A tribute to Jessie Bear 28 April 1995-18 May 2009

 Fourteen years old.

Hard to believe it was nearly 14 years ago that Greg & I took Sambo from Auckland up to Whangarei to collect a little fat bundle of fluff down from Kaeo who we named Jessie Bear. (She got the Bear bit added later after she continually would jump on the spot on her 2 back legs like a little bear.) Little did we know how much this little dog was about to change our life...

Sambo had just turned 1 & I had been looking for a playmate for some time for him. To me Sam was just the best looking dog out & I wanted his mate to have similar markings so I was quite selective in choosing the right friend for him..( not having the internet to help back then). Finally I got a call & Jessie sounded the right one.

We moved into our Kingsland property 3 months after we got Jessie & it is from then on that she slept on my bed!! In the summer when she got too hot she would sleep underneath & every winter I would get squashed between her & Greg.

Jessie was a water baby supreme. She was the sort of dog that would find water in the dessert. She loved chasing the hose. We would take her & Sambo to the beach at Point Chev regularly and Sam would chase the gulls & Jessie would chase him and dive into the water. Many times down at Ohope in the harbour or at the lakes Jessie would swim & I would hold on to her and she would pull me along.. cool times.

When we went away on holiday Jessie would stay with my parents. My father adored her and it was a great sight to see Jessie sitting looking out the passenger window as they drove along. Their love was somewhat stretched the day they went to friends for lunch and told to bring Jessie with them, they had a few acres & she could run around.. well she sure did & went straight into the smelly sheep trough!!!

She had a very stubborn determined streak our Jessie. If she didnt get her own way she would be very vocal about it. She was with me every where I went and would sit waiting at the last spot she saw me if I went out without her. She could not understand why we should ever lock her outside if we were in.  My parents place has sliding doors & that was perfect for her!! They had to actually lock them to stop her opening them. Greg and I spent many of our walks in Auckland playing hiding games with her, where one of us would hide.. Never once did she not find us.. no matter how well we hid

One evening we had taken them to the beach quite late so she was too wet to sleep on the bed.. Well she wasn't having a bar of that so she just jumped up & climbed in through the window!!! She knew it wasn't perhaps the wisest of  moves so she crept in & slept under the bed.. I  heard a low snoring during the night & was surprised I could hear her through the outside wall!!! A huge pile of sand under the bed in the morning gave her away!!

The other VERY memorable trick was when we had gone up the road for no more than an hour. When we arrived back home there was Jessie Bear 6 months old lying in the middle of the floor with the cat door around her middle & glass everywhere.. I got such a fright but once I found her to be alright, my next panic was going to be the reaction she would get when Greg walked in!! From that day on we had a wooden dog door!!!

The dogs loved our move to Invercargill. The beautiful Oreti beach was just perfect for Jessie. We attempted to mate Jessie & Sambo but were unsuccessful so found another boy for Jessie & in November 2000 at the age of 5 Jessie had a  beautiful litter of black & red pups. She really was not impressed with their arrival and her bond with me got stronger again and she insisted I be a full time nanny. If she had to feed the kids then I had to be with her too (to hold her down!!) From being the dog that would sleep only inches away from Jessie bear would be no where to be found. Her babies would start crying in the night & I would go out and find Jessie at the furtherest part of our property!!! the mother from Hell we called her!!

Once I took over the feeding completely she was quite happy to come back in and play with them. Jessie has always loved to play and even up to 6 months ago she would do the jump stance to Tyler. She was a puppy at heart for most of her life. We kept two of her pups Tyler and Jasper who will turn 9 this November.

In March 2001 we moved back up North, now with 4 dogs and minus my beautiful cat Ben who died at 18 years of age. Jessie stayed with my parents  in Rotorua when we had her fixed and recovered from her operation while we lived at Papamoa & looked around for a place to buy.

We moved onto our block of land at the end of that year and it was sold to us though Jessie Bears eyes. When we saw the beautiful creek that runs through it we both said Ohh Jessie will love this and she most certainly has.

It has been a fantastic place to bring up dogs and not without a few disasters to go with it. Jessie got a bone stuck in her stomach and had half her stomach removed. (Our fault for giving her a cooked bone) And then the donkey we got kicked her in the stomach & ruptured her liver.. he had hidden in the bush and ran down after her.. Jessie just never gave him a thought and.. wham..we got rid of him after that. She has been a great little ratter and possum finder.

The summer of 2007 Jessie started to slow down and she found the heat quite a strain and I would have to leave her behind on our longer walks. The winter time she perked up and then this last summer she slowed down again. She was unable to get up on the bed so we had a chair there for her and when she became unable to manage that.. she would cry every night to get me to lift her up. Her old age was setting in but she still had a huge spark & the same twinkle in her eye. When we moved into our house last August I decided it was time she slept on her own bed as my sleep was just getting too disturbed with her. She actually accepted that really well & slept in the camp bed next to me. Then the last few months she found it too difficult to get up our stairs so every night she would cry and we  would have to carry her up. She could down Ok so would go out to the toilet and then insist on us getting her back!! Some nights more than once!!

We had her on medication to ease her old joints but she got very frail and quite wobbly. She then went off her food and the spark went out of her eyes. My very dear old friend didn't ask to come back up the stairs and wanted to sleep.

