Welcome to another Jack Flashback series: The year-end, month-by-month roundup of the biggest stories at GA JRT rescue for 2013. What a wild ride it has been this year! We’ve had everything from heart-breaking losses to incredible success stories. One thing was consistent, though: Our online following increased greatly, which meant that our local support also grew beyond anything we’ve known before.
Healing has been hard the past few weeks. First, we lost Abigail unexpected on Christmas Eve, then Chloe on Jan. 4. These were both heartbreaking and hard to recover from, but today we had to say good-bye to the king: BB.
BB wasn’t just a rescue; he was the rescue. He was in such bad shape when he arrived many years ago, riddled with heartworms, that he quickly became a house dog. He belonged to Jimmy and Donna and he wasn’t going anywhere.
An amicable, little soul, he would always greet the new arrivals with a smile that said, “Don’t worry, little one, you’re safe here.” He did the same for all of the volunteers, giving us more than a good laugh throughout the years as he “patrolled” the grounds and made sure every dog was in their place.
Like any senior, he had his troubles. His hearing was gone and his vision was following it. His damaged heart struggled sometimes, but if there was food or fun to be had, he was up and at ’em like a newborn Jack. Unfortunately, that spring in his step began to fade recently, and he had troubles going up and down the special ramp our volunteers built for him. He was ready and he let us know. This morning, we kissed him on the forehead and made the decision not to let him suffer. He had been so good to us and, as hard as it was to let go, we knew he deserved peace and joy.
This is a huge loss for all of us. Donna has lost one of her own personal babies, and we have lost that little bright spot who always greeted us. He will be missed beyond words, but we know that Jimmy and Abigail are happy to see him again.
Here are some photos of a wonderful, little man who changed the lives of many.