Doctor Jake McG 11-011
15 April 2008 – 28 January 2021
Adopted by Scottie and Ken McG 2.05.2011

It seemed that frequently when we looked at a clock the time was 11:11. Since it happened so often, we thought it might have some significance. Then Jake came into our lives as the eleventh dog of 2011. It was destiny.

Jake was always a loving funny boy. He had been a breeder’s outside dog for the first three years of his life, so he was very reluctant and had to be coaxed to come into the house. He learned to use the doggy door but got it backward. He went outside to play and came inside to pee and poop. It turns out he was a very smart boy; he had a repertoire of tricks that he showed off at meet and greets. He sat up to say Grace before each meal, he jumped through a hoop. His favorite trick was to “Take a nap.” Lying on his back with his eyes closed, he stayed that way until we said, “Wake up!”.

The sofa was his personal bed, so he thought. He stretched out almost the entire length of the sofa to lay on his back to nap. He liked to harass guests who had the nerve to sit on his bed. Jake frequently slept between us on his back. He went from sleeping in the dirt to sleeping on a Sleep Number bed. We have no idea what his number was or ous either for that matter. When he started going in the pool, his favorite toy was his yellow rubber ducky.

Dr Jake relaxingOne day, Jake decided he didn’t want to go to meet and greets anymore, and he acted a bit testy to other dogs. Many Goldens came to our house to visit or be fostered; Jake was the perfect host. He met his guests at the door and escorted them to the backyard. We adopted Crystal and the two became very bonded. Crystal was the love of his life. They played all the time. When she went to the Bridge, he was depressed for a long time. He earned the title of Doctor because he alerted us to Crystal’s ear infection, and later spleen cancer. He also succumbed to Hemangiosarcoma in his spleen.

When he was young, I whispered in his ear that he was going to be our fourteen-year-old dog. He almost made it. Except for a few hot spots, he was never ill until the end of life. We have his footprints on our hearts. We purchased a Solari Bell and told Jake to ring that bell when his spirit visits us so we know he’s here. We were moving a few days after his passing, and when a friend left the former house, she told me that the bell was ringing like crazy. She couldn’t understand what was happening because it’s a heavy bell, there was no wind, and the windchimes were silent. We knew it was Jake telling us that he is with us.