Critter Tale

Losing Jackie



I lost my walking buddy. He went by several names, but most people know him as Jackie. He was killed on Thurs., Oct. 12, his birthday.

Jackie was an 8-year-old papillion. He loved Oak Park; he loved the terrain and wide open spaces. We used to walk regularly in the early morning for about five years. If we skipped a day he would let me know he wasn’t happy.

We would see all the regulars in the morning: the lady with the bearded collie, Andy and his dog, Happy, and the couple with Pepper the Airedale.

I referred to Jackie as the mayor of Oak Park because he made sure to greet all the people he met. Mornings were great because he could chase rabbits along the walk and then meet my parents to get his morning treat. We walked the same path each morning, and he knew it by heart. I would let him off the lead at a certain point in Indian Springs Park so he could chase the rabbits back into the brush. He would try to catch them, but they were too fast for him.

We would walk for about an hour and then return home. When we got home, he would expect his morning rub. Then we would spend the day resting, getting ready for the next day’s adventure.

That Thursday, the worst happened. We weren’t the first to be in the park that day, and it was just beginning to get light. We had walked through the park to where the basketball court is when I let him off the lead. He was running around chasing the rabbits, when out of the early morning gloom a coyote struck and grabbed him.

I was only a few feet away and ran after him attempting to save Jackie, but with no luck. The coyote had him and ran across the park and up into the hills. We searched for several hours, but he was gone.

Our family won’t be the same without Jackie, but we do have great memories of a wonderful little dog who loved life and was loved until the end and beyond.

– Brian Mattson

Oak Park


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