Jake's Beginnings: Second Installment

Behind the scenes, things had been happening. (This was in late February 2008.) My soon-to-be-mom had seen photos and descriptions of me on Petfinder. I was listed in two places (I guess I was lucky, or popular, that way.) There was an Iowa-Jake page, and a Colorado-Jake page. There were different pictures on each of the pages, but best as we can tell, they were all taken in Iowa. (You can see some of them in my First Installment. They are now what Mom fondly calls my "puppy pictures." They are the earliest ones she will have. That’s okay, though. She says it would make her sad to see the photos of me at the puppy mill. I don’t think they would have been very nice.)

Anyway, Mom (I’ll call her that now, since it’s obvious she became my mom) had to get interviewed and a nice lady went out to her house to do a "home visit" and make sure that was the right home for me. Everything checked out okay (two wfts preceded me, so everybody agreed she was entering this adoption with her "eyes wide open." Little did they know just how easy I was going to be!) And, with the "go ahead", Mom and Nina (my soon-to-be-human sister) drove out to the house where I was living.

A car pulled into the driveway and all of us dogs heard it, including Jack Jr. We were running around pretty excited in the house. It took PJ a while to get us calmed down enough she could open the door. (She’s got a double door system, with a short stairway in between the doors, so no wild and woolly terriers will escape.) She let Mom and Nina inside the first door (at the base of the stairs) and closed the door behind them. Mom could see two black button noses excitedly trying to poke out under the top door. One was mine. The other one was Jack Jr. PJ went to the top of the stairs and opened the door, and there I was! I stood at the top of the stairs, dancing around. Jack Jr. bounded to the bottom of the stairs, but Mom and Nina didn’t take their eyes off of me (or me off of them.) They recognized me from the pictures, and I was hopeful. And happy.

PJ had just bathed me, and my long soft hair stuck up all over my body. I looked sort of like a white and tan feather duster, on stilts. It’s okay. You can laugh. We do. With feelings of endearment. To my mom and Nina, I was the cutest thing they’d ever seen. And I was still hopeful. I really wanted a home. I was one step closer to getting one. The first few minutes quickly became a blur. I remember that PJ left the room and Mom picked me up. She could feel all my bones beneath my fluff. I was a really skinny little guy. And I have a rib that poked out. They told Mom I had been abused, probably kicked, and the rib was probably from an injury. (Mom has since told me that Molly - her wft before me - had a similar "floating rib", but that it wasn’t so pokey. Dr. Batch - when I finally met him - I’d heard great things about him - cleared up our understanding. Anyhow, it didn't and still doesn’t hurt, and as I’m fattening up a little, it’s not quite so pokey.)

Mom held me (and I sure didn’t resist!) and Nina followed and we all went and sat down on a couch, opposite PJ. Jack Jr. joined us, and I’m not sure who figured it out first, but Mom and Nina had treats in their pockets - sweet potato chips and dried apple chips and yummy homemade treats that my soon-to-be-friends Missy and Stevie and Justin had sent to Molly. (Sweet Molly left our family to be a doggie angel on February 11, 2008. My new family was still very sad about that, and Mom even cried - again - at PJ’s, telling her about Molly.) Well, Jack Jr. and I went about getting all of the treats from deep down in the pockets. We rooted and wiggled and dug and begged and stayed very very persistent, until all the treats were gone. Through all of this, Jack Jr. was trying his very best to get ALL the attention from Mom and Nina. They liked him and played with him and talked to him, but it was ME that they were there for, and they never questioned that, and I was pretty sure it was true. Finally, at some point, Jack Jr. gave up and I had Mom and Nina all to myself. I never once got down from the couch. I stayed between them and on their laps the WHOLE time. It was comfy and feeling better by the minute. I pretty much melted, and so did they. I think we all sat there for almost two hours, talking about anything and everything wire fox terrier and generally doggie related. I was one happy guy. I got petted and belly rubbed and kissed and talked to. And they promised to come back and get me in a few days, once Mom had some days off of work so she could be home with me full time. I would get to do an "overnight" to see if we were a good match. Before they left, Mom took some pictures. She and Nina held me one more time and told me they loved me. I watched them leave. I was a little confused. But PJ said they’d be back.