Meet Jack!

Hello Jack!

Breed: Labrador/White Shepherd mix
Age: 5 Years on 9-15-2011
Nicknames: Jackers, Bubba
Jack's Story: Jack was my first dog! I got him when I was thirteen. I was going through a period of depression, and I really believe Jack helped me move out of that funk. When I was looking through newspaper classifieds for a dog(of course I didn't know better at the time), my mom kept advising me to look for a labrador, because that is the breed she grew up with. On the other hand, my step-father said he wanted a german shepherd because he grew up with them.

   Within a few days I found the perfect match! A labrador/shepherd mix, how lucky was I? When we went to the farm that had the puppies, I first encountered Jack's beautiful white shepherd momma. She was a little territorial at first, but warmed up to us when her owner came outside. I later met his dad, who was a rambunctious young yellow lab. When presented with the puppies, I watched them for a few minutes, and I picked the one that I thought was the quietest one.. Boy, was that a joke. The little bugger howled nonstop for the first couple of weeks. Howled if we weren't giving him any attention, howled during bath time, and howled just for the heck of it.

 

Little did we know this "itty bitty cutie" would 

grow into a handsome ninety pound dog

   Anyways, he's over that now, and nothing like either of his parents. He is incredibly friendly towards any stranger, and he's also a very "gentle giant".

   Jack has made a huge impact on my life. Not only was he my first dog, and not only did he help me come out of my depression funk, but he is my inspiration. Before I got him, I had always wanted to work with animals, but I must say I didn't know much about them. I was still in that, "Oooh! What a cute cuddly puppy!" stage, and most children thirteen and under are. However, when I got him things began to change. He has always had skin and allergy problems. His condition inspired me to learn, and learn I did. I could never have imagined how much information there is out there. I learned about quality dog foods, about natural dog health.. And of course these lead to me learning things about the pet overpopulation problem, the importance of spaying and neutering, abuse, and puppy mills. I was learning how to become a responsible pet owner at the young age of thirteen, all through self-education.


-Cynthia