A tribute to Jasper 2009 – 2022
TweetJasper died from hemangiosarcoma in November of 2022. We had just enough time for family to gather and say goodbye. It has taken me until now to be able to write this eulogy.
The stories of Lilah and Jasper start the same way—in life and in writing.
I had just lost my terrier Rosie to cancer. She was only four years old, and I was devastated. Pasha, my 13-year-old Keeshond mix, was showing his age and I knew his days on this earth were numbered. I couldn’t imagine a life that had zero dogs and so, still grieving Rosie very hard, I searched on Petfinder, hoping to adopt another pup so I would have at least one dog when it was Pasha’s time to go. I came across a black puppy from the rescue group Husky House. I had heard that black dogs were harder to adopt. That was as good a reason as any in my bereaved state. She was called Beauty, as in Black Beauty.
On my visit to meet Beauty, as I came around the corner of the foster’s house, I heard this big Rottweiler-sized bark; I was so surprised to see it come from the mouth of a small black puppy. A bigger dog was galumphing by her side and he let out a little princess bark. I learned quickly that the princess bark dog was named Spike. I decided both of them needed better names, and that both of them were coming home with me.
We replaced the name Spike with Jasper, as he was no more a Spike than I was Ernest Hemingway. Jasper, the name, represented his color, tan and gold and silver and grey and a touch of black here and there, just like the semi precious stone, picture jasper. The name was also a nod to one of our favorite authors, Jasper Fforde, who writes humorously literate and creative novels.
You can read more about how Jasper and Lilah came into my life in my story “The Sound of Home” in the book Second-Chance Dogs, a collection of stories edited by Callie Smith Grant.
Jasper had the longest legs. They almost seem to get in his way, like he was not quite sure how to use them. He reminded me of the All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker, from the Star Wars movies.
When he first came to live with us, Jasper struggled using those long legs to go up the stairs. His sister Lilah would demonstrate for him, and eventually he figured it out, but he always seemed to be extra careful when traversing the steps.
Because his legs—and his tail—were so long, Jasper would cast the most interesting shadows. When the sun was low in the sky, Jasper’s shadows would look like a giraffe, a donkey, an anteater, a vacuum cleaner.
Shadows would also turn him into a stripey dog, making him look like a friendly tiger.
Jasper loved his sister Lilah. Where you found one, you would find the other, particularly if I wasn’t around. But Jasper knew his sister well; she needed her space, and Jasper respected that. He would often lay near her but not too close. He was always respectful of her, almost to a fault. If he wanted to play with a toy and he thought she wanted it, he would immediately stop and let her have it. There wasn’t even a discussion. If Lilah wanted it, he gladly let her have it.
When Tucker joined our family, Jasper was a little unsure. From the first moment, Tucker adored Jasper. He would try to snuggle next to him, and Jasper would let him lay on top of him, even though he was puzzled because his experience with Lilah told him not to snuggle too close. But he was a good pal to Tucker.
When Halley joined us after Tucker died, Jasper was just as kind to her. Halley was the smallest dog in our family, and if Jasper was in the way, she would simply walk under him.
And she wasn’t the only one to do that. Many of the cats seemed to treat Jasper like friendly furniture, and would rub his legs or stand by him as if he was protecting them. When we were fostering our daughter’s cat, she used to walk in circles and figure eights around Jasper‘s legs. He was compuzzled about it but he took it all in stride. It was okay. Everything was okay with Jasper. Particularly if there were snacks involved. But he was such an easygoing dog; all was good as long as his people and his pack were around.
When people asked me what kind of dog Jasper was I would tell them that he was a Comfort Hound. He just loved to be comfortable. If there was a pillow, he would put his head on it. We never got a DNA test on him because I never saw a reason for it. He had this beautiful silver coloring when we first got him, which made him look like an old man even as a puppy. In fact, before he was Spike, he was called Silver Boy. That silver coloration and his hound appearance made several people think he might have been a Catahoula cur. This fits with the fact that both he and Lilah came from Louisiana.
Jasper never met a bed he didn’t like. He just loved to curl up in a dog bed, on a people bed, on a chaise lounge in the yard. Sometimes at night if we stayed up too late, he would sigh and walk upstairs toward our bedroom, as if to say, “It’s bedtime, guys. Why are you still downstairs?”
