We had to put Jasper down this past weekend as his back legs were giving out. He fought hard to the end giving us an extra year with him fighting through some joint issues with his monthly injections. We did it together, as a family, and showered him with love and spoke about out best memories with him. It never gets any easier saying goodbye to a good dog but I also could never live without a dog by my side, the thousands of good days firmly outweigh the grief that is sure to come in time.

Unique is the word that comes to mind when describing Jasper, he was unlike any other dog I’ve ever known. He was not the most cuddly dog nor did he much like playing with toys. He had a sense of nobility and was majestic and more relatable to humans rather than a dog. He was, quite simply, another member of the family that required very little from us and was independent. Whenever we had him out on a walk almost everybody would comment on his beauty, most thought he was a girl because he was just such a gorgeous pup.

Rescuing him eleven years ago we had thought we were getting a fierce/strong guard dog and instead we ended up with the sweetest boy who needed our protection. Jasper spent years terrified of me if I was standing, he had clearly been through some trauma with men in his early years and indications he was used as a bait dog. But if I were to lay down on the couch he would quickly come up and nuzzle his head into me, and if we took him places he would stand right beside me knowing I was his protector.

He had an incredible bond with our daughter Ayla, from before she was born he would rest his head on my wife’s pregnant belly every night, often scared by her little kicks. He would follow her everywhere as a baby. He spanned the birth of both of our babies which made it so hard to say goodbye, an end of an era. I know we gave him a great life and you could always see the gratitude in his eyes until the past week when those eyes showed he was tired of fighting and a sense of not wanting to be a burden, it was time for him to pass on and let his spirit run free again.

The past year or two his Lymes disease made it difficult for him and took away one of the great pleasures, watching him run. Jasper was incredibly fast and glided through the air so gracefully. Three years ago Jasper joined me in the road trip to Montana from Pennsylvania and those were some of my best memories with him. We saw a lot of the country and stopped at so many cool places. Our stop at the Sleeping Bear Dunes will be a lifetime memory, watching him glide up and down the sandy mountains having the time of his life.

His memory will live on, a kid never forgets their first dog. I’m grateful that we were able to share eleven solid years together. The pain of watching him give his last breath remains fresh and hurts but I hope he knows we had to take action out of love for him, allowing him to be dignified in his final days, for he lived a good life.

Goodbye my bud, until we meet again