Family <i>(and Friends)</i> Photos » Our German Shepherd Jasper
Our German Shepherd Jasper
The Story of Jasper (By Eydie Wight)
Jasper’s story from my point of view begins with the dog who came before him. My second husband (Greg Hall) and I had gotten our Old English Mastiff Fenton as a puppy and enjoyed his life with us until he died at the age of 10. Not bad for a dog who weighed over 200 lbs at his maturity. I grieved so for that dog. He had been my “footstool” for a decade. I insisted on digging his grave myself. In the height of summer, through solid shale in places, I made him a nice place to be in the pet cemetery that held Fenton’s predecessor Ranger, another good dog,and cats Dinky Bob, and Maggie. Well, as I said, I grieved for that dog. He was the first dog I had that was truly “my” dog. My other dogs had viewed my husbands as the alpha males, I was just a barely tolerated female of the pack. But Fenton searched me out over all others, thought he should be my lap dog even though his head was all he could fit into my lap. His collar was my old belt.
Well, I was never one of those that said, “I’ll never get another dog.” I believe that each pet gives us something of their unique character, they don’t take the place of another pet, they find their own place. It was just that I couldn’t find another dog that fit. My husband and I went to several Humane society shelters throughout our area. We looked at, played with, petted, groomed, and generally spent time with countless dogs. Good dogs. Cute dogs, smart dogs, dogs that needed a home and love. I felt bad, but I just couldn’t say yes.
About this time we decided to visit my sister-in-law, her husband, and my nieces who lived in Indiana. It was about a 640 mile trip. We got out there and, as always, had a good time. My niece, Angie, was about 16 at the time. She came to me so excited, waving a newspaper, and said she had found me a dog. Their local Humane Society had listed their dogs for adoption and she said she had a feeling we had to go look at this white dog they had. So, we rode there, my husband and I, in our second hand white Oldsmobile. When we pulled up I saw several dogs out in the fenced in “yard”. As we got out of the car a big white dog came to the fence, reared his front paws up on the fence, and watched us walk into the building. I looked at my husband. He shrugged. As we started down the “hall of dogs” one of the volunteers was just coming in with the white dog. The dog pulled away and began trotting right toward us dragging his leash. He came up to me, tail wagging. I put my hand out to him, then cautiously ruffled his fur. He started to rub against me like a cat. When I knelt down beside him he stuck his head under my armpit and stayed there. I was sold. Only after we had paid the fee and were walking out to the car did I think about the fact that we had a dog, 600 plus miles to travel, and relatives who had no room for a dog. I also discovered on that walk to the car that the white dog had somewhere (he was a little over a year old) been leash trained, trained to heel, sit, and lie down. Well, my relatives made him welcome, and he rode like an angel all the way home except for one little episode of chewing the car door handle just a little bit, and he became a full fledged member of the family. He didn’t have a name for several days. Jasper came about because of the yellow jasper flints I collect as I find them. I also call him “Angel face”. He has sat patiently and allowed himself to be dressed up in little girl clothes by one of my friend’s daughters, and likes to sleep with our old skinny Mr. Carter cat when they think no one is looking. Whenever I come home, even if I’ve only been gone ten minutes, he dashes up the hill in a frenzy of excitement, barking and shaking his tail hard enough to sway his entire body. Sometimes you don’t find the best things in life, they find you.
The Adventures of Eydie and Sammy Wight 
Brother John said,
September 19, 2008 at 6:54 am
That’s a great story Sis! I really enjoy your blog site and have learned so many things about you and Sammy that I just never knew. Give Jasper some nice petting from me!
Brother John (Blog Master)
Lansdowne, Pennsylvania USA