Jack and Jinjer as puppies, although they do not look much different today, just a little grayer around the muzzles
What happened is we were hanging out Sat morning and looking for something to watch. As we flipped through HBO channels we came across a movie and saw Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson, we stopped to see what it was and realized what it was. The scene was a funny one and sucked us in. “How bad can it be” we said.
Well if you have ever seen it you will understand what I mean when I say it paralleled our lives quite a bit. And now if you have never seen it, and you have when people ruin movies for you, stop reading now.
It started with the biological clock storyline, where Owen goes out and buys a puppy for Jennifer in order to try and buy some time before having to satisfy Jen’s urge to children. We did that with Jack and Jinjer. At first I did not want them to be honest, but I surely did not want a kid yet.
I recall vividly Sharon making a phone call just to inquire about a puggle she saw an ad for online, and telling the lady our credit crd number to pay for two puggles! I also recall the panic in my phone when I said “Two? what do you mean two? Hello?! What are you doing Sharon?” and she just waved me off and it was done. We had two puggles on the way.
And although our dogs were not as much trouble as Marley was in the movie, they sure were not great. They pooped all over themselves in their crate, they chewed up many an expensive item, they demanded attention, and definitely disrupted our lives.
I remember our first Valentine’s day after getting them and not long after getting them semi-potty-trained. Sharon and I had went out for a romantic dinner. Everything went great and we were in a great mood. It had been a while since we felt safe to leave them alone for a couple of hours and just relax while dining out. I distinctly remember walking up to the motorhome without a care in the world, just totally at ease and happy. As I opened the door I saw little red and silver wrapper all over and chewed cardboard strewn about, with Jack behaving like he was on speed, and Jinjer howling away in delight over the fun she had been having. We have come to find out that if Jinjer is crazy when we walk in the door, she has most likely been tearing something up.
At first I was taken back, “What is all that.” I thought in my head. Then it all hit, first the fact that it was the box of dark chocolate truffles Sharon gave me, then the fact the dogs ate them, and then my stomach sank when my brain recalled that chocolate is deadly to dogs. Sharon’s brain must have been processing it all exactly the same because we both got the look of panic on our faces at the same time.
“What do we do?” Sharon frantically asked. Flashbacks to just a week ago when we came home to almost the same scene only involving the chemicals for our sewer system flooded my head. So we did the same thing this time as then, we called the 24 hour pet emergency hotline. They told us to get them to a vet immediately. So much for the romantic, peaceful night.
We loaded them both into the car, they seemed fine except Jack was acting strung out. Of course the only thing open late on a Sunday is the emergency vet, which always costs 4 times as much. We went in and they took them back to examine them. They said they had to pump their stomachs, which during that procedure found out only Jack had chocolate in his stomach, hopefully it had not going into his system too much as it could already be too late. But at this time Jack did not have the signs of going into cardiac arrest so they felt confident that he would be alright but they still wanted to keep him overnight.
We agreed and asked if they could keep Jinjer as well to just watch her too. Secretly we knew two things, they HATE being apart and we needed a break. They kept both and we headed home, at around 3 a.m. the vet called us. I answered in sheer terror of getting bad news. But all was alright and they said we could come get them now if we wanted or just wait until the morning. We opted for the morning, and slept in :)
There are many other stories we could tell, and have many written down. Much like Owen did in the movie for his job as a weekly columnist for a local Florida newspaper. He was a storyteller. Making everyday life’s struggles seem less painful by showing everyone that they are not the only ones experiencing them. He loved to write stories of human interest like I do. I think I want to be a columnist when I grow up.
As a couple , they too, lost a baby in the movie. And while it was just a miscarriage and not a full-term still birth, it hit us pretty hard. The emotions they expressed were so true-to-life it made me almost turn the movie off. If I could have fast forwarded it, I would have. The part where Marley seemed to know something happened and comforted Jen was of particular note.
When we came home from the hospital after losing Noah, the dogs did not greet us at the door like they ALWAYS do. Instead they both just layed on the bed with their heads down, looking so sad as if they knew. They seemed to be right next to us for some time afterward. Jack never left Sharon’s side, wherever she went he went. It was a few days later when they started to get back to normal, and seeing them be happy again helped us out of a funk sometimes. Having them to take care of was a reason for Sharon to keep going, and I think got her through the tough times more than we realize.
Jen and Owen went on to have a healthy baby and some of the arguments they had stemming from lack of sleep and loss of patience were also very real. They made me feel better. Like maybe we are not the only ones having these issues. Raising a child is not easy, and this is where marriages expose their strengths and weaknesses. I can see where if a relationship is already weak it will break, and if a relationship is strong, it will just grow stronger through it. I like to think Sharon and I are the latter.
Now from there the Owen and Jen’s lives are progressed further than where ours are now and most likely take a different path. They go on to have 3 children and move up North. Now where their future is like ours is that they eventually lose Marley. Owen has to go through the pain of putting him to sleep as he holds him. This about tore us up! Earlier in the movie I had hit pause for a little while so we had the ability to fast forward. I just could not bear to see it and think of the day we will lose our Jack and Jinny. It is a reality I know will happen but I just put it out of my mind, it is wayyy too painful, and hopefully over 10 years away.
We have experienced so many wonderful things with Jack and Jinjer and they have enriched our lives more than we will ever know. They gave us the ability to have patience and understanding, they prepared us to have a child through all the crap they have done.
Some people had the audacity to say to us before Nora came that we would not feel for them the same after we had her. That they would not matter as much as they did. Well they were wrong. We feel no less for them as we did before Nora. They are an intricate part of our lives and we we are and will remain that way for the rest of their lives. I admit, they may suffer a tad in the attention department, but they seem to understand. They have adapted so well and welcomed Nora into “the pack.” We are an untraditional family of 6. Mommy, Daddy, Big Jack, Jinny, Nora and our angel in heaven, Noah.
It took me several hours after the movie to get right again. In the shower I almost broke down thinking about Marley’s death. I made myself think of all the good years still to come. I thought of watching Nora grow up with the dogs and all got right.