Jager

Friday was a tough day in our house. Our dog, Jager, passed away. She was 15 years old, and she lived a long, full life. She was definitely a happy dog and was very loved. Ray got her as a small puppy, and I was introduced to her when she was three. The other dog in the pictures is Tyler, and he was my dog. They liked to be near each other, but they did not interact very much. Like most Dalmatians, Jager was hyper and loved to jump. She was not well leash trained, and you had to be very careful when you opened the front door, or she would be gone. She loved to tease us as we tried to get her back. She would let you get just close enough and then dart the other direction. One of her most prominent features was that she loved attention. She could sit for hours while being pet and would often growl/talk at you until you gave in. She was a beautiful dog with bright blue eyes, which is very unusual for a Dalmatian. Ray said that it runs in the family! She did fine with the kids, although the toddler stage was not her favorite. She pretty much ignored this children during this time period and did her best to stay away. Even though she was Ray's dog, I watched her grow more and more attached to me over the years. It would make Ray really mad that she would choose to sleep on the floor by my side of the bed instead of his. One problem we encountered over the past couple of years was her desire to sleep under Ray's hanging clothes. If anyone has been around a Dalmatian, you know that their short hair gets everywhere, especially on clothes. We had to use baby gates to keep her away from our clothes, and sometimes she would even find a way through those! As she got older, she definitely settled down, and you could open the front door safely without having her dart away. Jager had been digressing for the past several months, but took a turn for the worse about a week ago. She quit eating, and we found out she was in Kidney failure. As hard as it was on us, the truly difficult part was explaining it to the kids. They had a lot of questions, and many tears were shed, but I think they are doing okay and have a healthy attitude about it. It's just so strange being in the house without her. Every time we turn around, we expect to see her in one of her spots. It is definitely empty in here right now, and you don't realize how much their presence affects you until it is gone. As the vet said, she lived 15 great years, and you really can't ask for much more than that. We will always be blessed by her presence in our lives.