It was a cold, Winter day in January of 2015 when ten newborn puppies found themselves outside without anyone or anything to keep them warm. They were an accidental litter born to a family with no experience raising puppies, let alone so many at once. They weren’t wanted; and this family who essentially brought them into this world, cared very little about the outcome of their decision to toss them aside like trash. Seven of those ten puppies froze to death, alone and scared. A terrible tragedy bred from immense carelessness and irresponsibility.
One of the three surviving puppies was just seven weeks old when he made his way into his forever home; still far too young to be pulled away from his mother. Named Jack, it would soon be clear that he had been born completely deaf. Full deafness is actually fairly common among white Boxers, but it is usually a result of poor breeding. And although Jack was very young when he made his way to his family, his journey hasn’t come without challenges. Never having welcomed a special needs pet into their lives before, Jack and his family had to learn an entirely new way to communicate. Which meant training would also be different.
Thankfully the dedication of his true forever family has resulted in an amazing life, one in which Jack thrives. He is the very best boy. An ultimate cuddle buddy, Jack would rather stay in bed and do absolutely nothing as long as his humans are right there with him. You’ll never meet a more kind and loving pup. And when he want affection, NO is simply not an option. He will ‘mush’ his face against yours for unlimited kisses or squeeze his body onto your lap for pets. His family says that because of his complete deafness, Jack needs constant physical reassurance that he’s loved. And they’re happy to oblige. There is nothing his humans love more than being his parents. The light of their lives, and the silver lining to a sad an unfortunate situation.
Jack brings immense happiness and joy to the life of his humans from day to day, and while they’re eternally grateful for him it doesn’t change how different things could have been if his original family had chosen to be responsible. The issue of homelessness among dogs and cats in this country alone, is staggering. There are currently several million dogs and cats without homes. And well over a million of those are perfectly healthy animals that are euthanized on a yearly basis because there are simply not enough resources, people, time and money to care for them all. When you have people, like the ones brought Jack’s litter into the world, it’s easy to see how this cycle of carelessness and irresponsibility is perpetuated year over year. And if you look closely at the statistics, it’s easy to spot the correlation between this growing epidemic and the number of dogs and cats brought into this world without any thought into what the fate of those innocent lives will be.
Jack was one of the lucky ones. He has blossomed into the very best version of himself because his family is devoted to giving him the life he deserves, the kind of life his entire litter deserved. The same cannot be said of his brothers and sisters who didn’t make it, and the countless others out there just like them. And although Jack is loved beyond a shadow of a doubt, his family whom wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world, wants you to know that this kind of carelessness comes at a very high price. Seven innocent lives were lost because of an accidental litter. Something that could have happened to any one of us. Jack’s family doesn’t want the loss of his brothers and sisters to be in vein. Spay and neuter your pets because it’s the very first step in ending the cycle of homelessness.
To keep up with Jack and his daily adventures, please follow him at @captjackboxerpup.
