what love really means
I'll tell ya what. Jager has got to be the sweetest thing on the planet. I do love him more than life itself.
Here's why: Every time I pack my suitcase to go out of town, he starts moping. He'll follow me around, but he clearly lets me know that he's less than pleased that Daddy's going away again. He refuses to let me pet him. He refuses to lick me. And he refuses to jump up in my lap the way he normally does. He just stays two steps behind, silently begging me not to leave him.
He's always taken care of (and probably spoiled even rotten-er) by my friends and family when I'm away, but he and I both know that it's just not quite the same without one another.
He's been with me through a few moves, a couple of cats, countless failed relationships, and quite a few weekend-long binges. Honestly, he's probably the most steady and trustworthy thing I've had in my life for the past 6 years, give or take.
He's always happy when I come home. He's always sad when I leave. And he never fails to let me know exactly how he's feeling. His number one goal for himself each and every day is to please Daddy. If Daddy's not happy, Jager's not happy.
One of Jager's FAVORITE things- riding in the car with me to Subway, where the cute girl who works the drive-thru always gives him a bit of ham. He also loves chasing squirrels and rabbits in the backyard- he caught a baby rabbit last year, and to my amazement, didn't harm it a bit. He just wanted to play.... the rabbit didn't quite understand, but that was okay with Jager...... he's always so happy and peaceful.
To this day, when he gets bored, he looks for that little rabbit. How do I know? Because it ran into the crevice underneath the steps out back. Every few days I'll catch him sticking his little nose under there, just incase it's back to play again....
Jager loves all of my friends, some more than others. But he never begs, never jumps up on anyone, and rarely ever licks.
He never gets into the trash, chews up Daddy's stuff, or goes potty in the house. He learned very quickly that Daddy doesn't like those things, and the last thing he would ever do is upset Daddy.
There's no better size for a house dog. Jager's exactly 26 pounds, perfectly small enough for cuddling, but big enough to be sturdy and play rough sometimes.
Jager ABSOLUTELY MUST sleep in bed with Daddy, underneath the blanket. He goes all the way down to the bottom corner, and stays out of the way (mostly).
Jager can catch anything that is ever thrown.
When I'm getting ready to leave the house, and Jager really wants to go, he'll pick up his leash and bring it to me.
Sometimes Jager has seizures.. never bad ones, but they scare him to death nonetheless. Normally only one every 3 or 4 months, so nothing to really worry about. But he really needs to be held and reassured during and afterwords. And he's so appreciative when it's all over and I massage his sore little muscles.
I never could stand yappy little dogs. Jager never barks. And if he does, you'd better investigate. When it comes to sounds, he knows exactly what is and is not normal around the house. And he pays close attention.
He likes ice cubes in his water bowl during the summer. And the food in his bowl MUST be fresh. If I feed him too much at night and there's some left over, you can rest assured that by morning he'll have emptied his bowl onto the kitchen floor. "I said FRESH dog chow, Daddy!!"
He will stay on command. No matter what. But sitting.... well..... he'll pretty much only sit if you have a treat. He refuses to learn any more tricks, as if they are an insult to his intelligence.
Obviously, I could go on for days. Here's what spurred this on- I've basically been in bed for a whole week.... the old back problems. He's been so content and patient with me, as if he could tell that Daddy wasn't feeling too good. Tonight I started packing for my trip to Vegas tomorrow. He was NOT happy. The only thing that cheered him up was me inviting him to share my pillow and snuggle up for a bit. He just had to have some one on one attention before I go....
.... and even as I sit here, sleepless at 4AM, he's on the couch right beside me.
Probably playing with the baby rabbit in his dreams.
Just for the record,
I love you, Jager.
Here's why: Every time I pack my suitcase to go out of town, he starts moping. He'll follow me around, but he clearly lets me know that he's less than pleased that Daddy's going away again. He refuses to let me pet him. He refuses to lick me. And he refuses to jump up in my lap the way he normally does. He just stays two steps behind, silently begging me not to leave him.
He's always taken care of (and probably spoiled even rotten-er) by my friends and family when I'm away, but he and I both know that it's just not quite the same without one another.
He's been with me through a few moves, a couple of cats, countless failed relationships, and quite a few weekend-long binges. Honestly, he's probably the most steady and trustworthy thing I've had in my life for the past 6 years, give or take.
He's always happy when I come home. He's always sad when I leave. And he never fails to let me know exactly how he's feeling. His number one goal for himself each and every day is to please Daddy. If Daddy's not happy, Jager's not happy.
One of Jager's FAVORITE things- riding in the car with me to Subway, where the cute girl who works the drive-thru always gives him a bit of ham. He also loves chasing squirrels and rabbits in the backyard- he caught a baby rabbit last year, and to my amazement, didn't harm it a bit. He just wanted to play.... the rabbit didn't quite understand, but that was okay with Jager...... he's always so happy and peaceful.
To this day, when he gets bored, he looks for that little rabbit. How do I know? Because it ran into the crevice underneath the steps out back. Every few days I'll catch him sticking his little nose under there, just incase it's back to play again....
Jager loves all of my friends, some more than others. But he never begs, never jumps up on anyone, and rarely ever licks.
He never gets into the trash, chews up Daddy's stuff, or goes potty in the house. He learned very quickly that Daddy doesn't like those things, and the last thing he would ever do is upset Daddy.
There's no better size for a house dog. Jager's exactly 26 pounds, perfectly small enough for cuddling, but big enough to be sturdy and play rough sometimes.
Jager ABSOLUTELY MUST sleep in bed with Daddy, underneath the blanket. He goes all the way down to the bottom corner, and stays out of the way (mostly).
Jager can catch anything that is ever thrown.
When I'm getting ready to leave the house, and Jager really wants to go, he'll pick up his leash and bring it to me.
Sometimes Jager has seizures.. never bad ones, but they scare him to death nonetheless. Normally only one every 3 or 4 months, so nothing to really worry about. But he really needs to be held and reassured during and afterwords. And he's so appreciative when it's all over and I massage his sore little muscles.
I never could stand yappy little dogs. Jager never barks. And if he does, you'd better investigate. When it comes to sounds, he knows exactly what is and is not normal around the house. And he pays close attention.
He likes ice cubes in his water bowl during the summer. And the food in his bowl MUST be fresh. If I feed him too much at night and there's some left over, you can rest assured that by morning he'll have emptied his bowl onto the kitchen floor. "I said FRESH dog chow, Daddy!!"
He will stay on command. No matter what. But sitting.... well..... he'll pretty much only sit if you have a treat. He refuses to learn any more tricks, as if they are an insult to his intelligence.
Obviously, I could go on for days. Here's what spurred this on- I've basically been in bed for a whole week.... the old back problems. He's been so content and patient with me, as if he could tell that Daddy wasn't feeling too good. Tonight I started packing for my trip to Vegas tomorrow. He was NOT happy. The only thing that cheered him up was me inviting him to share my pillow and snuggle up for a bit. He just had to have some one on one attention before I go....
.... and even as I sit here, sleepless at 4AM, he's on the couch right beside me.
Probably playing with the baby rabbit in his dreams.
Just for the record,
I love you, Jager.
posted by tjayswift at 3:51 AM
3 comments
