Remembering Our Sweet Pup, Jade <3

Hi, my friends. I had planned on an update post, but last night we unexpectedly lost our sweet girl, Jade, due to health issues 😪 My heart is in so much pain. I want to use this post to reflect on our special memories with her over the last thirteen years so we may never forget them. Jade was the sweetest, spunkiest, full of personality and loyal dog to ever live (I know everyyyy dog owner says that, but it’s trueee). I will never forget when we first met her … we were visiting a family friend’s home and there was the tiniest, cutest little black and white pup. We assumed it was their new dog, but my mom said, “meet your new puppy!”. My sister and I were ecstatic. I remember my mom coming into my room the next morning to wake me up for school with little tiny Jade in her arms- I was wide awake in a moment and just giddy with excitement that this pup was ours (if you need to get your middle school kids out of bed, just get puppy, hah). I couldn’t wait to get home from school just to be with her. We went between names for her … Shamu… Oreo…. Mia (this was her name for three days, but it just didn’t suit her). We finally settled on Jade, and it suited her perfectly. She was the most energetic puppy, to the point where it would alarm people, but hey- she just loved everyone SO much. She was wild and crazy in her younger days, no doubt, who can relate? She was such an easy pup to train. We taught her so many tricks—all the typical ones – “sit”, “roll-over”, “shake”, etc. …. but then we stepped up to more advance ones: “yoga”, “speak” and my personal favorite was “sneeze “on command.

She was one smart cookie. Some of my favorite memories with her were our runs together. I would take her without a leash to our favorite Northeast Ohio trails and she would trot along right next to me. When she was a super teeny puppy, my dad would laugh at the way she would clumsily run back and forth in the front yard and would narrate what she would be saying if she could talk. It would have my sister and me in stitches. I think that adds another layer of heartache- the fact that my Dad was still here and knew her- losing Jade is a reminder of the time that’s passed, and it’s painful on that level too.

Some funny quirks about Jadey:

She loved to cuddle, but she HATED if you moved your feet while she was lying on them. She’d give you a growl and a side eye. Do not dare disturb her perfect position! But she LOVED having her arms scratched. If you stopped scratching it, she would keep it out and be like, “um excuse me?” until you started scratching it again.

My mom would pry us home from college with pictures like this saying, “Jadey misses you”.

She had an irrational fear of toasters. We have no idea where this came from, but we had to replace our toaster with a toaster oven because she’d freak out every time we brought out the actual toaster.

We couldn’t play basketball with her around because she would literally pounce (we’re talkin’ all four legs, Air Bud mode) on top of the ball every chance she could. She played way too good an offense, no getting that ball from her.

She put up with our constant, high-pitched baby talk to her. And countless kisses.

She was always up for a road trip. One of her favorite spots to go was our Grandma & Grandpa’s in Traverse City Michigan. She knew she’d be spoiled by them. We passed most of our time by swimming in the Bay, and at the edge of the dock she’d always want to join us, but was terrified to jump. She would whine as she kept peering further and further over the edge working up the courage to take the plunge. It took coaxing from all of us, and then finally she would jump in! We’d all cheer for her, and you could tell she was quite proud of herself. <3

She LOVED peanut butter and it was so cute to watch the way her mouth smacked after she ate it (especially out of her Kong) & without a doubt, her favorite candy was Twizzlers. You could not eat them around her or she’d go berserk trying to get to them. She also loved ice cream time because she knew one of us would let her lick the bowl (but mainly Pete, that’s why she liked him best🤣) . *peep the spoon*

Every time you came home she would pretend to be excited to see you for 0.05 seconds, before running over to her bowl to ask for food, even if she’d already been fed (we overfed her now and again due to this manipulation).

She would show up in the background of blog photos here and there, mostly featuring food, naturally 😉 She knew how to put on those “begging eyes”. And man, oh man, was she able to put on the charm when she wanted food from you!

W-A-L-Ks with my mom were her favorite daily activity <3

She hated getting her picture taken, and half my pics of her are blurry. It looks like we have to pin her down for most pics cause as soon as she saw that camera, she’d try to bolt.

She’d randomly have sprinting fiascos around the house where she’d run the halls and then couch to couch. We’d end up playing games of tag with her and any rug on the floor didn’t stand a chance.

She thought she was an alpha dog even though she was smaller than many of her friends, especially her best friend, Apollo!

She loved anything/anywhere with mud and water. Hence, she loved visiting the cabin in Georgia where she was able to roam and adventure freely with her cousin Eli.

I could go on and on. Jade was always there through many firsts, lasts, Netflix binges, late night studies, holidays, meals, hum-drum days, some tears and countless joyful memories. She was an interwoven part of our life and family, and there is a massive hole now without her. She will be missed beyond words, loved deeply, and remembered forever. RIP, our sweet Jadey. ❤️💔❤️