The squeaky wheel syndrome

I know I blog alot about Jenny. So much so that poor Jack gets left behind in the background. A lot. There is a saying, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". That is certainly true in this case. Jenny is much higher maintenence than Jack. Because of her allergy issues she has special foods and frequent vet trips. (Can you imagine Jack with allergies? Yikes!!) Because of her higher energy level she gets more training attention and more walks to burn off energy than Jack. I do take a lot of photos of Jack as well as Jenny but being his color many of them don't show his face very well. It is the curse of having a black faced dog. Lighting issues can be a problem.

Jack is an easy keeper on many levels. Thankfully he seems content to play second fiddle. How do we know if our dogs are really happy about their lives? I guess we can assume some things based on their behavior. He doesn't chew things up when he gets left behind out or boredom or anxiety. Of course I do leave him a kong and chewies so he has that instead. But maybe he is just lazy, kinda like his owner. I admit that I could never be a border collie person. I just don't have that kind of energy.

Thankfully Jack is a laid back dog who is also very tolerant of his bratty sister. You should see how she bosses him around! (She has no idea he could take her out if he chose. Ahhh the benefit of domestication!) He loves to have a good game of tug now and then and he likes to go to bed early. He hates to get his feet wet but standing in the rain doesn't phase him at all. He makes the most adorable chuffing sound when he is happy. He's not a big fan of walks on a leash but he loves to run in the woods. He loves attention and I'm pretty sure he thinks visitors have all come to see him.

But there is much more to Jack that I don't always remember to mention. I like to think of him as a working dog. He comes to the prison and helps socialize puppies or he's a distraction while we work them around him. He has helped me with reactive dog clients and he has helped socialize many chow puppies over the years. If there were ever a contest for BEST DOG EVER he would be nominee number 1.

He may be one of the sweetest dogs I have ever lived with. There will never be another dog like Jack for me. I am super blessed to have him and I know it. Because of this I think he may be my last akita. I just cannot imagine another that could fill his shoes! (um paws)

So this is my post all about Jack, a dog behind the scenes for sure but nonetheless loved and appreciated by us all. I've posted just a few of my favorite photos of him.

I hope we have many more years together. I cannot imagine how to be without him after all. Nor do I want to.