| Jun Jun The gifts he had and the Love he Gave |
| Written by Brook Sica | |
 6 years ago I wanted to get a dog so badly. Everyday I would look at dogs on the internet and and I was always hoping to hear that someone had a dog that needed to be adopted. Aaron didn’t really want a dog, in the end I won. I could get a dog if he was allowed to name him. One day I received an e-mail about a dog found on the streets of Jersey City. The woman who e-mailed me had seen a post I had made about adopting a dog. She said he was wandering the streets and that she couldn’t take him in. For some reason, I had a feeling this dog was meant to be ours. I drove out there without even seeing a picture of him I was that certain about him.
When we first met he was a hot mess. It was painfully obvious that he had been on the streets for some time. His fur was way too long and matted that it was pulling at his skin. He did not smell very good either and was so dirty. His poor little paws were all ripped up and worn out from the streets! Even through all the dirt, he had these eyes. There was a sparkle in them, amazingly they were not sad eyes. I walked over, scooped him up and in the car we went. Before I even had the car started he crawled onto my lap. He didn’t move the entire ride home. I was attached immediately, I had a connection with him. When we got home it was as if he knew that he was finally home. He even took a nap a few minutes after we got there. I laid down on the floor near him, being careful not to scare him. A little while later aaron came home. It felt perfect, we were family Mommy, Daddy and the Jun Jun. Two days after rescuing him he went to the groomer. His fur was so knotted that he had to be shaved down. The transformation was astonishing. He was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. He had a puppy face and the sparkle in his eyes drew me strait to him. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were, he was perfection. His tail was waging so fast and he looked as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders without all that fur. From then on he did not like his fur long, so we kept him shaved. I still remember the look he gave me that day, he looked at me to take him home, our home. To think Daddy didn't want a dog at first. His bond with Jun Jun was immediate and unbreakable. All the fighting over getting a dog disappeared from daddy’s head the minute Jun Jun licked his face. He was a bit of a handful in the beginning and it was not easy! Jun Jun peed all over the condo. His time on the street had taught him the importance of marking his territory and the fact he wasn’t fixed didn’t help. By the end of the first week he had marked every item possible the chairs, furniture, Daddy’s guitar case, and anything that was placed on the ground. He wanted everyone to know it his home and his stuff. There was one day were he had destroyed the house. I cn look back now and smile, not so much at the time! Lisa and I went to run some errands, We were gone about an hour. In that hour he was able to make the condo look as if it had been searched by the FBI. He dragged all the dirty laundry from the bedroom and left it all over the condo. The one plant in the place was knocked over f the leaves were everywhere, and he dug all of the dirt out of the pot onto the floor. I was vacuuming up dirt for months. I ventured into the kitchen and sure enough the garbage was knocked over and every piece of trash was on the floor. To top the kitchen off in typical Jun Jun fashion, he took a shit right in the middle of floor! Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the pizza box that was on the kitchen table when we left. It was on the floor now. To this day, I have no idea how he managed to jump onto a table with all of the chairs pushed in. He even opened the pizza box and ate every last crumb. While surveying the condo, I caught a wiff of the familiar scent of dog pee. He peed on the kitchen table. He must have been aiming for the candle because the holder was filled to the brim with pee. I wish I had taken a picture, the destruction he managed to create in such a short period of time was shocking and I must admit a little impressive. That day is a cherished memory I have of Jun Jun. He could create such chaos then sit right in the middle of it, wagging his tail as if nothing happened. It was impossible to be angry at him for any length of time. He was a master of the “art of cute” he knew exactly how to look at you, and would rest his head in such a way that his cuteness overwhelmed you. You had to give him lovins, you didn’t have a choice in the matter. He even trained us to blame ourselves whenever he knocked the garbage over. We told ourselves it was our fault leaving out the garbage. So we just accepted it and never even tried to train him to not knock it over. Yea he pretty owned us! He was so silly and cute. He liked to cuddle and be