For the Love and Life of Jambi
On Love and Loss of a Dear Friend
For years, my wife and I stayed in Portland long past our fondness for the city had waned because of our amazing clients. Jambi was one of our first regular clients and stayed with us more than any other client at the time, especially before his guardians got married and had kids.
Jambi's parents are an international couple who traveled to other countries, so we got to have him with us sometimes for weeks at a time. When Jambi's parents got married and honeymooned abroad, we had the privilege of having him stay with us for a whole month. Because we spent a good deal of time with Jambi, we bonded deeply with him, and his parents became not only treasured clients but our friends.
Jambi was a street dog before he was adopted. His dog mom Sasha saw him on the website Dogs in Danger, a platform featuring dogs in animal shelters who are about to be destroyed. Sasha saw he had only one day left to live and rushed down to the shelter right after work. The shelter was moments away from closing when she arrived. A worker told her she had to take Jambi right then and there, sight unseen. If she hadn’t, Jambi would have been euthanized that night.
This tells you how open to love Sasha's heart was and is. As someone else drove, she told Jambi, holding him on their way home, that he was about to live his best life. And he did!
I asked Sasha what she misses most about Jambi. Like many dog owners, she misses his constant companionship and presence. “I really miss him greeting me at the door with a wagging tail and excited to see me, every time! Even if I just went outside to water plants.”
Jambi, without a doubt, endeared himself to our family because of his sweetness combined with clear boundaries around other dogs. He got along with all the other dogs in our care but he had a reserved nature with them that kept the other dogs from getting too excited around him. Ultimately Jambi was a dog that enjoyed people the most but became close with our dog Angel. Jambi was definitely Angel’s brother from another mother.
Every dog has their behavioral challenges. With Jambi, our behavior modification work was focused on walks. As he got older, sometimes the tough street dog in him would emerge. We worked on being calm when passing by other dogs. His guardians aided this effort by making the “shhhhush” sound while gently shortening his leash at the same time, before he could react. “And it always worked,” Sasha noted.
Jambi taught us a great deal about life, especially how to act during a dog emergency. He had a number of seizures in our care and the first time he had one, it scared us. We had prepared for the possibility of a seizure event after his owners told us about his condition. We read a great deal of veterinary advice and articles and discussed how we would respond. Still, that first seizure was a serious lesson on how to calm him while staying calm ourselves.
Once, we were in the car grabbing takeout when Jambi had a double seizure. My wife pulled over and I got in the back seat with him and Angel. I held Jambi, breathing slowly to soothe him. He shook uncontrollably and drooled a lot but he fought his way out of it like champ. I sang to him very softly and gently, watching him closely until the seizures passed. It’s situations like these that make it important to have a professional dog care provider, as they are prepared when these things inevitably come up.
I asked Sasha what she liked about having Jambi stay with us. She said:
“Jambi was always so excited to see you guys, so that was his best way of telling me he enjoyed his stays and your company. I love that you treated him like one of your own, allowing him on your furniture with you guys, warm cuddles, and nice long walks! Jambi always came back in great shape. So I loved that he got lots of exercise with you guys too! We were never worried about him when he was with you guys, and we loved the photo updates while away!”
While we love our work with dogs, downtime away from clients is important. But Jambi was a family member to us. So much so, he was one of the few dogs in our care that we actually took with us on vacation to the Oregon coast.
Our dog Angel had the pleasure and privilege to stay with Jambi's family on a few occasions. Not only could we trust Sasha and Marc to care for our dog but we knew she was happy to be with her best friend Jambi.
Jambi was a nature boy so we also took him on adventures walking in the woods and parks all over Portland. He especially loved leading us through the mini-rain forest inside Gabriel Park.
Losing your beloved pet companion can be one of the hardest experiences in life. I asked Sasha how she has coped with his loss.
“Losing Jambi was probably the biggest heartbreak I have ever had, I was absolutely broken over it. My best friend had lost her first dog a couple years prior, so speaking to her daily about it, really helped. She kept reminding me it’s okay to feel this way, and it will get a bit easier with time.”
Sasha donated his belongings to a pet shelter save for one blanket she holds tight from time to time. Sasha also had a gold bracelet made with a blue stone and the letter J on it, so his memory is with her always.
Jambi's family planted a palm tree with his ashes buried with it in their backyard. What a beautiful and perfect way to honor a dog who loved nature, family, and living his best life.
If you are someone who has recently lost a dog or other beloved pet in your life, know you will get through it. Every life, canine or otherwise, teaches us to value love above all else. Dogs teach us perseverance, forgiveness, and being truly in the moment without artifice or prejudice. Here's some advice on pet loss grief from Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, co-author of the book The Pet Loss Companion:
“One day you’ll remember your friend and feel a bit sad while also recalling things about them that make you smile, maybe the fun they had playing outdoors, the endearing way that they snored or purred, or how they loved to be scratched behind the ears. Your grief won't have disappeared. Instead, it will have softened.
As the pain of grief changes, you will change as well. You will gain hard-won lessons about love, compassion, patience, and caring for yourself. You will emerge from your grief in a different place from where you started.
Don’t cast this learning aside as the unrelenting demands of the world draw your attention. Hold fast to the lessons you’ve learned about how to live.”
Jambi taught all who met him how to live and love. He was our friend, client, and teacher. We miss him dearly and will never ever forget him.
❤
Absolutely love this beautiful memoir! It is such a comfort to know that our Gracie is in such loving hands. Jambi knew love for sure.