COMMAERNTTARY JAKE UNDERSTOOD US By John Wilson John Wilson My wife Mary K and I have been blessed with several wonderful dogs over the years, but one, “Jake,” was different in many ways. To us, he was the smartest, most sensitive and adorable creature on four legs, well, three-and-a-half legs because of an accident years ago, when he was hit by a car. He lost the use of his left paw, which didn’t seem to move unless he was chasing something. Jake would tilt his little head to one side when we talked to him, and his ears perked straight up as if he was trying to understand us. He looked after my disabled mother in Virginia for a decade. Before she passed, she begged us to “take care of Jake,” and we did. This sweet Border Collie mix bonded with us quickly, as he had visited us many times with my mother. Jake took up with Mary K, just as he had done with my mother years before when he showed up at our home in Virginia as a stray puppy. He spent most of his time by Mary K’s side in the kitchen, or in the living room while we watched television. Every time she sneezed or coughed, Jake would come over to her and nudge her as if to say, “Here I am. What can I do?” We believe that he tried desperately to communicate with us and that he 144 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2017 listened to every word we said. We knew he understood the word “go,” as every time we said it, he would jump up and down with excitement, as he loved to ride in the car and cuddle up on the center console between us or with Mary K’s mother, Kathryn. Diabetes eventually took his vision and some of his spirit. When the time came, it was painful. We had done all we could to take care of him, treat him and comfort him. We held him until he closed his eyes for the last time. His Rainbow Bridge awaited him. That was a year ago, and he is now at rest. We buried his ashes in the mountains of Virginia where he played and took care of my mother. His endearing spirit lingers, and we feel his presence every time we go back to Virginia. But most of all, whenever I say “Let’s go,” I expect to see Jake following us out the door. We surely do miss him. 9 EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson ended 50-plus years of radio and television news broadcasting with his final goodbye on WTVT-Fox 13 on November 26, 2014, the day before Thanksgiving.
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