IT'S THE FALL CLASSIC!!!!!

Hello pals,

It's been just more than a month since my brother and best pal left for the Rainbow Bridge and I've been pretty sad. As I know a lot of you have too. But mom and dad have been spending lots of time with me and persuading me that Jakey would be very disappointed if I didn't buck up and, especially, if I didn't continue his blog -- our blog actually, Barkalot BOYZ, but you know, he was the older brother and the writer and all that stuff so I kind of deferred to him on lots of important things.

But now I have something really important to tell you. That is, important to a certain segment of the US population and not so important to others. 

Our team, the St. Louis Cardinals, is going to the World Series.

That's pretty important here in our family. BUT WAIT, that's not all. Two of our bestest pals -- Agatha and Archie -- are also going to the World Series. Yep, last night a grand slam in the seventh inning clinched it for the Boston Red Sox so us dogs will all have, as the saying goes, SKIN IN THE GAME!!!

This is how it happened. To get to the World Series, our team had to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, the home team of three more of our bestest pals... Scruffy, Stan. and Laciecakes. That was really tough  because, while we wanted to win we didn't want our pals to lose either (Except for our dad, whose blood flows Cardinals red and maybe Gussie and Teka's dad too). But once we did win, we dogs -- Gussie and Teka and Scruffy and Stanny and Aggie and Arch and me and for sure Angel Jake -- all got together and decided we would put all of our terrier energy and tenacity and persistence into having both of our  two teams - the Red Birds and the Red Sox -- win. And they did. So now we are back to wanting to win but not wanting our pals to lose... but whatever happens, WE'LL ALL STILL BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS!!!

JAKE'S GIFT

Four  months. No sign of signature ear!

A favorite spot

I’ve thought a lot about this since our Jakey left for the Bridge last Wednesday.  Ever since I told my closest friends how sick he was, and then, when the end had come, shared the sad news on his blog and on facebook, and with the fox terrier groups I belong to, I have been graced with such an outpouring of love and caring thoughts that my heart is so full there is almost no room for the tears. Almost.

Another favorite spot.

Welcoming the folks home.

And then it hit me, without Jake … and yes without his brother Just Harry… I would never ever have met all these kind, inspiring people and shared so many funny, sad, heart-breaking, exhilarating, life-changing moments with them and their dogs. My life would be so much poorer.

New brother seems OK.

How did it happen? First there was the wire fox terrier group.  Nigel, Boozle, Linus, Gimlet Rose, Chad, Charlie D., Libby Longtail, Alle and Jack – these were among Jake’s first friends who opened the door to this amazing world of dogs who talk and express themselves and have serious opinions! Then some of Jake’s more adventurous wirey pals, tired of just tearing toys apart and chasing balls, said, try blogging, you’ll like it.

Getting ready for a weatherdog broadcast.

That led to the discovery of Dogs with Blogs, which, when the Barkalot Boyz joined in 2007, had several hundred doggers; but soon grew to more than a thousand. One of Jake’s first pals was Gussie (and Teka) whom Jake zeroed in on because Gussie was wearing a St. Louis Cardinals bandana. Our team!

Learning to cheer for the Redbirds!!

Wearing Cardinal bandanna usually works!

Then he got to know so many others: Wires like Asta, Butchy and Snickers, Lenny, and Jackson; the Airedale contingent like Oscar, Maggie, Sunshade and Jaffa, Bogart, and Gooberstan; others like the Key West Collies, Joey, Wally, Ruby Bleu, Sophie Labrador, the Whippets, Lorenza;  and later Scruffy and Baby Stan and Lacie, Eric Square Dog, Petey, Martha and Bailey, Bertie, Mango and Dexter, Molly and Taffy and Monte and Winnie, Gabbi and her siblings, Khyra, Crikit and Sparky and Ginger, Max, Dewey Dewster and Asta Marie, Wilf and Digby, and  all the others, some still here, some with Jake on the Bridge, looking down and caring for us from on high.

