Rescue Tails / A THIRD CHANCE FOR JACK

When animals leave our shelter to start a new life, we send them off with our love and hope for a long and happy one. Yet we maintain our commitment, and our doors are always open should that animal ever need to return to us. 

Recently, we were called to pick up a dog from a home after his owner passed away. We were told it was an old dog who had been adopted from us. We soon discovered that it was Jack, a blind hound dog  who had left the shelter almost a year and a half earlier with his adopter, Steve. We were heartsick as we helped Jack out of the van, his glassy eyes searching and his nose twitching, trying to figure out where he was and what was happening. 

Life stories don’t end just because an animal finds a home and leaves a shelter. The tale often has second and third (or more) chapters. We wrote about Jack back when he was first adopted, but his backstory is worth a second telling to appreciate what he’s been through. 

 In 2018, we received complaints about a blind dog living in a hot car at the beach. We investigated, and that was our introduction to Jack. When we discussed the situation with his owner, it was decided that he would surrender Jack to us. However, a large senior dog is not a prime candidate for adoption. One who can’t see well is even more challenging. The few kind people who offered to adopt him were all in situations that wouldn’t work for a dog with limited vision. We even contacted Blind Dog Rescue, but they were at capacity. So Jack spent a year with us before his luck changed. 

Jen was a volunteer with us and often helped with events. She had met Jack and suggested that her roommate and good friend, Steve, meet him, thinking the two could be good friends. Steve was unsure he was ready for another dog but upon meeting Jack, he realized Jack needed him, and he needed Jack. So exactly ONE YEAR AND ONE DAY from the day Jack entered the shelter, he walked out the door with Steve! He spent the next year and a half living happily with Steve, Jen, and her dog Thor. Then the unexpected happened when Steve tragically passed away. The good life Jack had been enjoying came to an abrupt end, and he was back in a kennel at the shelter.

The thing about working in a shelter is that your emotions get jerked from one extreme to the other, from heartbroken to over-the-moon happy, sometimes in a matter of minutes. The lows can feel bottomless at times, but the highs can be SO high! It goes without saying that those of us who had known Jack when he was with us for that entire year and then witnessed him go home with Steve were pretty devastated when Jack returned to the shelter. We knew getting a second chance at a great home was unlikely, given that he was now  ten years old and vision-impaired. But sometimes the Universe seems to be looking out for good souls and fortunately, Jack was one of those. 

Jen, Steve’s friend and former roommate, had moved from the Keys, but learned of her friend’s passing and Jack’s return to the shelter. She immediately reached out to us. She wasted no time. Within a few days, she and a friend booked a flight and returned to Key West. The next day, she rented a car and, after gathering some of Jack’s belongings from the house, drove to the shelter and reunited with her old friend. What really touched our hearts was seeing Jack’s reaction when Jen greeted him and his obvious excitement when he sniffed the belongings that were part of his previous life with Steve. This kind and very caring woman provided a soft landing for Jack after his great loss. Thanks to Jen, Jack can now look forward to spending the remainder of his days with her and his good dog-friend Thor. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the goodness that exists in this world!!