Jasper Fast as a Rocket Evans (“Jasper”), was born in Declo, ID on February 14, 2009 to parents Gizmo’s Vandy Girl (“Vandy”) and Ramblin Rowdy Roscoe. Jasper made his first big move in life at 9 weeks old when he flew (cargo class) to Tampa, FL in April 2009. He was welcomed at the airport by his adopted dog parents, Billy and Tracy Evans. Jasper was somewhat of a birthday present for Billy, and throughout Jasper’s life, good times and not so good, we referred to him as “the gift that keeps on giving.”

Jasper’s life-long obsession with drinking water led to many potty accidents while he was a pup, the first night at home peeing no less than 8 times in the house over the course of only a few hours after he drank basically the entirety of his bath water. But he eventually learned the rules and became a model citizen for house training, never once doing poo poo or pee pee in the house for the majority of his adult life. We were adamant about crate training him early, so much so that Mama slept on the floor outside of his crate for the first few nights to keep him company and to prevent him from crying.

Jasper’s early years involved a lot of sleeping under his Daddy’s feet while his Daddy poured over med school text books, and Mama did law school work. Jasper loved cramming himself in small places to sleep, cuddling in his Daddy’s laptop case, or finding a cushy laundry basket full of clean laundry (or dirty, he wasn’t particular). One time we came home from work/school to find Jasper missing. He ended up being in a closet behind a shoe rack, somehow squeezing through a partially opened closet door, and thus earning the nickname “closet dog.” Having extremely long, skinny legs, he frequently slept in very awkward positions with his legs straight-out, bent at weird angles, or in one big leggy pile. He also frequently would rest his chin on his own shoulder, a sleeping position we aptly coined, “shoulder pillow.”

Jasper grew up in a house where dogs were not allowed on furniture or in the bed. However, there were a few exceptions to this rule, created by Jasper, of course. Jasper claimed his own arm chair in the living room at one point, and once claimed an entire futon as his own. It smelled so bad after years of doggy dandruff that it went straight to the dump when we moved. He also was allowed on the bed (top of the covers only and on top of a dog blanket), when Daddy was working night-shifts, and Mama was lonely and needed snuggles.

Jasper knew all his basic commands and even some fancy ones thanks to his Mama’s lessons. He knew sit, down, off (to get off furniture), leave it (for let go/drop it), and high five. He also would play dead if you pointed a finger gun and said “bang!,” take a bow, and would weave under your legs while you walked (all for the price of a treat, of course).

After he grew out of his puppy stage, Jasper became weird about being picked up or held. He liked being pet, but wasn’t a fan of too much physical contact. He hated his ears touched, mouthing your hand and whining if you laid even one finger on an ear. He enjoyed playing “feetsies” which involved trying to slap his paws while he rapidly pulled them away, but otherwise his paws were off limits (manicures were unheard of). Jasper gave his own unique hugs where he would bow his head from a sitting position allowing you to embrace him around the shoulders.

Jasper earned the nickname of “ham dog” when he began faking injuries for attention. He would literally pretend to hurt a paw or come yelping to us because something scared him, and need lots of pets and reassurance until he could resume normal activities.

Jasper had natural hunting instincts and was quick to point out every squirrel or bird he could sense. One time, (unbeknownst to us) Jasper slowly and quietly stalked a nesting mother duck, and suddenly pounced on the nest scaring the duck from her nest and chasing her several feet into the pond until he gave up. He enjoyed chasing lizards, but never seemed to harm them. He really just wanted to smell them. While the hunting instincts came naturally, Jasper was terribly afraid of thunder and fireworks, so likely would not have been a fan of gun fire.

Jasper’s most favorite food was popcorn, running to the kitchen any time he heard the tell-tale popping in the microwave. He was never a fan of the kibble we fed him, although we went through every brand/variety on the market. He believed he was better than just plain old dog food.

