Jessie was born on one of my saddest days, helped chosen by my friend Cherise, and came home to me and Dexter at 12 weeks old with a serious case of attitude that would continue throughout much of her life.
During one of her naughty moments, and there were many, I screamed out JESSICA! to which my sister, who lived with me at the time, added ANN! And so it was, that she came to be known as Jessica-Ann (Joo-Joo-Bell) Reiter Pfeiffer.
Boxers tend to get lots of lumps and bumps and are prone to Cancer and so each time something popped up on either her or Dexter, we would run off to the vet to check it out. Most of the time they were benign but at around 5 years old I got a call to say that she had a Grade 2 Mast Cell Tumour on her chest. I was devastated and immediately Googled this only to be told by a series of online experts that my baby would probably not last another 7 months. Jessie had two surgeries to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue but they could not get clean margins i.e. there were still cancerous cells in the tissue. I did some research and found a Vet that specialised in animal Oncology and after an interview and assessment we were invited to join the secret programme. Once a week for about 15 weeks we would park in the lot outside the Park Lane Clinic in Johannesburg, hiding in the car and watching the side blue door of the hospital for movement. As soon as we saw the light go on and the door open, people with dogs and cats would run from their dark cars across the lot, through the doorway and down a flight of stairs to the Radiation Oncology Unit where Dr. Crewe would be waiting, needles in hand, to immediately sedate all pets upon arrival. You see, while the hospital administration were well aware of what was going on in the basement, the patients were not. And all measures had to be taken to avoid anyone finding out and complaining because we would then be kicked out. Once sedated, each patient would go through their individual radiation routine and then be woken up. As soon as they were able to stand on their own we would be whisked up the stairs and out the door with a "I'll let you know when the next session is" farewell. A few people would stay behind to scrub the walls, the radiation machines and clean the floors so that in the morning no human patient would be any the wiser as to the nocturnal goings on. Jessie ended up with a hairless patch on her chest from the radiation, and for the next 6 years I would send an annual follow-up to Dr. Crewe letting her know that the 7-month prognosis had far been exceeded.
Jessie always had her tongue out, during the hot and humid Toronto summers she would walk around with the tongue getting longer and longer until it almost dragged on the sidewalk, resulting in people literally stopping to ask if something was wrong with her!
Jessie believed that anything the other dogs had actually belonged to her. She would walk around the house gathering up balls and toys and guarding them; not necessarily even wanting to play. Keith was always convinced that these tortured her because she would lie on the floor, with two balls, or two bones in her mouth, whining incessantly.
She loved Troy. When she first met him as a pup she looked at him, walked over and pushed him to the ground. She was a no-nonsense, dominant kinda gal.
But she liked to lie on her back.
A few weeks ago Jessie suddenly wasn't herself. Up until then she had been in great shape. Tests revealed that she had a Cancer that required the removal of her spleen and half her liver. She seemed to recover unbelievable well and despite us deciding not to put her through any treatment, was given around 3 - 4 months during which time we promised her any treats she wanted and days filled with love. I think she knew what was coming and rather than force us to make the decision on when to let her go decided to do it on her terms, Jessica-Ann style. She died in her sleep 5 days later, at home, with all of us sitting by her side. Sarah Silverman recently lost her dog Duck and wrote a beautiful tribute to him. In it she said "I picked him up and his body was limp - you don't think about the head - it just falls". When Dexter died, it was a surprising, unfamiliar feeling. When I picked up Jessie to take her to the vet, it felt almost comforting. We let Troy and Tyson say a gentle goodbye.
I wish that I could upload every photo and video of her because each one is touching and beautiful. Sitting here looking through them makes me laugh and smile, and though we miss her terribly we are blessed for a life almost 11 years long. Below is a short video montage; her best bits. She was a fierce girl, our Chatty-Cathy, she loved having her ears rubbed and snuggling with Keith in bed, she bounced when she ran and she always attacked the vacuum cleaner. She hated wearing boots, but she hated the salt even more. When Tyson joined us she immediately took on the maternal role. She was the last of her line and we will never forget her.
"When a friend passes on, they take a little piece of you along with them for their journey...."
Gustave Flaubert
