Jasper's Story

We 1st met Jasper in December of 1993. He was a handsome and energetic 1 1/2 year old golden retriever who was up for adoption in Saratoga, NY. Jasper had recently been removed from his original home by the Saratoga County ASPCA because neighbors had reported that from the time he was a puppy he had been tied to a tree and cared for in an unacceptable manner. I found the listing in the classifieds and we (Dan, 11 year old Daniel and me) decided to go meet him on a wintery Saturday. There were around 6 other individuals/families also interested in meeting and taking Jasper home that morning in the Vet's office in Saratoga Springs, NY. After bringing Jasper into the room and experiencing his enthusiastic reaction to all of us - we ALL wanted him. We were left to decide among ourselves who would be the lucky "winners". After we realized that no one was going to give up easily we decided, as a group, to draw straws. At that point, the woman in charge came into the room and said that she had changed her mind and was going to make the decision herself. She picked us! We were thrilled and overwhelmed with excitement. She told us later, after everyone had left, that she had been eavesdropping and could not risk us losing the draw as she had known we were the right family as soon as she met us. So home we went with a new member of the family. Within 2 weeks Jasper nearly died. It was New Years Eve Day and something was wrong. He could not keep anything down - food or water. We reluctantly had to leave him in the garage overnight - he was "sick as a dog" - literally. We really did not know if he would be alive come morning. He did survive the night and as it was a holiday we took him to the Emergency Vet Clinic - Dan had to carry him in. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis and had to stay for 5 days on IV fluids. It was touch and go but he made it! He had one other health scare during his time with us. He tested positive for Heartworm at one of his regular vet visits and again, had to stay at the vets for 5 days on an IV arsenic drip. Both problems could certainly be attributed to his poor care as a young dog. We have so many wonderful memories of Jasper and one, in particular, stands out. Every night after dinner Dan & Jasper had a game. Dan would clap his hands twice and Jasper would dash for the top of the 2nd floor landing - then the fighting would begin. Dan would try to grab at his paws and Jasper would snarl & snap ferociously. If you didn't know it was play you would surely think Dan was in trouble. The years went by and Amy was born and she and Jasper became best friends. We always had special treats for Jasper on his chosen birthday - we did not know his exact date of birth - we had been told it was sometime in July so we picked the 15th to celebrate as his special day. When Amy was 6 she decided that Jasper should have a real party. So, she hand made invitations for all our friends and neighbors who had dogs - Jasper was very popular! I made a dog bone shaped cake for the humans, we had treat bags for all the dogs, and Amy had made up games to play. It was a beautiful summer day and Amy was very excited. We came home from a morning of town summer camp/tennis lessons and, sadly, found that Jasper had died while we were out. We were devastated. I had to call all our friends and give them the terrible news - no party and then, the reason why. I called Dan, at work, and left a tearful message which he received just before going into an important annual meeting where he had to give talk justifying his existence at GE. It was a very sad day. It's been 10 years, today, since Jasper died and we still talk about him and remember him with great love. We miss you, Jazzy!

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