meet Jack

I've been busy.

Not because I'm semi-unemployed for the summer, but because I've acquired an extra dog. This is Jack. I've come to think of this picture as more of a mugshot, because he is most definitely a criminal canine. He just turned 1 year old. Technically, he is my daughter's dog. Last November she bought a house and was convinced she needed a watch dog - a single girl living alone and all. Then...her job at the time required her to work the night shift, often a 24-hour shift (she worked for an ambulance company). Well, we all know you can't leave a puppy alone all night in a new house. So he ended up at my house. We have a love/hate relationship. He's eaten the screens off of most of my windows in the back yard. He's broken nearly every plant pot he can reach. He's dug holes big enough to tempt me to see if he fits in them. He has chewed up my garden hose, bit a hole in the bottom of a very large bag of potting soil...and then carried it around the yard until it was empty. He has eaten my broom, the dustpan, one pair of sandals, and pulled the stuffing out of his bed. He does, however, patrol my house and report any suspicious behavior. He growls at my strange neighbor - confirming what I thought all along, and he plays with Lacey (MY dog), which I think helps keep her a little younger. While he does get sent to the penalty box nearly every day, he's kind of growing on me. He's recently developed THAT look. The look that says "You know I'm adorable." You know what look I'm talkin' about? Husbands know it. Kids know it...and apparently so does Jack. He melts my heart nearly as fast as he can chew the legs off of a lawn chair. Did I mention that his habits recently cost him a vet visit? Yep. Pancreatitis. $317.00 to tell us he eats weird stuff.