Goo Goo

Jacqueline Margo, Jackie, Yack, Jack, GooGoo, Dis Girl, Yack the Yack Russell, Old Girl, Goog.
Yesterday Jackie was hit by a Ford Explorer. Fortunately, she's alive. We were in the backyard when she saw a Boxer, jumped the fence (Jack Russells are helicopters) and bolted after it. She was hit in the side of the head and it was a sickening thing to see. Six people witnessed it. The driver stopped. I won't go into detail, but when I approached her I almost knew she was gone.

The vet's main concern was making it through the night AND SHE DID. When I woke up, I looked over at her laundry basket (it's where she loves to sleep) and whispered "GooGoo?" I saw her tiny tail wag. She didn't lift her head, but she pulled in her front legs to expose her chest so I could scratch it. She's been walking around a little today and she even begged when Maximus was eating cereal this morning. During Maximus' nap, I held her on my lap on the front porch.

Jackie is a rescue, so we don't know her exact age. She is guessed to be around 12. She was found in a junk yard by a Jack Russell rescue group in Salt Lake City and I adopted her within the week. She was very, very ill for the few months and soon became my best friend. She has her traits- she bites her nails, sneezes constantly from blunt force trauma to her face from her "old life", she has mast cell cancer, she always has a runny nose, her tail was docked way too short (it's about 2 inches long), she's missing most of her teeth, she'll attack if you break up frozen vegetables in a bag, her favorite treat is a cucumber and DO NOT MESS WITH HER WHEN SHE SLEEPS.

I am so, so relieved it wasn't worse. I saw a UPS truck flying through the neighborhood and caught myself thinking, "what if?" I know this old lady has many more years left in her. We're the type of people who consider our pet as a member of our family. How could you not? I don't understand how people can obtain a "pet" and leave it outside or put it in a torturous dog run. Whatever Jackie's past is (all we know is that it wasn't ideal) we can only make her remaining time left perfect. Yeah, Maximus has his moments when he thinks riding her 14 pound frame is fun, but she knows she's loved. I love her. We love her. So, so much.

As I'm typing about Jacqueline, I have say, "Rest in peace, Claire". We miss you.