This is a college educated dog! Well, at least he lived at college. His was a Great Dane named Jackson, and he went to UGA with Stuart. They were companions until Stuart left for law school (couldn’t have a dog in his apartment). So, naturally, he came to live with us for awhile. He was a great dog (no pun intended). He was a gentle giant, who would place himself between a stranger and any of us -especially the babes after they came along (At that time only Griffin, Aidan, and Isaiah). He thought he was a lap dog! He always backed his big self up (insert beep, beep sound from big trucks here) and plopped into our laps, until we could no longer bear the weight of him.
At some point, Jackson became best buds with our son, Parker, and he went to live with him -another bachelor lifestyle (I’m sure he loved getting back to that). For reasons I can’t recall, Jackson ended up coming back to live with us again.
He was such a great dog and by this time, truly a family dog! Our entire family loved him dearly. The time finally came for him to go back and where he belonged – with Stuart. Those two were quite a pair.
One rainy night, Jackson suddenly died. Just dropped to the floor dead. He was so ginormous that the thud was felt and heard through Stuart’s home. As large as Jackson was, there was no way one person could move him, so Stuart called our son in law, Emory, to help. The two of them loaded that big, loving, protective, companion into Stuart’s truck in the pouring down rain. I think the rain was apropos given the circumstance.
You may wonder why the reminiscing about Jackson now—I came across his picture in Stuart’s things and a flood of memories dripped down my cheeks.
The way Stuart would say to Jackson, “Load up,” when he was heading back to UGA after a visit home (and Jackson would jump into the truck). The ridiculous amount of dog hair Jackson left behind! The way he’d back you up against the counter in a “love trap!” How he and Stuart looked as they rode off in that big black truck.
And the way Stuart drove back to Athens to spread Jackson’s ashes near the river where the two of them had spent so much time together.
Over Jackson’s lifetime, he was a gentle friend to Stuart, Parker, and us. When I came across the picture, I just knew I wanted to share the story of such sweet, loyal friend.
*I got my facts mixed up – Jackson lived with our daughter Alexandra, not Parker. My brain is mush!!
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