i’m sorry, i just don’t know

My sweet Jasper Dog died on July 4th. Jasper was an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix with the sweetest temperament possible. Jasper had a freckle belly, golden eyes, and a paw shake that could knock me over. Her best (and pretty much only) trick was shutting the back door… a trick we taught her because we got sick of getting up from the TV to close the door after she’d been outside. She knew the words “toy”, “trip”, “dinner”, “get down”, “Jasper”, and “Jolee”. Jasper’s breed are herders, and she could stop just about anything that moved… cows, soccer balls, you name it.

Rob called her “frog” because her perpetual happy pant left her tongue continuously drooping. Jasper was high energy so we got her a companion dog, Jolee. The two of them romped and played whenever they weren’t piled together napping. She would curl up at my feet every night, causing me to sleep in an awkward crouch, and shake her collar a million times in the morning to get me to wake up. After waking me, she’d lay on my lap (not a small dog, mind you) to get some attention and love before being fed.

If it wasn’t for Jasper, we probably would never have thought to move deeper into the country. She helped me break away from suburban life and plant myself firmly in the country. I am sad she will never get to herd the goats we intend to raise after moving.

She knew when I was sad. When I was home, she never left my side. She’d follow me from room to room thinking something exciting was about to happen. Jolee never did that until now…she was always content to stay on the couch or bed watching us. Now she follows me too. I haven’t been able to put her down. I can’t tell who is more clingy…Me or Jolee I had to put her down to go to church yesterday and it just about killed me. It was the first time she’d ever been alone.

I love my Jasper Dog and will miss her every day. We hope to find a new doggie soon. It’s just way too quiet around here.

Jasper was a year and a half old. She and Jolee were out in the Cutler Marsh, romping and playing. She’d just been swimming in the canal and was chasing the truck, one of her favorite things to do when she got caught under the wheel. She died instantly. She was buried under a cottonwood tree in a place where two rivers meet. She will always be the doggie I love the most.