next to you, but it had to be on his terms. He took up as much room as he wanted; we had to then make ourselves comfortable around him. Bedtime was always fun, he would lay next to me but get pissy if I moved too much. After awhile he would let out a sigh, jump down and go over to his chair to sleep. Jun Jun was one of a kind he was right there during tough times, depression, and when I couldn’t leave the house he kept me going. I would never throw in the towel completely. I always said he needed me. Only it was me, who needed him. He had so much love to give he did not know anger or sadness, he only knew love. We needed his love quite a bit. There were many difficult times that our family endured, mistakes were made and shit would hit the fan constantly. Jun Jun didn’t let it phase him though. He saw everything that went on in the condo the good times and the bad. There was anger, resentment, sadness and despair. He was always right there to lick tears away or cuddle up next to you. Jun Jun was a very special dog with a special gift. He was doggie psychic always sensing when Mommy or Daddy needed him. And somehow he knew the exact moment that he was needed. I would look down and there he was, never too early and never too late. He waited patiently until he would get the feeling and as soon as he felt it he made his way over. Just looking into his wonderful eyes the feeling of despair would melt away. He gave every drop of love he had. He knew what to do to make everything seem ok, even if just for a little while. The bond he shared with us calmed the soul and lightened the air. It is impossible to put into words the way he could make you feel. When he started to get old it was a scary. He went blind and started walking slower. I knew that his time with us was getting shorter every day. I got sad every time I thought about it. Though when I looked into his eyes he wasn’t sad, he was happy just being by my side. I had taken him to specialists and lots of vets, but he was just getting old. There was nothing we could do. Then this past summer our family split up. It was a difficult time in all our lives. Within a matter of 6 weeks our lives had completely changed. We all lived in new homes with new people. I still had Jun Jun by my side, but daddy wasn’t with us anymore. Adjusting to being alone and taking care of grandma was a large undertaking. Unfortunately I did not handle the transition well. I sunk into a deep depression and I felt as if a blanket of loneliness had been draped over me. It was a dark time in my life and even darker in my head. Right in the middle of the move Jun Jun got a blood test and the results were not good. Over the next few weeks I slipped farther into myself, somehow despite the test results Jun Jun’s Health improved. He also never left my side during for 5 months. He slept all night pressed up against me so I wouldn’t feel so alone. He mustered all of his courage and every healthy cell he had and held on to make sure I would be ok. He knew that I still needed him so he stayed, right there next to me. He helped me get through this time, I would cry to him for hours and he would kiss me and wag his tail. Then I regained my own self and I began to smile again. We made it through the holidays together, and I was never alone. He was right there with me. After the holidays, his health began to deteriorate. My heart knew it was almost time; everyday was a little harder on him. He did hold on for a few more weeks though. That time was his gift to me, so I could say goodbye. I spent every spare minute with him. We would lay together for hours and would rub his belly and kiss his nose. I made sure to tell him as much as possible how wonderful he was and that I was ok because of him. I knew when it was time, so Daddy came over to give him lovins and his last nose treats. After Jun Jun saw Daddy and was able to say goodbye he was ready to go. I saw it in his eyes. That sparkle he had in eyes never did die out, and he gave me kisses right up to the very end. I am so thankful I was able to hold him and give him his last kiss. From the moment Jun Jun came into our lives he gave us all his love. He was a gift to both Aaron and I and I wouldn’t trade one minute I had with him for anything in the world. Every minute with him was a wonderful minute. At the end I kept repeating to myself and everyone else, that we gave him a great life and made the last years of his life as happy and carefree as possible. That statement isn’t entirely accurate though. While we did give him a good home and all the love. The truth is that it was Jun Jun who gave us a great life. Jun Jun always know you will never be forgotten. You will always be missed, but never forgotten. Thank you Jun Jun, for letting us be your Mommy and Daddy. It was the best job ever. You will always be in my heart, I love you free Jun Jun              |
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