We lost one of our dogs, Riley, (The Life of Riley), to old age and had been thinking of getting another dog to keep our other dog, Stella, company. She had seemed lonely lately, but came to life when she played with other dogs. We really were just rolling the idea around in our minds. Ambivelent best describes our attitude. After all, that would mean 2 veterinarian bills, 2 dog food bills, 2 dog-sitting fees when we traveled – 2 of everything. Did we really want to take on that responsibility again?

But then my husband showed me this Facebook ad, and I immediately said, “That’s MY dog.”   After all, When You Know, You Know.   And that’s how Jax came into our family – a year ago today.

Through the past year, we’ve learned quite a few things about Jax.

1. When he falls asleep on his back, his mouth falls open to reveal his lower teeth, and it’s the cutest thing ever.

2. He is really great with kids. Even if he doesn’t want to be held, he doesn’t make a fuss. He just asks with his eyes, “I’m going to get a treat for this, right?”

3. He is self-sufficient. On cold winter days, he learned what a floor heater was and positioned himself right in front of it whenever he felt cold.

4. Jax loves to play with toys – so much so that he finally got his own playground in our family room. He especially loves Winnie the Pooh toys.

5. Jax is a quick learner. Whenever I leave the house, Stella will stand on a chair and look out a window, watching for my car to drive back down the driveway. It doesn’t matter how long I’m gone; 20 minutes or 5 hours. She’ll stay there until I come back home. She taught Jax that “this is what we do” and now Jax does the same thing.

There are so many other things that I could tell you – like how he is adorable when he bounces down the hallway like a little jack rabbit, or how he can jump from one thing to another like a flying squirrel.

But one of my very favorite things about Jax is the bond that he and I have created. He follows me everywhere and is my little buddy.  When I sit on the couch in the evening, if he isn’t in my lap, he is sitting on the couch pillow behind me, most likely asleep or nuzzling my neck every so often.

Our initial idea was to get a companion for Stella, and Jax has definitely turned out to be great friends with her. Over the past year, Stella has begun to lose her eyesight, and Jax seems to offer her comfort in a way that we can’t. But Jax has also added a dimension to our family dynamics that is absolutely delightful, and, to me personally, irreplaceable.

So Happy Gotcha Day, Jax!  Year One!

(Gotcha Day is a term commonly used to refer to the anniversary of the day a person or family brings home an adopted child. For pet owners, the term is also used to mark the day an adopted pet joined the family.)