She is going to leave a huge hole in our lives. Her head would go from side to side when you talked to her. We won't miss her barking but she was a dog that totally ruled our life. A truly faithful friend. She is what all trainers would call a nightmare!! She would sleep on our furniture and my bed, she would ALWAYS be sitting in the doorway so we would have to step over her. She was desperate not to miss out on anything & she never has.. 

I have selected some of my favourite photos of her ( not counting the pre-digital days). It was hard enough to narrow these down. Some of her when Sam was still alive 5 years ago and today swimming with her Grand-daughter Trinity who taken over her love of the water. From the 7 children Jessie had  we have produced 53 Tylerwild grand-children to date.

Jessie Bear my Bubsy will always be in my doorway. She was always such a happy dog. I hope if you have one of her progeny you get as much pleasure out of them as she has given me.

We will love and remember you forever Jessie Bear xxx

A tribute to Jasper : 6 December 2003-February 2006

Jasper is from Tyler & Brucies first litter.

He went to live to Wellington at 8wks old. We met his new owners after a disastrous experience trying to fly him (which is why I never fly any pups). His family loved him but unfortunately their circumstances changed & poor little Jasper was left home alone all day & tied up. The worst thing possible for a border collie puppy. He was re-homed but that didn't work either. He had been too neglected & was now causing trouble. I lost touch with him for a few months & then one day I received an email from my brother in Wellington & he had met some lovely people who had taken Jasper in.

He was quite a handful & crying out for attention. Christine took him to a dog trainer Jo Goddard & this wonderful family put the love & attention back into him & it breaks my heart to have to publish this email from them.

For all of you that have experienced the love of a wonderful friend like this, you will find this letter nothing less than tragic.

Our deepest sympathy to Christine & family & one day when the time is right, I look forward to delivering another little Jasper junior to join your family.

Jasper will be remembered & dear to all our hearts.

Letter from Christine:

A Tribute to Sambo: 20 May 1994 - 15 March 2005

My first dog. A loyal friend to the end. Sambo is one in a million & I couldn't have asked for a neater dog.

The day he took hold of my leather jacket in the pet shop & said I wasn't to leave without him was one of the best days of my life.

He has given us much pleasure & many happy memories I would like to share.

Sambo's first lessons were to give me a kiss, give me a cuddle & give me 5. Every morning as a pup he would leap on my bed for a morning cuddle & he has continued to do so all his life. Even this week he was first up & plonked on top of me.

From starting out as an only child he excepted Jessie into his life at 1 & has been so accepting of all the changes that he has encountered , a variety of animals, pesky puppies & the moves we have had. As long as he is with us Sam is happy.

He had never been around children & has been wonderful with Gregs two granddaughters. They always say "Give me five Sambo" & he will.. along with a kiss they generally didn't ask for!!

We went camping with him up the Coromandel when he was 9mths old. He spent hours running up & down the beach chasing the waves & the next day he wouldn't walk. He had worn the soles of his feet raw. We had to carry him out to go to the toilet. A real boy!!

When we lived in Kingsland Auckland Sambo helped Greg chase a burglar one night. He just seemed to know this guy was not doing right & he bit at his heels all the way down the street. For a long time "Where's the burglar" would always get a pretty hot reaction from Sam. He chased 2 kids trying to break into our garage in Invercargill too.

We would spend many holidays at my sisters in Ohope & Sam would run up & down the hills being the king pin & keeping any seagulls at bay. He would have Jessie & his girlfriend Doris & any of the other local dogs follow him. He loved it there & we would often send him on holiday there whilst Jessie was on heat. Sambo loved the Bossies & Doris & it was his 2nd home. For him the word 'Bossies' & 'Doris' was just as exciting as 'walk'.

When we moved to Invercargill he just loved the big open Oreti beach & we would have many happy walks there. He was 6 when Jessie had her pups & the family increased & after that Sambo took on a more serious role in life & was more sensible. He left the gallooting to the younger Tyler & Jasper. He was the leader of the pack. The last year has been hard as he & Jasper have not seen eye to eye & looking back it may have been because Jasper sensed Sambo being unwell & wanted to challenge him. Sambo never stood down & we would never let him. He will remain King Farouk for all time.

He makes out he is such a tough character & yet many a guest here has had the big smooch land on top of them for a cuddle. He has had a very happy life. He has been loved to death & been such a big part of our life..We often find him with our sheets or a blanket in his mouth & like a cat kneeding. He used to hate us catching him doing that as it really showed his soft side!!

On discovering lumps on his throat we took him to the vet & they told us on the spot he had a lymph cancer in an advanced stage & 2mths to live. He seemed so healthy & happy it came as a huge blow. The last few weeks he has been spoilt rotten.. well more so than normal. I have enjoyed my walks with him as he has slowed & I actually have a dog beside me instead of some flash running past. On Saturday on our walk he stopped & rested & for me that was a sad moment. I rested with him & cuddled him till he found he could get up again.

We made it home but for me I could see I was losing my beloved Sambo. The next day I found huge lumps around his groin & his appetite started to fail. On Monday when he didn't want to come for a walk with me I knew he was a sad puppy.

We are lucky we don't have to let our animals suffer & the saddest time came when we had to make that decision. We did it for Sambo. He went to sleep with his head on my knee in his favourite spot.

Sambo will be in our hearts forever. He has touched the hearts of many of our friends & family. Greg & I will miss him dreadfully as will the other dogs.. He has been that really special dog & a tribute to his breed.

Rest in peace Sambo. We will always remember & love you forever....