Jackpot

Turkey Tracks: August 3, 2022

Jackpot

I could not stop looking at his picture.

And when I telling him what a sweet boy he was, I knew I had found the magic again.

But, clearly, I’ve lost my ever-loving mind!  He’s a 3-4 month old PUPPY from Texas, near the Louisiana border:  Sweet Pups Sanctuary and Rescue rescued him.  I’m going to call him Jackpot. He’s the third dog whose picture I fell in love with online—I just knew somehow with both Penny and AC Slater.  And then I couldn’t stop going back to look at their sweet faces.  Ditto with this little guy.

A friend here told me after AC died that in time, “another nose will poke at you, and the magic will begin again.”

Jackpot is very like AC Slater—terrier and hound, a kind of feist dog.  Same coloring.  Same kind of soft gentle eyes.  Longer ears maybe. And may well have AC’s energy.

Jackpot’s mother is a terrier mix and has been tied to a tree for her whole life.  When she went into heat, various male dogs came, and she had this litter (her first?) under that tree.  I think there are three pups:  2 males and a female. Buster Brown is the other male, Lacy Top the girl.  I put pictures below. Jackpot is the biggest of the three. And my Sanctuary contact said that the owner has finally agreed to give up the mother, and she was coming into the shelter that same day.  She’s about 30 pounds, so Jackpot is going to be about the same size as AC Slater, who was 46 pounds, which works well for here in Maine and with my woodsy property that has critters.  AC’s mother was, I think I remember, 35 pounds.

I got AC about this same time in September 2018—and he was 6 months old.  I’m going to have a very busy winter with an active baby puppy.  For sure.  Especially in the Maine winter.  But AC LOVED the snow. I put a video of his first snow storm at the end of this post.

I went back and forth about getting another puppy rather than an older dog, but I’m also sure that putting the time and training into a puppy pays off for many years to come and that the bond between dog and person is even stronger.  And it seems I do want to spend the time loving on and nourishing a creature that will grow up to be another good friend.  I just needed some time—though I’ll never get over losing AC—and to have the picture magic happen. It came close a few times with older dogs, but not strong enough.

Sweet Pups drives the dogs to Maine themselves in the warm weather, and I’ll meet them at the West Gardner big rest stop on highway 95 just south of Augusta—only about 45 minutes from me—on Saturday, August 13th. They deliver all the way up to Bangor and come every 4 to 6 weeks, with 30-40, or more, rescued dogs that already have homes.  My contact said most of their rescues do come to Maine, but their efforts are not limited to Maine. Texas is a kill state.  

And this schedule is another piece of the stars being aligned for this rescue, since this Sweet Pups trip was already scheduled.

So now I’m pulling out of storage the the big (heavy) crate I put in the top of the garage, the dog beds I saved, the car protective covers, dog blankets, leashes, the Furminator and toenail clippers, what’s left of the  dog toys, water bowls, yadda, yadda. I’ve ordered new toys and two new dog beds, and I’m organizing the real food to which I’ll switch Jackpot gradually.

AC was a TERRIBLE chewer—like furniture and base boards when he wanted my attention or was left in a room.  At 4 years I still would not leave him free in the house alone, especially after the covid years when I did not go much beyond grocery stores and was with him all the time. I won’t make that mistake again.  So, I’m ready for Jackpot. He will be with me at all times or in the crate while I shower, etc., until he’s about a year old.  And maybe longer.  As I said, I’ll have a busy winter coming up.

I’ve now paid and signed the contract. So, all is in play.

Here’s a picture of Jackpot’s sister, Lace Up, next to Jackpot. You can see that she is very dainty.

And a picture of his brother, Buster Brown, who is not yet ready for adoption.

Sweet Pups has a FB page and a web site. They are in east Texas, near the Louisiana border. Penny came to me as a rescue from Katrina. She was born near Baton Rouge. AC came from Rock City Rescue in Arkansas in the fall of 2018.

Here’s the video of AC’s first snow, winter 2019

So, now I’m…waiting. And hoping. And…excited.