Jaylynn

I need to take a moment to remember my sweet sweet Jaylynn who was laid to rest last week.  Jaylynn was the first dog I ever owned.  I picked her up as a puppy outside of Walmart after I got off work during my 4^th year of undergrad.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into!  Jaylynn loved to kiss and licked obsessively right up until she died.  One of the last things she did was grace me with one of her stinky kisses. 

As a puppy she never really walked, rather she bounced.  She always reminded me of Tigger from Whiney the Pooh and I always believed her to be a little retarded.  Jaylynn loved to bark at other dogs, although she was a huge scardy cat.  My favorite story was walking with her in the pasture when we came across some cows unexpectedly.  Jaylynn hunkered down, began to growl, looked at me and took off running for the house (chicken).  So much for a protector!  She loved to chase rabbits and roll in anything dead or stinky.  In fact I often found her “presents” on my porch step after an evening of play.  I will never forget, one day I found a deer head discarded by hunters found by my dogs on my porch (Can anyone say Godfather scare?).  Jaylynn loved to lay in the sun on a warm day or under the stars on a beautiful night. 

I believe her favorite times in life were when we lived in the country in Stillwater.  We would walk the 3 mile trail in the field next to our trailer every morning snow, rain or shine.  In the summer we would swim in the pond.  She was a pot licker and never turned down a treat.  Even on her last day, despite the fact that she couldn’t stand up and was in pain, she still ate an entire package of hot dogs.  She was a gentle dog and put everyone else’s needs first.   Even though she loved her food, if a cat came up to her bowl and wanted to steal a kibble, she would stand aside while they picked out their piece.  Instead of nudging a companion pet off her blanket, she would lay on the floor with only her nose on her pillow if another animal was already resting in her spot.  More than once I found her curled up in the too small cat bed because a kitty was laying on her bed.   

Jaylynn lived with me in town, in the country, in the city and in the suburbs.  Jaylynn lived with me through 2 marriages, 1 divorce, the birth of my 2 children, 5 moves and 5 other pets.  I have spent so much of my life taking care of her I feel very empty not thinking of her needs anymore.  Jaylynn lived 14 years and I will miss her for at least another 14 more.