Captain Jack no more!

Last November, Willow told us the story of her little rescue, a once abused little Shih-Tzu who had gone to live with her.  His name was Captain Jack.  And he came to them quite by accident but I suppose these things are meant to be.

First there was Boris in the household.

He too is a rescue.  He was re-homed two and half years ago when he was only 16 weeks when his owners didn’t want him any more.

Boris’ parents were considering a little brother or sister for him when out of the blue, they met a little Shih-Tzu called Captain Jack who was with his fostering mother.

Little Captain Jack was only 18 months old then but he already had four homes – well, if you can call some of them homes.

Boris’ mummy fell in love with the little mite and five days later, Captain Jack went home.  Hooray!This is the picture they took of him when he got home. That was before they took him to the vet to to have him checked over.  To their horror, they found out that he had a punctured eyeball. This explained why he was very aggressive whenever someone touched his head.  He must have been in excruciating pain for months.  The very next day he was operated on his eye.

The first week was very upsetting. He was incredibly aggressive when he felt threatened and the family worried if they had done the wrong thing as Boris was their priority and they didn’t want him upset.

But Boris was amazingly sensitive to Captain Jack’s needs and whenever he was aggressive, Boris just gave him his space and left him alone. He welcomed this one-eyed, grumpy little dog into his new home with open arms and shared his mummy and daddy unconditionally.Concerned, they consulted dog behaviourists.  While they were told not to let him get away with his aggression, they did not settle without knowing what really happened to Captain Jack.

As they traced his story through the vets in the neighbourhood they learnt the devastating story of Captain Jack’s short life.  They discovered that he was originally bought as a designer puppy.  But when he pooped inside their house, they threw him against a wall to teach him a lesson! I cried when I heard that – he was only a little puppy – he had to be taught what was to be expected of him, not punished for what he didn’t know! He was also left in a field all day to fend for himself, and had never been on a lead before.

A neighbour somehow knew this little fella was not getting a fair share in life and they saved Captain Jack from his owner. Unfortunately her dog didn’t accept him so he was passed onto someone else.  At the next place, the dog attacked him which was probably when his eye got punctured. He then made his way to the lady who was fostering him.

When in his new home, they noted that he growled when he went to the toilet – like an act of defence.  And he took to drinking from the toilet if they didn’t put the toilet lid down.  They gathered he might have been locked in a bathroom as well.

All these things started to help them make sense of Captain Jack’s behaviour.  In his short life, he had only known aggression from humans and because he was not socialised, he aggrieved the other dogs.

But he now has a new home.  He has a new mummy and daddy who loves him and patiently worked with him to adjust to a life that is not cruel and with no aggression.  In their re-training of him, he had to learn that ‘no‘ was not going to be followed by a beating.

He also has a new name – Jasper!  For let the past be the past.

And then of course, he has his big brother, Boris – ever so patient and understanding.

Jasper had a rough start to life and heartbreaking just thinking what he had gone through.  Apparently the original neighbours had reported the owners but no one is sure if anything had been done about it.  If George and I ever met them, we will each get one of their ankles. But Mummy told us not to be aggressive but instead lick them to death!

It has been all of three months, but today, Jasper loves life and most of all …  … he loves his big brother, Boris.This is a photo of Boris and Jasper from yesterday morning … happy ever after!

Thank you Willow for sharing your beautiful story with us.

May’s comment: We wanted to share Jasper’s story for several reasons.

I have been blessed by George in our lives. He brought out a whole new dimension to my connection with dogs. And by sharing his story, it had given others the courage to rescue dogs such as Jasper and integrate them into their lives.

And to celebrate the goodness of humans who have not only the heart but the courage and patience to take on broken souls, broken lives and hopelessness – and turn them into a positive experience, to give these little creatures a sense of safety, love and compassion. We’re thankful that Jasper made it home and he’s now safe and unthreatened.

This is what Willow, Boris and Jasper’s mummy told us in her own words:

“It has taken so much love and so many cuddles but in 3 months we are so proud of our little boy, who we have now named Jasper. He has transformed from a frightened, aggressive, little dog, who had no idea how to play, into a loving, happy little boy, who loves his big brother Boris more than anything, and who loves life soooooooo much.

After the journey we have gone through I would always encourage people to rescue. The rewards are amazing, and the bond we have is so special. He and Boris make our family complete. They couldn’t be more different, yet we love them both the same. Boris has been amazing, so patient and sweet. They have both been such a comfort to me when I lost my grandmother, who I was incredibly close to. Boris even came to the funeral and bowed his head when he went to the coffin, which made everyone cry!“There is a quote that has always resounded with me – “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever”

But then I think, for every person who saved a dog’s life – his/her world will change forever too – and the multiplying effect can go a long way.  There are many out there who never asked to be born but have been abandoned and harmed through no fault of their own. If you can and have the ability to save one, please do. It is a most rewarding experience.

As many of you know, Darcy is my first love. And when George, a rescue came into our lives unexpectedly – I didn’t think I could love another like I love Darcy.  But he taught me that love comes in different forms. With George, it is a powerful protective love – not one that I had ever known before. I found another chamber in my heart for little George that I didn’t know existed before.

Rescues love you and they need you. It is not easy but the rewards outweigh the trouble. And just knowing that you’ve managed to save one little soul from a life of hell – makes each evening so much better seeing them sleeping safely and soundly – in your home.