It's hard to believe she was ever that small. It's also hard to believe it has been a year since @mrsbozz and I had to say goodbye to our beloved @jovijett. It was a pretty somber weekend for my wife and I as we spent some time reflecting on the past year without our dog of 14+ years and knowing that she is in a far better place now with no pain or anxiety.
I can still remember the day I brought her home from the animal shelter. After being married for a year, we had been looking for a dog for a while, but hadn't quite found the right fit for us. @mrsbozz happened to be searching through the animal shelters when she saw a cute little lab mix on the website of a shelter a couple of counties over.
The dog and her brother and sister had been found in a crate down in the ditch on the side of the road. I made the drive over after work to pick up the dog that we had picked out only to find out that she had already been taken.
They still had the one sister and brother available and though it pained me to do so, I took the female dog that had been named Jett. We knew we wanted to name our dog Jovi, so we just kept Jett as her middle name. I had only taken enough cash to get one of the dogs. If I had been thinking better, I doubt I ever would have separated her from her brother the way I did.
I remember driving her home in a mail bin I had seet on the seat next to me. She was so small and cute.
I'm not going to lie and say Jovi was a perfect dog. I did a horrible job of training her as my wife was working two jobs at the time and most of the evenings were just Jovi and I alone. She also had a lot of anxiety and separation issues. I probably would too if I had been left in a crate on the side of the road.
She loved us though and I trust she knows she was loved in return. So unbelievably much.
It's been a very different year for us without her. We still occasionally think we hear her whining or barking in certain instances. It sucks coming home from work and her not being there barking her head off like she is trying to tell us all about the things she saw and did during the day. I really wish I had some video of that.
We still haven't gotten rid of her toys. There is a basket of them sitting against the wall in the living room. She didn't always play with them, she was happier just to sleep most of the time, but every so often she would dig through the basket and find one or two that occupied her for a time.
We also still haven't been back to the park that we used to walk at with her all the time. It's still just too painful. I honestly don't know if we will ever go back to that park. Even though it is just around the corner, the convenience isn't worth the sorrow it brings.
We are also getting ready to enter our second season without her camping with us and that is a bit bittersweet as well. While logistically it makes things a lot easier, I still miss laying out a nice bed and blanket for her only to have her lay right on the dirty ground like the photo you see above.
It's hard to say if @mrsbozz and I will ever get another dog. Right now the consensus is no, we have some traveling we want to do and as I said logistically it just makes it easier. Additionally, I don't think either of us has the space left in our heart for another dog. It's not that we don't have the love to give, but I don't think our hearts could handle another goodbye. This one alone practically destroyed us.
I've actually gotta stop writing now so I am not bawling when my work day starts. It's been hard enough writing this post.
We miss you @jovijett!
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