Pet's Name Jack (Jumpin Jack Flash)

Your pet's story:Between a life as a musician and then graduate student, I've loved dogs but never had time for one. I received my Ph.D. and my dream job offer and knew I would finally have time for a dog in my life. I also knew it would be at least a few months until I was cleared to move to Florida for the job, so started volunteering at the Humane Society in Illinois to be around a lot of dogs and see what "fit me" best. I fell in love with a 8 month orange and white Beagle/Terrrier mix named Jake, but when it came time to move he was sick. I couldn't take him with me. I got to Florida and started driving Daytona to Orlando every business day for the first week and a half for VA training. On the last day, a Thursday, it was raining so hard that I decided to take the 'back way' home. I knew SPCA Sanford was along that way, but had not been there. The rain got so bad I could hardly see so I went to find somewhere to pull over until it eased. I was within a mile of SPCA, so pulled into there, close to closing time. I walked the dog pens outside and although there were some great dogs, none that said "I'm the one." (I was also flat broke and still unpacking, wasn't ready yet to adopt a new friend, was "only looking"). In the very last pen there were 2 dogs, but only one name/breed plate. And it clearly wasn't this orange and white Beagle/Terrier. By then the rain had stopped entirely, and I figured it was time to head home. As I walked back towards my car, a man asked if I saw any I was interested in so I mentioned that I saw one that reminded me a lot of the dog I had wanted to adopt in Chicago - Jake - but there was no information. The man went inside for a few minutes and returned to tell me that "That's Jack. He's a 10 month old Beagle/Terrier mix. But he's been adopted, just waiting for the weekend for the family to return for him." I was disappointed, but again - I wasn't ready to adopt a dog yet anyway. So I got in my car and started to drive off. Got to the edge of the driveway and turned around. I went inside for the first time and told the person at the front desk "If they don't come back for Jack, could I give you my number - I would like to come back for him. It was just too big of a coincidence for me to ignore. She looks him up in the records and says "He hasn't been adopted, he just got here. Hasn't spent his first night yet." I know SPCA generally doesn't do this, and like to think it was a mix of wanting to keep him from spending a night in a shelter and my brand new VA Dr. badge hanging from my neck, but her next words were "If things checked out, would you be willing to take him home tonight?" I said "Yes!" When I met Jack in a small private room he was terrified. Previous owners had shaved him head to tail, and he hid under a far chair, shivering. But something said "I'm the one." I did take Jack home that night, almost 5 years ago. Now he is the happiest dog you are going to find. His fear of people was quickly cured, and every new person is just someone new to play with. And I've learned that I had to learn how to be a dog companion more than he had to learn how to be mine. I think about all that had to come together to bring us together - that rain, that first man who looked up the name (honestly, if not for the Jake/Jack thing, I may not have stopped when I did), the woman noticing that he had just been brought in and offering to process him if I could take him home, their willingness to stay past closing to get it done, me having JUST enough money to leave with him and the crate/food/leash/collar that they threw in for my last few dollars, that I would be getting my first paycheck the next day. I'm not one to say things are "meant to be", but this just seems one of those things. Jack isn't a HHS rescue, but he IS a HHS alumni - HHS Dog Obedience School Class of 2015 :-). And he is a champion jumper.

Is your pet an HHS Alumni?