~ Jacob Valentino ~
2-14-98 ~ 12-23-11
Born on Valentine's day February 14, 1998
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| Six weeks old |
Jake our beloved pet dog, he was with us for almost 14 years.
A Golden retriever, full of spunk and vigor for most of his life. He was always a puppy, or seemed to think and act like he was most of it (even at over 90 lbs)! He loved to fetch a ball, stick, or whatever you could throw for him to go get. He enjoyed the game of it and playing "hard-to-get-it" when he decided that the object was his. I mean, he did fetch it after all! It was very fun for him when you would try to act like you were going to take it, when he had it laying there and watching it carefully, so he could grab it first, but he would tease you to try. Tug was also "game on." He knew he had it and that was that! He was a very happy boy when he got to go to the park and go in the water. He always liked getting wet, and being sprayed with a water hose on a hot day and biting at the water jetting out of it.
That dog loved to eat, but I often felt like there was no way he could have enjoyed what he had just devoured, because he did devour it! He could chew up a rib bone and be back for more amazingly fast! He also had a bad habit of eating what he shouldn't sometimes, just as in the fetch game "hard-to-get-it" came to mind when we tried to get him to give up something that he shouldn't have in his mouth. Just walking by and dropping an object on the ground meant to him, it was his for the taking and so he did. A napkin, a sock, etc, if he could get to it and get it in his mouth. As a young pup (when we first discovered this little trait of his), he pulled a hair scrunchie from our daughter's hair when she was laying in the yard, and he ate the thing faster than you could say...scrunchie!! She was quite upset by him doing so, mostly because she was smart enough to know that you don't eat those, and she was afraid it would hurt him. On another occasion Hubby was installing new gate hardware and he dropped a screw, and yep, Jake ate it!
He wasn't always a perfectly behaved dog, he could be a little obnoxious sometimes and when people were around, either by wanting to climb on them, lick them, (doggy kisses...lol), or barking, but he was a good dog most of the time. He mellowed a little bit in his last year, and as age and time kind of got the best of him just at the end. I know he had a good life with us. I feel pretty sure he smiled most of the time too, and was a very happy dog! He was a huge joy in our lives and I know he loved us as much as we loved him!
We will miss him and remember him always...
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| Jake May '07 |
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| The Begger and I'm so cute pose! |
Remembering Jake...
