Happy Tuesday guys! Today things are going back to normal with Liv going back to school after winter break. I will for sure miss my mini me, but I am happy to get back into a routine.

Today I wanted to share the story about Jack Herman, the dog my mom and step dad rescued. I shared a bit about him on instagram, but wanted to share a bit more about his story and how it has changed my perspective.

TARAS OUTFIT- LEGGINGS Lululemon (dupe here) | TOP Amazon | SNEAKERS Adidas | HAT Free People 

OLIVIAS OUTFIT- LEGGINGS Justice (similar here) | TOP Old Navy | HAT Target | SNEAKERS Chasing Fireflies

So lets go back to 2019 again. One October afternoon my mom and I were about to go take some pictures and she was really worried about this dog that was roaming her neighborhood. He had been roaming around for days and noone could get a hold of him to take him in for shelter. Lots of neighbors put out food/water for him, he would sleep on lawns, mingle with dogs thru the gates, but noone could seem to catch him. A couple of neighbors called animal control and even they were unsuccessful.  We were supposed to get some really bad weather the following day so my mom and I were determined to try to catch this sweet boy. As we were coming back from shooting, we decided to give it a go and we saw him trotting along with some neighborhood kids walking their dog. My mom told the kids to come to her yard because the dog loved other dogs so we figured it was our best bet. They came to the yard and I sat at the end and by the grace of god he came walking over to me. Of course we did not expect that so I did not have a collar or anything on hand. I just petted him and talked to him. We decided we needed to get him into the back yard so we could get a collar and leash on him. The kids walked over with their dog and we got him back there. Jack of course was really anxious and would run back and fourth in the yard trying to find a way out. It broke my heart. Since he was so anxious everyone went inside but me. I sat down and after a couple of minutes he came up to me and simply rested his head in the crook of my arm. He was exhausted, he needed rest and he trusted us.

We got him a collar and leash on immediately and took him out to the garage with lots of food blankets etc. My mom has two  very small dogs and they were not sure how they would react to such a large dog so we knew we had to keep them separated for the time being. It was a cool evening so Jack was perfectly content resting and I never left his side. The next morning we loaded him up in the car and took him to the vet to get checked for a chip. You see Jack is a GORGEOUS, well behaved dog and we just knew someone had to be looking for him. Well sadly, he was not chipped so I went to work on the internet posting his photos everywhere to see if anyone was looking for him. Once I did that, I started receiving message after message about how people had seen this dog roaming around numerous cities in the area for WEEKS! Y’all, this broke my heart. One person even said they saw him 3 weeks prior, over 6 miles away, and it was obvious he had been dumped because of his actions. I then went to looking on all the major lost dog sites and low and behold, Jack had been posted SO MANY TIMES by other people, but we were the first people that finally got him into shelter. Also, there was a terrible rain storm a couple weeks prior to us getting him. Poor boy had been thru so much.

During all this time, my step dad and Drew were both very hesitant in meeting Jack. I bet you can guess why, they knew they would fall in love with him. It was not that noone didn’t want Jack, it was just a big responsibility that came out of nowhere! I was also about to go on a trip and I knew I could not abandon this sweet boy like he has been abandoned already. My mom and I both also could not bare to take him to the shelter. My mom and step dad were talking about Jack all day and while I was sitting outside in the Garage with Jack praying for some sort of resolution and happy ending for this sweet dog, my mom came out and told me that Jake, said that he was staying with them! At this point we were still not sure how Lucy and Ruby, my moms little pups, would take to Jack. I knew deep down if that situation did not work out, I would be taking him home. No way was he leaving this family!

We decided it was time to take Jack inside because it was getting a tad warm out in the garage. When we opened the door for him go inside, he literally stuck his head inside looked left and right and then back up to me like he was asking for permission. We don’t know if this is a training thing or if he just had not been in a house in so long he was extremely unsure. He walked inside, and we carefully introduced him to the pups.  Jack roamed around a bit, checked out the place and then passed out in the foyer. He slept and slept. It was very sad to see how low his spirit was though. His head was always down, and he was very timid. He was sad, and it was time to make him happy again.

The entire family came to check on him constantly all day long. Drew came to meet him and you bet it was love at first site. I mean look at this boy, he is the most handsome dog in the world. Jack was very unsure around men at first but LOVES kids and other dogs. He is also potty trained, and clearly had not been allowed on furniture or may not even in the house. Jake met him and of course fell in love with him as well. They decided on a name and I high tailed it up to Puppy smart and made it official with a dog tag and collar for our sweet Jack. I got him a new bed, that he promptly ripped a whole in haha and other essentials.

Fast forward to today. Although we all became very attached to Jack rather quickly, especially Jake, we continued looking for Jack’s original family. It became clear that someone had left him and he now has his forever home. Jake and Jack are absolutely inseparable now. It is so sweet to see how excited Jack is to him every day. Jack has fit in perfectly at my moms house and truly completed their dog family. Sadie also loves Jack and her 12 year old self loves to play with him.  Jack is always smiling, gives the sweetest hugs and could not be move lovable. We also found out what kind of dog he is! My sister Rachel purchased a kit and it came back during Christmas. He is 50% Chow, 25% Lab, 12% Husky and 12% mix of other dogs. It amazes me how far he traveled to find our family. It amazes me that he chose us to trust. What doesn’t amaze me is that someone could abandon him. He did not deserve that, but he will never have to live with that fear anymore.

(My Mom with Ruby, My Step Dad Jake with Lucky and Jack)

I have always grown up with dogs, both rescues and purchased pets. Drew got me Sadie for my birthday years ago and saved her from a rather terrible living environment. When we first got her she looked pitiful and not taken care of. The way she changed over the first couple of months reminded me of Jack’s journey. It is no surprise that Jack and Sadie are pretty much the SWEETEST dogs ever too. After witnessing Jack’s story and being a part of it, I know that we will rescue a dog in the future. There are so many dogs out there that need homes. It breaks me heart every time I think about it and our sweet Jack could have easily been at the shelter with all of them too. I encourage you to do the same. I will never be one to judge either way because I do think that all dogs deserve a loving home.  The one thing I am even more adamant about though is that if you are purchasing a pet, be responsible and know pets are not disposable.  After witnessing Jack’s broken spirit, it became even more clear how important it is to treat your pets like family.

They say humans come into your life for a reason, well I know that Jack came into our lives for a reason and forever changed them too. We love your sweet boy, welcome home!