Jasper loved going on the boat, and would begin scream barking the moment he heard his Daddy starting the engines. He loved letting the wind flap his ears as we drove through the water, and loved sprinting around the sandbar, as if running on water. Jasper also loved the beach and swimming in the pool. He loved splashing in the water, and nosing in the sand.

Jasper’s favorite game was called “Find It.” We would throw a blanket over his head and hide one of his toys. He would sit perfectly still with the blanket over his head while we did our best to trick him and hide the toy. We then would pull off the blanket and yell “find it!” and he would excitedly run through the house frantically sniffing until he located the missing toy. Jasper also was obsessed with lasers or anything causing a reflection on the floor or wall. He would literally smash his nose into the floor trying to “catch” it, and just the sound of the jingle of the laser key chain would set him off on the hunt.

Jasper was always so excited when we got home, doing “steppy foot” when we would walk in the door (excitedly dancing around lifting his feet high). He was also known to get a case of the zoomies, especially if he was playing in a carpeted room where he had good traction.

Jasper was a regular at the dog park in his early years, although he preferred sniffing up the trees looking for birds or squirrels, or chasing bird and butterfly shadows, over playing with the other dogs. While he was a friend to most dogs, German Shepards always had it out for him, so he stayed out of their way the best he could.

Jasper loved to kill a good squeaky toy, eliminating the speaker first, then slowly making holes and pulling out stuffing over the course of months, sometimes years. Some of his favorite toys over the years included, Snowman, Christmas Tree, Gironkey, Sheepa, and Hedgehog. He liked to hold as much of them as he could fit in his mouth, cross his arms around them, and “knead” his paws while he mouthed them. We called this “weirdy” because it was really weird. He loved getting packages of toys and treats from Nana in the mail (he could always smell which ones were from her) and loved opening presents. His G-ma never came to the house without a new toy for him, so he always looked forward to her visits as well.

Jasper had a strange relationship with music, and had several songs that were either his favorites or that he hated with a passion, it was hard to tell. The theme song to the show “True Blood” (“Bad Things”) was the first song to cause him to literally howl whenever it came on. The theme songs from the shows “The Walking Dead,” “Jeopardy," and “Wheel of Fortune” (especially the production company jingle after the credits) also elicited similar reactions. Also on the subject of music, Jasper “enjoyed” providing vocals to his Daddy’s harmonica playing, throwing his head back and howling along as his Daddy played.

Jasper loved running, and helped train his Daddy for many races, including his Daddy’s marathon. Jasper and Daddy put in a lot of miles together. Jasper ran with his Daddy in two officially timed races, coming in 2nd place overall dog/person team in both races. He loved pulling his Daddy on the mountain board (one dog power! Sko Sko Sko!) and running alongside us while we rode our tandem bike (until the fateful day that Jasper wrecked us when he took off after a squirrel).

Jasper was our only baby for almost 9 years and was there by our side for the nearly 4 years we struggled with infertility and pregnancy loss. He was our constant and comfort while we navigated through some of our hardest years. And when our dream of becoming parents finally became a reality, he was there by his Mama’s side through it all, resting his head on Mama’s pregnant belly and (overly) excitedly greeting his new brothers when they first arrived home. He took on the role of sentry next them while they napped and played during the day, but realized his limits as they became more mobile and kept his distance, most of the time.

Over the past two years, Jasper began slowing down, and it became clear earlier this year that he was living on borrowed time. In the end, Jasper passed away on his own terms peacefully in his sleep.

Jasper was a very good boy. He was our first dog, our first baby, our Japper, Japper Pup, Snuggle Pup, Ham Dog, Closet Dog, Diogee, Lippy Pup, Soft Dog. He was the first thing we both truly loved together (apart from each other) after we were married. We hold so many good memories of our pup, and undoubtedly will share them with anyone who will listen for the rest of our lives. We will miss our Jasper very much, but he lived a very full dog life, and we are grateful for all the years he gave us and the happy memories he left behind.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/jasper-evans/obituary/

Copy