]

I'm so sorry, bsg.

[Econoline]

Please accept my condolences, too. I'm not really a dog person myself, but I've experienced the death of several cats, and I have enough near-and-dear relatives who have had dogs whose passing saddened them and, by extension, our whole family... I can only imagine what you've been going through. I'm so sorry for your loss; I really don't know what else to say.

[Long Run]

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your happy companion. Dogs (and cats) really become vital and valued members of a household and it is so hard to say good bye.

[eddieq]

Sorry for your loss, BSG. Jenny Mae is running free of pain.

[BoSoxGal]

My new profile pic - which I had used in the past - is of Jenny in May 2009. We were sitting looking out at the ocean after a few hours playing on Dog Beach, Mission Beach, San Diego. Her face says, "mom, this is SO cool, I had SO much fun, thanks for bringing me!"

When I went to the Humane Society in Bangor, Maine in spring of 2002 looking for a dog to keep my first dog, Gus, company while I spent long hours at work, I went from cage to cage meeting the dogs and asked each one to 'sit'. Of course they were all sweet and I wished I could take them all, but I picked Jenny because when I asked her to 'sit', she sat, but then barked at me - like, "who are YOU to boss ME around?!" Later when I went back to pick her up, they brought her out front for me and she pulled away from the kennel attendant and ran across the lobby, jumped up on me and knocked me on my ass - it was very comical!

That pretty much set the tone for the relationship - while not quite so destructive and never once a 'humper' (thought I've seen female dogs who are), she was a lot like the boy dog in Marley & Me. She challenged me every single day of our life together; it was both infuriating and endearing. Living with her was a lot like living with a small child; she was very, very smart and very tuned in to me, my emotions, etc. - and VERY willful.

My dog Gus was a sweet guy and my remaining dog Little Bear is a sweet girl, but neither is/was so very smart or so spunky. Jenny just had a really rich personality, which had nothing to do with me, as she was 11 months old when I adopted her. (eta: Jenny actually was the star of her obedience class, so not like Marley in that way. She was SO smart and would have been a great sheep dog, I'm pretty sure she was part border collie - she tried herding people all the time. The only problem with her obedience was my laziness in requiring her to be obedient, so SHE bossed ME around much of the time instead. I secretly loved it.)

Now I'll finally have a dog who heels, doesn't pull on the leash and doesn't run off after rabbits or squirrels - Little Bear developed sudden retinal degeneration this summer, and so in addition to her slightly limited mobility from the bad hip/leg she had when I found her (which I put $5k into rebuilding - she's bionic, but still not athletic), she is now largely blind. She's the kind of dog who lies down at your feet all day and doesn't make much fuss - as she's doing right now. She's a lovely sweet girl and I'm glad I have her here to comfort me, and I think she misses Jenny, too, even though Jenny bossed her around and was always top dog.

Interestingly, I only have Little Bear because Jenny flushed her out of hiding on a hike adjacent to the Rocky Boy's Rez 3 summers ago before we left northern Montana; she was likely a Rez dog, as her hip/leg injuries indicated she'd been severely injured as a pup and never received veterinary care, according to my vet up there. I think maybe Jenny found her for me, because I'd just said to myself I would never get another dog, but she probably knew I needed one in my life and her time was ticking away.

Thanks all for the very kind condolences. I'll probably write some more reminiscences here as I work through my grief - friends have encouraged me to focus on the funny goofy stuff and the great memories, and not beat myself up for the times I scolded her (but I am!), so I think writing about my memories of her will help. Feel free to read and enjoy 'knowing' my special girl, if interested.