His favorite spot outside was between two of our silver maple trees, where he could lie peacefully and keep a watch out for birds and squirrels and chipmunks and groundhogs. Or deer, because sometimes those shifty creatures would hang out in the woods behind our fence.
When his people were on the deck, Jasper had a special bed that he loved, and he would lie there with his paws hanging off the edge.
But Jasper’s most favorite place to lie was in a pile of leaves. Every fall when we were raking the leaves in our yard, we would make a big pile as we could, and then let Jasper outside. He would trot over to the leaves wagging his tail and march through them until he found the best spot to lie down. He wore the most contented look on his face when he was in his leafy bed, and we would keep that pile of leaves out as long as we could, even as it destroyed the grass underneath. It was worth it because of how much Jasper enjoyed just lying in the leaves.
In the winter, Jasper was our trailblazer. When the snow got too deep for the other dogs, Jasper would trump through it, creating a path for the other dogs to follow behind him. I think he took pride in that role, offering the service to the rest of his canine dog family.
Even though Jasper loved to run around in the snow, he did not like to get his paws wet. After a rainstorm, or when there was morning dew, he would walk along the edge of the garden where the grass was short, or station himself in the area under the trees where there was no grass.
When it was hot out, he would retreat to a cave that he and Lilah dug under the rhododendron. If I couldn’t find him, I knew where to look.
Jasper was a happy, friendly, big huggable soul. He exuded the essence of dog. He was a special mix of kind and sweet goofiness. He towered over Lilah, and then Tucker and Halley. We liked to say that he was kind of a moose compared to our other dogs. My daughter said he was such a friendly moose, she christened him a “moosefellow.“ That fit him well.
Jasper was also wonderful with our grandson. He would share his bed when the little boy crawled into it. And he would allow this small human to pat and touch him and lean on him. Having rarely met small children, it was very sweet to see Jasper intuitively know how to be gentle and accepting of this newer member of our family.
Jasper was my shadow. He was always in whatever room I was in. When I pulled in the driveway, I would see his face in the dining room window watching me and I could see his tail wagging ever so fast as he ran from the window to go greet me at the garage door. When we watched TV at night, he lay on my right side. It was Jasper‘s spot. If any of the cats were there, his brow would furrow with concern, but he was too polite to ask them to move. When the offending cat eventually decided my lap was an improvement over the couch, Jasper would climb up into his spot and settle down next to me with a big contented sigh.
Oh, and Jasper had the best sighs and the best moans and the best mumbles and grumbles. You knew how Jasper felt by the sounds that came from that dog. He eventually deepened his princess bark, but even though it didn’t seem to match his size, it matched his personality.
My big, sweet mush of a dog loved attention. He loved hugs. He loved to be petted. Anyone could pet him, and if you stopped, he would look at you and tap you with his paw: “More.“ If you stopped, again, the paw: “More.” He never tired of getting attention. And he was such a soft, huggable creature that it was easy to keep petting him.
Jasper was the epitome of a very good boy. He was my very good boy. He followed me around like a shadow, all 74 plus pounds of him. I miss Jasper so much.
I miss being able to hug his big moose body. I miss him by my side when I watch TV. I miss his sighs and his moans. I miss his love for his sister. I miss his long legs that used to hang off dog beds. I miss his excitement at any possibility of a treat. I miss his paw requests for more pets. I miss my moosefellow.
He died in November, and he had his bed of leaves right until the end.
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Such a great tribute to a wonderful guy. He really did have some long legs. We can imagine you writing this post, going through all the photos, with tears flowing all over the place. It takes a few years to start to get better speaking from our experience, but Mom still tears up over Emma often. The memories are what we always will have and no one can take them from us. Over time they will bring more smiles than tears but it will seem like forever. Being a blogger you have all those posts to remember him by but they too are difficult to read and look at for a long time. He loved you and he will always be with you. Each furry one carves our their own space in our hearts forever. Hugs.
I’m so sorry to hear about your beloved Jasper. He looked and sounded like such an awesome dog. Sending love and hugs to you and your family. ♥
We are very sorry to hear that Jasper was needed at the Bridge. Thank you for loving him so very much, and for sharing him with all of us. Hugs, purrs and prayers for you as you miss your special boy.
I miss reading about Jasper, Tucker, and Lilah. They made so many lives happier (including mine).