Passover seder with Elijah's cup on the right.

Outside on a Sunday afternoon.

In the beginning, it was all about dogs talking to dogs. Their humans all wore dog masks as far as I was concerned, and that’s how it was supposed to be.  But then Oscar, an Airedale pup we had just gotten to know, died suddenly.  And immediately those dog masks came off as hundreds of real people wrote on his blog to express how devastated they were at his passing.

Prufreding mom's stuff.

Mom's stuff invaded my bench

Years have gone by since that moment. The dogs still talk to each other in their zany ways. But now their humans are dear, dear people whom I have come to love as close friends, family even. And that is Jake’s gift to me and to my husband Jack, his dad.

Dad!

But one more thing. I couldn’t end this without adding Bogie T. Sherman and Ozzie Madison Shpigel to this caring universe that is Jake’s gift to us. They were there to welcome him when he landed at the Bridge. And they have helped and continue to help so many dog families adjust to the reality of their loss, somehow made less of a loss because of Bogie’s and Ozzie’s loving embrace.  Ah, if only the world at large were like our dog world, how much sweeter this earthly journey would be. 

For Jake with Love Forever

Jake Elijah Schnettler

January 1, 2002 - September 18, 2013

This is beyond sad and I don't think I can see to write much, but I know Jakey would want his friends to know where to find him. 

After a too rapid decline from a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer just last week, we helped him cross the Bridge at noon today.

My heart, you were loved. 

Gotcha! Gotcha! Gotcha!

Well, I guess I do count for something. Mom who says she is too busy and too short on ideas other than for her seaport projects decided she could not let September 10 go by without remembering my Gotcha! Day. Once upon a time, as I tell everyone every year on this day, she and dad drove to Orlando with Jake to see if  the young wirey lad Lyn Townsend had rescued after Katrina struck Florida would like them... and if they would like me. But how could they not?

So the deal was struck and here we are, eight years later. 

We all think I'm 9, as I looked to be about a year old when they rescued me. That qualifies me as a senior dog, I am told. But anyone who knows me knows that Just Harry is Just a Puppy!!!!! (See me with my niece, Ms. Olivia, who is 16 months old, sharing her toys when she came to visit in July.)

Wirey love and kisses to all who read this!!!!

Just Harry, aka J. Harold Dog

Oh! Oh! Olivia!

She's here!  A small small person who has lots of toys, laughs a lot, and is very curious about everything within reach. She doesn't have as much fur as we do, but she seems to inhabit the same spaces we do.  
She is our 14-month old niece, Ms. Olivia!!!!!

So far she has taken every book and DVD off the shelves that are within her reach. Repeatedly.(We've never done that, but when she does it everyone thinks she is very clever!!! We'll have to try it!!!)

She has read and reread the New Yorker magazine. And she concentrates a lot on putting things together.

She has made mom and dad laugh a lot. They even got to baby sit when her parents went out one evening. 

And we are so so excited to get to sniff her and try to kiss her. And play with her toys.   
Here's Olivia's mom and dad...our brother and sister-in-law (who is having another small small person in November!)

Mom says we've been very good boyz!!!

Holy Hurry Cane Season, Batman!!!!

So here I am, Jake the Weatherdog and it is only June the Sixth and all of a sudden we have Tropical Storm Andrea with tornado warnings in our area and what do I know about tornados???? These are the sad sad meteorological events that have tormented Oklahoma and the midwest and taken so many innocent lives. 

What is a poor Florida weatherdog to do who has no training in anything but hurry canes? Except pray that everyone in the path of Andrea stays safe and hope that, despite the warnings of a busier than usual season, this will be another year when the hurry canes decide to die a lonely death off shore.

Uh, I guess I could remind everyone to check their battery collection, have lots of bottled water, a manual can opener and non-perishable food, including kibble for you know who, a portable TV/radio, etc, etc.

I'll be back...

Your weatherdog pal,

Jake 

Wordless Wednesday

Just Harry aka J. Harold Dog