Anyway, meet my "son" The Jackalope.
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/image.p ... 7734dd.jpg
Isn't he beautiful? You can't tell from this image but his eyes are abnormal. He only has partial vision is one & almost no vision in the other. One of the eyes is actually set back farther in his head. But, it causes him no pain, & only a little difficulty. He is a unique little puppy.
I first met Jackalope back when he was still just Jack. At the time I wanted more than anything, an australian shepherd, & I also wanted a playmate for my son Vash (another rescue, another story for another time). I had tried several places, a few people giving away their dogs, but no luck for various reasons. Then I found some petsearch website. I looked up australian shepherds & I found plenty of them, all of them beautiful, but then I came across the picture of this dog saying he was special needs. I clicked & read his story. From that moment I told myself that was going to be my new dog.
The lady I spoke to at the ASPCA said that he had been there for quite some time, overlooked time & again because of his eyes. One family almost adopted him but they were far too rough with him, she said, jerking hard on his leash, yelling at him, the kids were pulling his tail & his ears. I told her he was simply waiting for me to get his home ready. I took him that day. He & Vash became inseparable.
His name was Jack, but I immediatly started calling him Jackie. From there it has evolved into Jackalope. He is highly affectionate, very playful, extremely loyal, VERY protective of his mamma & his home, & he has an almost frightening intelligence. And to think he was passed over because his eyes aren't normal. I have tons of stories about his puppy. Things he's done for me, with me, how he's protected me, amused me, comforted me & helped me.
As long as I'm around he will never want for a home or someone to love him. And make no mistake, he is spoiled rotten. He's practically showered with treats, toys, affection, he has a HUGE yard to play in when he's not inside, hogging up my couch, we go on walks, we go swimming, we watch movies together. He is almost fully trained as a service dog. He opens & closes the gate, he fetches items, at times I will tell him where I want to go & let him lead me like a seeing-eye dog. We go to the mailbox, Grandpa's, Grace's, block walk, or home. He can be walked without a leash & he'll stay right with me. He's shy around other people though. I THINK, although no one knows for sure, that he may have been abused when he was little.
I even have a CS pet named after my little boy.
It's in my personal favorites. But, that's just a quick introduction to my baby. I may add some anecdotes later.
