How I Found My Best Friend

Jakes foster parent had rescued Jake from being taken back to animal care and protective services. An elderly lady had adopted Jake as a puppy and not knowing he was part Labrador, she wasn't expecting him to become a big dog. She was going to take him back to the shelter but her granddaughter got one of her friends to foster him until he could find him a new home.

Craigslist has a mountain of animals to give away for free to a good home and all the other excuses people make to throw away their pets. The problem with us adopting a dog was the dog had to love cats. We had four rescues and every dog at our local shelter hated cats or had to be the only pet.

So I turned to craigs list and lo and behold here was Jake looking so dapper and he LOVED cats. My heart skipped a beat because he was just a handsome boy. I got in touch with his foster parent by email and told him I was interested in taking Jake. He called me and we spoke for a while and he seemed pleased with our conversation. So he agreed to bring him to our house that Saturday. I was flying on a cloud now. Would he really be my dog.

Then came a downer. His foster parent called me on Saturday and said he could not get out to bring him over could we plan for the next day. I wanted to scream so loud to break his ear drums "Just bring me my boy".

Sunday morning I text him and asked him was he going to bring Jake over to meet us and he said he would but he had some things to do with his mom. I was about to break at this point. I told my husband he just got us all excited and he is going to let us down. My husband is always the calm one. About 3 in the afternoon he texted me a picture of Jake and said he had just given him a bath and will be bringing him at 5 but his mom wanted to come too. I was so excited I could hardly wait to see him.

About 5:15 my husband said here comes our dog and I was like a crazy one bolting to the front door to open it before they got halfway across the lawn. There was my beautiful boy all smiles. I dropped to my knees and just hugged him.

You have to understand this story before Jake. My husband and I were renting a house and the landlord would not let us have a dog. I had begged for several years and I told my husband well lets move somewhere we can have a dog. He said no to the dog. Every time I brought it up he said no to the dog.

We bought our beautiful home last July and he still said no to the dog. I just wanted and needed a dog to make our circle complete. We had two iguanas, 4 cats and two snakes and a bunch of fish. I wanted a dog.

The day he finally gave in I was looking at every dog picture from the humane society to animal care and protective services then to craigs list.

The love this little boy had from the beginning was enormous. He went to each cat and sniffed them as if to say I approve. The cats were hissing and being their evil little selves and ran for shelter from this big obstacle that moved.

They didn't know that he was not ever going anywhere again. His foster parent made me keep in contact with him so that if anything was wrong he would come back and get him. I thought to myself that was never going to happen.

Jake was mine and all mine and I was not giving him back. The first night he was with us he slept on the bed in between me and my husband with his head right in the crook of my arm. I pet him and told him you are going to be the luckiest boy that ever had a human parent and he has been.

The love I have for Jake is so much and when he looks at me all I see is so much love in his eyes.

The silly little boy when he wants to play and how he shakes his collar when he wants to go out.

My Jake my friend forever. People say well you know he won't last forever and that may be true but he will be the king of the house until that time comes that we have to let him cross over the rainbow bridge.

He is only about a year and a half old so we will have a long time to love him. He will now be included in vacations because my Bubba Gump is not going to have anything less. Where we go he will go.

Jake had some really bad skin issues when we got him because his foster parent was a very young guy and had lost his job and could'nt afford to take him to the vets. He also wouldn't and still doesn't eat if you are standing in the kitchen. I think at some point there was abuse with food but not from his foster parent. The guy was very attached to him but he had a dog and cat of his own.

People don't understand the love of an animal. They have don't conditions when they love you unlike people. Jake doesn't judge me if I wear something ugly or tell me I need to lose weight or that my make up is too heavy. He looks at me with total acceptance.

If you have never adopted an animal you will never know that money can buy happiness. All the time I spend with my animals are laughs, love and friendship. Their love is true. Their love is kind and their love is important to me. Jake came to us when I needed him and now he reaps the benefits of being the most spoiled dog with is own queen size bed that he never sleeps in. Oh well I don't mind hanging off the bed for my Jakie poo. No sir! My best friend for life. Jake and me.

Giving an animal a kind and loving home is the best thing in the world. Animals were domesticated by man and we are the ones that let them down every time one has to go to a shelter. Don't patronize breeders they don't care about their animals they only want money. You may one day find your best friend too. But none will be as good as my Jake.