In 2001. Scott began working nights in law enforcement, which left me and josh home alone. I often felt uncomfortable so discussed getting a dog. We had one, but his idea of guarding was hiding under the bed and growling!! I wanted a BIG DOG. That's just what we got. We found Jade when she was 2 yrs. old. She was a lot of dog to take care of. She loved going for walks but often, she was the one taking us for a walk because she was so strong. When winter came, we could hardly get her in the house. She would dig a hole in the snow and stay there. She was a snow dog, what could you expect. She loved getting her treats and most mornings, that's how she would start her day. Once Scott or I were up, she would make us follow her to where we kept the treats and she would literally point up to them. Scott got her to jump for them at times and she could jump pretty high. But she would never snatch a treat from our hands. She was always very gentle. She soon learned that by pointing to the frigde, she could con someone into giving her a hot dog too. She had a particular way of eating her treats too, she would literally hold it between her front paws, like hands. It was the funniest thing!She was never big on barking. Strange dogs could walk by and the neighborhood dogs would go crazy. She would just look to see what was going on then walk away. Most kids that came over were very intimidated by her because of her size. But you couldn't ask for a better dog to introduce kids to. She would sniff them, sit and wait for them to pet her and once they started to get comfortable, she would give them a kiss.
Jade was a DEFFINATE member of the family. She staked a claim on our bed, as you can see; but once there were babies around, she stuck pretty close to them. She often slept outside the door or next to the crib. When Colton or Nicholas cried, she would try to comfort them by licking them or cuddling up to them. Sometimes, she would even come and get me, knowing I could take care or them. She was a wonderful dog.
During my last pregnancy, Jade sort of develope this "thing" for Scott. She would often climb onto the bed, or have someone help her, and wedge between my and my husband, initially pushing me off. She began loving on him, laying in his lap and licking him. I think I got a little jealous!!
In the end, we could see her age was really starting to affect her, she had lost her spunk, but still managed to smile occasionally the way only she could do. She developed heart failure, which is common for large dogs. We made sure she knew that we loved her and Scott and I both told her it was o kay for her to go. She slipped away quietly in private, the way she wanted. We love you Jade. Thank you for being part of our family and sharing so much of yourself with us. I hope you have a big place to run up there and maybe Heavenly Father will set aside a small place with snow for you! Till we meet again!!
Lady Jade, died Apr. 21st, 2009
Our best Dog & friend
