The Life of Jessie

Jessie made Leit and Sarah a family from the early days. Leit brought her home less than two months after he and Sarah met. Once we met this beautiful, sweet and gentle dog, everyone who met her fell in love… There was no question — she was HOME with us.

Jessie was about two years old at the time, no longer a puppy so we never exactly knew her age. She was anxious and skittish at first, and had to be coaxed to eat. But she grew to trust us — before long she was sleeping at the foot of our bed as part of the pack.

We bonded immeasurably over the next 12 years. She was by our sides through the sweetest and the most difficult times of life. Numerous wilderness adventures, moving away from our friends in Alaska, reuniting with family in Oregon, moving overseas, pregnancies and miscarriages, then the birth of our first daughter — with Jessie guarding the room— and the early days of parenthood, and then the last and most tenuous pregnancy and birth of our second daughter. To finally finding community and building bonds with friends in our new home.

Knowing that with two young children, we were not always giving Jessie all the love and attention we wanted to — somehow we were all fortunate enough to find her a "bonus" family, friends who gave her extra walks and love, then began to care for her while we were away, and ultimately loved her as part of their family too.

Jessie loved salmon probably more than anything else, and loved when Leit filled our house with the intoxicating smell of smoked salmon… She loved walks, chasing squirrels, and curiously approaching cats who inevitably steered clear. She loved giving hugs, nuzzling her head into us when we reached out to pet her. She loved licking our elbows to wake us up when she used to sleep beside our bed (before the Dutch stairs became too much of a deterrent). She was always patient and sometimes stoic, putting up with a lot from little ones who liked to play with her, chase after her, and sometimes dress her… 

Losing Jessie has been tremendously heartbreaking for us and so many people who loved her. She made so many dear friends in her long life, even cured many children of their fear of dogs! She was an exceptional, extraordinary friend…and we miss her with all our hearts.

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