Jessie-Pup

I guess it’s time for me to write about another one of “my puppies”. This one is my grand-puppy, a wonderful black lab, Jessie. I write about her first because she is the oldest of our two granddogs. Jessie belongs to the other Michl family, John, Kathy, Johnny and Jackie. Jessie is a typical lab: loves to chase a ball, bark, has puppy dog eyes, eat treats, bark with a treat in her mouth, parade around with the treat (especially a chewy) for a long time making the “look at me” sounds, hunts in the back yard for anything that might smell like an animal, sheds her beautiful black hair like crazy, and loves lovin’. Oh, Jessie also loves to swim when she gets the chance; particularly up North at our cottage. She can be a pain in the neck up there sometimes when she barks at any sound or jumps in the water when the kids are trying to ski. She’ll also jump off the pier to fetch a floating leaf or simply at a reflection of a stone on the bottom.

Grandma loves to brush Jessie because with the piles of hair I get off of her, I know that I’ve done something! And I can keep on brushing and continue to get more hair off of her; it never ends. But Jessie loves the attention and also enjoys an occasional massage. Unfortunately, Jessie Pup is really in the golden age of her life. At 13 1/2 years old she is showing signs of age—having trouble going up stairs, can’t jump as she used to, is getting thin and her lumps are getting bigger or at least are more obvious. John says that she must be having vision trouble as well, as she doesn’t necessarily see even a treat if you hold it in front of her; she has to smell it or search for it.

John is trying to talk himself out of another dog when the time comes; but if he can’t convince himself, he’d get another black lab for fear that Kathy would come up with a “wanna be” dog. He loves the love Jessie gives, the pretty eyes and facial expression, and the beautiful shiny coat. I wonder how long he’d be able to be without a pup at his feet in his office!

Grandma Loves You, Jess!!