Jack and Ercell were still mourning the loss of their beloved Yellow Lab, Bear, when they first contacted Heart of America Humane Society (HAHS) at the end of December. Bear had a long and happy life with them, but, sadly had to travel to the Rainbow Bridge in November. He’d left a big empty space in their lives, and their other dog, a rescued Norwegian Elk Hound named Bo, was also missing having a dog friend to play with on the three-times-a-day trips he had took to the dog park with Jack.
A quick online search of available Yellow Labs turned up a young, 3-month-old almost white pup that had just gone into foster care. Jack and Ercell called the little guy’s foster mom, told her all about Bear, Bo, the dog park, and just how much the puppy reminded them of Bear when he was that age. Liz, the pup’s foster mom, was immediately impressed with Jack and Ercell. After another phone call or two, they arranged to meet at the dog park to see if they liked the puppy just as much in person as they did online, and to see how Bo reacted to the little guy.
It was love at first sight for the humans, and after the dog formalities of sniffing each other were complete, Bo and the puppy were quickly off playing. Bo responded to the puppy every time the little guy gave a play bow, and could also sense when the time was right to step back and have a little rest. We did the adoption paperwork on the spot, and the pup – now named Jingles – went home with Jack, Ercell, and his big brother Bo. From that first day, Bo and Jingles shared everything, from water to toys to bones, without any disagreement.
Ercell sent the following update a week after adopting Jingles: “Thought I would update you on Mr. Jingles. He is fitting in like ‘it was meant to be’!! He and Bo play so well together. They are in and out of the doggie door, up and down on Jack’s lap, stringing the toys out on the floor, etc., etc., etc. They get along amazingly well, even when they are fed. Bo will let him eat everything out of not only his (Jingles’) dish but also his own. I think that Bo is the main one training Jingles. It is so much fun to watch them play and sleep together. If it gets quiet we check to see if Jingles is into something he shouldn’t be. Nine times out of ten he is tired and has jumped up on our bed and gone to sleep. Jingles has brought joy into our home after losing Bear. We truly have been blessed. Thank you so much for all you and HAHS do for the wonderful animals we so love.”
With Jack and Ercell’s guidance (and Bo’s too, of course), Jingles is growing into a handsome, well-adjusted young Lab who keeps the entire family entertained with his antics. HAHS thanks them for giving a young homeless puppy such a happy life, and we’re especially grateful to hear about his progress in their updates. Jingles truly did help them ring in the new year, and start 2011 with nothing but smiles!