12/19/2024
🎉🐾 Happy 10th Birthday Jack 🐾🎉
We’ve officially hit double digits! A whole decade of panting, pacing, and stressing me out! 🎂🐕 I can hardly believe we’ve lived 10 whole years together. Jack started me on my journey into the dog world, and I would not be the trainer I am today without him.
To celebrate his 10th birthday, here are 10 things to know about Jack:
1. Jack spent a year and a half of his life on Prozac because of his severe generalized anxiety. He was fearful of people, dogs, new things, air, breathing, literally everything. I thought he would never be able to compete in dog sports and would never make a new friend. He has now been medication free for 6 years and taking him off Prozac was the best decision I could have made.
2. Jack has the following overall sport dog titles: Canine Good Citizen (pet manners), Trick Dog Performer (tricks), CDSP Starter Novice Title (obedience), Scent Dog Excellent (psd), NW2 (nacsw scentwork), & Scent Dog Novice (akc). So much for thinking he’d never compete!
3. Jack competed at the Golden Retriever National Specialty this year earning 5 new Scent Work titles in one day! Not only did he come out of retirement to compete, he also competed and trained all year with a new handler (something I NEVER thought he would be able to do, see fact #1).
4. Jack’s favorite people are as follows (in this order):
a. Cassidy – Cassidy is Jack’s emotional support person and became his reward after the end of all nose work searches.
b. His mom – Honestly, rude that I’m not first.
c. Grandma – Free cookies, no rules = spoiled brat. Also, she has wine and Jack loves wine.
d. Grandpa – Grandpa invented the game ‘you don’t have fleas’ and gives Jack a ‘free for all’ during dinner time aka Jack gets to stick his head in the dog food bucket and eat as much as he can in 10 seconds.
e. Little Kirsten – Could be higher but not enough free cookies from Little Kirsten.
f. Kelly – Jack loved Kelly so much he got kicked out of daycare because he started resource guarding her.
5. Jack is a Golden Retriever, NOT an Irish Setter. He hates Irish Setters and is deeply offended when he gets called one. He wanted everyone to finally know that.
6. Jack’s favorite snacks are Hawaiian sweet rolls. His least favorite food is lettuce, he HATES lettuce and will spit it back at you if you try to trick him.
7. Jack’s favorite toy is either his stuffed flea or ‘Francine’ which is a small stuffed doll from the show ‘Arthur’ that I bought at the dollar store that he carries around by the head.
8. Jack’s favorite game is called ‘You don’t have fleas’. The rules of the game are:
a. Sit on the couch next to Jack
b. Jack starts to chew at his backend
c. Say “Jack you don’t have fleas” and pull his head away from his leg
d. Jack then shows his teeth and tries to “bite”
e. Watch the video, idk wtf this game is
9. Jack was diagnosed 2 years ago with Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy or GOLPP. GOLPP is a disease of the nervous system, characterized by the slow but progressive degeneration of some of the longer nerves in the body. It results in partial paralysis of the larynx, esophagus, and hind limbs. Because of this disease, Jack now has to wear doggie crocs to help prevent his back legs from slipping and he thinks being pulled around in his wagon is the treatment he should have been receiving his whole life.
10. One of Jack’s teeth grows sideways and sticks out of his mouth. We call it his snaggletooth. It constantly catches on his lip when I’m taking photos and it’s the bane of my existence.
My rule has always been; once you hit double digits, you do what you want. Here’s to the next chapter of savoring the joys of a rule free life. Happy Birthday Big Nugget!
