A Tribute
To
JESSE aka CWVRG Mascot

November 19, 1997 – March 10, 2005

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to my friend Jesse. I have mixed feelings because I miss him greatly, but I know he is in a much better place, free of the daily stress he felt due to his prior owner. Several days ago I noticed Jesse was limping. He didn’t seem to be bothered with whatever was causing this. I checked his foot and leg and found no injuries. He was still limping the next day and I checked again. This time I felt further up the leg and touched an area that made him jump in pain. I found swelling on his rib cage near his elbow. There was a lump and it was hard and attached to the rib cage. I immediately made an appointment with my vet. I could see times when Jesse would show signs of not feeling well, he was not his old self.

Looking back over the past year and a half, I think the tumor started growing then. Jesse was getting bigger, very square and large. I was cutting down on his food, but I think the tumor was affecting his body. I also believe that he being stressed just about every day of his life was the cause of this tumor. No matter what I did, he was very nervous and hardly ever really relaxed, always on guard, waiting for something to happen to him and he lived with us 6 years next month.

 My vet aspirated some fluid from the lump, and did not find any malignant cells. He suggested an x-ray. I stayed with Jesse until the anesthetic took affect. I had run errands, my vet called me and told me the prognosis didn’t look good. I hurried to his office and he showed me the x-rays. Jesse had a large tumor the size of a baseball growing from his ribs to his heart and pressing on his heart. I did not hesitate and we helped Jesse cross over the Rainbow Bridge to be in a happy place where he will be free of stress and can swim to his heart’s content. He loved his wading pool and loved to swim when given the chance.

Jesse was born and lived his life in a very small kennel run in Salt Lake City, UT. He lived there for 1 ½ yrs until Rebecca rescued him and his 2 brothers. I offered to help her with the 3 boys and said I would take one, the one that wasn’t the escape artist.  I met Rebecca in WY at the half way mark on April 19, 1999 to pick him up. We named him Jesse. →

 Jesse was terrified of being outside his environment (kennel run). It took him a good 30 days to start to relax where I could let him off leash in my secure back yard.. He became bonded to me quickly, since I spent so much time getting him adjusted to normal everyday happenings. He quickly appreciated being in a house, where he had never been before. He had obviously been abused and did not totally trust people; he trusted me as much as he possibly could. He would do just about anything I asked him to do, with the exception of being placed in another home.

I taught him to “sit” so it would be easier for me to give him shots, etc. I eventually taught him to “lay down” and to sit up and “beg”. This he did perfectly since he loved food. There was almost nothing he wouldn’t do for food. In fact when he would be in the kitchen with me when I was munching on a snack at the kitchen sink, I would catch him out of the corner of my eye sitting up and begging in perfect form. I didn’t even have to give him the command anymore. How could I not resist giving him a bite? Yes, I spoiled him. He was just about the sweetest Vizsla I have ever known. He had never seen cats before coming to live with me and he just ignored my cats. In fact one of my cats, Ashley, just loved rubbing on Jesse’s ears and I think he really enjoyed that also. He was totally non-aggressive and not a barker.

Jesse was a very special Vizsla and I will always see his sweet face with his big eyes begging for his treat. I don’t have a picture of him begging, he didn’t like the camera, the picture is in my head.

 Till we meet again sweet, sweet Jesse, I miss you so very much. Ashley misses your ears to rub too - Rita