And I got her to do it :) Just barely, but she did it.
I love this boy. About a week or two after we took these photos, JJ passed away. He had just turned 14 and had age a lot the last few months. I was home in January and he was still acting like a 4 year old dog. Him and Rocky always acted like young dogs their whole life until March of this year.
This dog hardly takes his eyes off me if I'm outside. We may have never lived together but he was MY boy. He always wanted my attention. When he was younger, he couldn't stand it if I was petting Rocky. He had severe jealousy issues! I used to have to lock JJ out of the garage so I could have some time to give Rocky some attention.
One of my favorite photos of JJ. This was right when we got him. I found him on PetFinder and sent him to my dad. My dad liked him too. He was an Australian Shepard - Collie mix. We were looking a collie mix. That was the breed my dad always liked. I was a sophmore in college. My dad and I took my black Grand Prix and drove 7 hours to Minnesota to a shelter. I had never been to a shelter before.... yikes. That was interesting.
He was so little! I think it he was 6-8 weeks old when we picked him up. His mom was a purebred collie. His name at the shelter was Storm. As he was born during a storm. There was one more pup unclaimed..... my dad and I almost took it too. I wanted the other one really bad, but my dad said it would be nice to have two different breeds. The poor pup was so scared in the car. He rode in a box on my lap. He was pretty happy once we got to the farm. He never was fond of riding in cars.
Makena with JJ - I always loved this picture too. There was another one in this same pose where he reached up and licked her hand :)
Oh but he was the best dog. He followed me or my dad everywhere. Him and my dad became pretty good buds. I never lived at home with him, but he was my dog. I would go home in college just to see my dogs and my grandpa. When I would talk to my dad on the phone, if he was in the truck he would open the door when he got home so the dogs could hear me.
The Australian Shepard in him was supposed to enjoy playing fetch or frisbee. I tried hard, but could never really get him to do it. He retrieved the frisbee a few times, but not consistently. He was a pretty timid dog, I could never get him to ride in the back of the truck. He was so timid, it took us a while to teach him to go down the steps on the deck when he was a pup!
JJ always came running when you pulled in the driveway. It was the best. He was so excited to see you. It's pretty sad now, no one was coming when you pull in the driveway. I know it's a hard adjustment for my dad. Sadly, they will not get another dog. Which means I will never have another dog (Ryan won't let us get one). It's been pretty hard to deal with. I'm sad my kids won't grow up with a dog and know the love and fun that comes with a dog. I wish Ryan had grown up with a dog, he just doesn't get it!! At least Landon and Nicole will always have a dog, they got a pretty good one with Cooper :)
These two were best friends. Of course, I love this picture too. I took it from the picture window in the living room. Completely different personalities but best friends.
I've had the same photo of JJ as the background of my phone for years. Maybe 8 years? I can't remember now. And the background of my computer has always been Rocky & JJ. Addison will see these photos and say "Mom! Those are your best buds!"
One of my dad's favorite traits of JJ, besides always being excited when my dad got home, was that when you fed JJ, you had to pat his head before he would eat. You would put food in your dish, and he would just look at you and wait. If my dad forgot to pat his head, JJ would just follow him out of the building and around the yard. Then my dad would remember and take him back to the shed, pat his head, then he would eat. My dad had to give those directions to any one else who came over to feed him while they were gone. Ha!
This post is apparently more for me than it is the kids, but JJ was an important part of my life. He was a good dog and I miss him greatly.
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