Jake - my baby

Hi
I just wanted to tell everybody about my best friend I ever had and my baby - Jake. He was a cross rhodesian ridgeback crossed with a pitbull and a great dane which I only found out today about the great dane bit. My Jake was my shadow, my security and the light of my life. Everywhere I was my baby was too. Jake was 9 years old when I had to let him go to sleep forever last Saturday, 12th May 2007. Jake contracted Wells disease which he caught from drinking water at our local reservoir where the men of our town fish and the kids swim there in the summer. My eldest daughter took Jake for a walk a couple of weeks ago and said that he had had a great time and they stopped while Jake had a drink from the reservoir. A week later Jake went off his food and then started being sick. He got depressed and was not his usuall bouncy self who barked at vans and lorries and ripped the post from the front door when our postman called. We took him to the vets for endless injections of antibiotics etc but it was no good. The blood tests that they vets took came back and confirmed that Jake had picked up this cruel disease which attacks the liver and kidneys. This disease is spread through infected rat urine in waterways and is also lethal to humans. We now are undergoing blood tests to see if we also have the disease from our dog. My Jake was a very handsome dog. He was very big and strong and a proper ladies man and he knew he was handsome too. He would fight with any male dog that he came into contact with as this was in his nature and he had many fights when he managed to jump over our very high fence and then he would have us all chasing him down the street. We have many happy memories of our lovely Jake but it saddens me about the way that he died. I havent stopped crying since last Saturday and am finding life very hard at the moment. So please please be careful when you let your dogs drink from any waterways as your beloved best friend could contract Wells disease which is a very nasty fast killing disease. Here is a picture of Jake with my youngest girl Chelsea in our front garden and it was taken last Summer.[IMG]http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g6...000_1487-1.jpg[/IMG]

Awwww....Jake was a great looking dog. I am so sorry that you lost him. He will be playing hard at the Rainbow Bridge. RIP Jake.

Thanks for your kind words.

Jake was a very handsome boy. What a horrible thing to happen to him. It really raises our awareness to read things like this. Something you would not really think about that caused such a tragedy.

My heart breaks for you. How you must miss him. He looks like he was in love with life. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}

Rest in Peace Wonderful Jake :( Play hard at the bridge sweetheart :(

Awww, what a handsome lug of a boy. I bet you just loved to kiss him on the top of that ol' block of a head, huh? I would!

Rest in peace, Jake, play hard at the Rainbow Bridge.

Jake was a beautiful dog. I know how much it hurts to lose that one special heart dog. Last weekend was my six month anniversary for that and it's very hard. I know there are no words that will comfort you but we can be here for you. That photo of Jake and your daughter is very sweet. I'm sure it's something you treasure. My Duke will make sure that Jake has a great time at the RB. They don't feel time like we do here so the waiting to be together again won't be near as painful for them. You will meet again but until then, cherish all the good times you had together. They'll become more special with each passing day.

I am so sorry to hear about, Jake. He was a very handsome boy, and you gave him a full life.

((hugs)) I am so sorry for your loss.

I did see your post about Jake in the other thread, and I am very glad that you came over here and posted a memorial thread for him. I am sure it was difficult to do, but I hope that it helped somewhat to share Jake once again with other people. I am glad I got to "meet" him; he was a very handsome boy. You were a wonderful owner and friend to him, even when the time came to let him go. Jake is smiling down on you from the bridge right now. Thanks for sharing him with us. {{{Hugs}}}

RIP Jake. What a beautiful boy. It is so very hard to lose someone you love. I lost my baby on March 5th. My 16 year old cat died due to the pet food recall. I will be thinking of you and praying your family is alright.

Thanks again everybody for your very kind words about Jake and for myself. I loved Jake with all my heart and miss him dreadfully every day. It was hard having to put the post in the proper place though and I do apologize for putting it in the wrong place first time round. I cant wait to pick him up in his casket this week and to bring him home again. I complained to the
waterways in the UK and they said that there is nothing that they can do so I have now gone to the papers to tell them our story and just hope that it will make other people aware of Wells disease as we had never heard of it before. My blood test results havent come back yet so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am ok as this disease can destroy humans as well as dogs. Please please dont let your dogs drink from ponds or reservoirs.
I know my baby will be over the rainbow bridge now and that he will be there for me when my time comes. He was my handsome boy.

I'm glad you posted this here!
I for one never heard of this and don't know if it's in the US as well... but It's better to be safe than sorry.

I'm so sorry for the pain you've felt after lossing your Jake, please know that you're not alone. We all grieve together, for our own pets and the pets of other's here on the board. We're a close knit group of people that love their animals like no one else does.
Kind of like a secret underground community. ;)

We're all here for one another, please check back in when you can. Fell free to tell your favorite stories of Jake or tell us about the silly things he did. We'll listen!

I hope for the best for your blood work results and I pray you are healthy.

Oh, I am so terrible sorry to hear about your beloved Jake. Boy, was he handsome! RIP, Jake... :(

I am so sorry about the loss of your Jake - he was gorgeous. My boys will only be drinking water that I take with me on our walks from now on - thank you for posting this

My heart goes out to you. We had to put our girl to sleep saturday may 19,2007. I know what you mean about the tears. I cry every day. I know she is in Heaven and you can rest a sure yours is their also. God will take care of them as he is takeing care of all of the animals. I know in time God will heal my broken heart and he will heal your broken heart. I will pray that all of your family blood test will come back being fine........God bless you all...kathy

Thanks again everybody for your very kind words. I am glad I have found this forum. I have never seen one like this before that is for pets. I know that not everybody is as animal friendly as we are and understand in a fashion but everybody here is genuinely concerned for other people and their pet friends. I miss my Jake more with each passing day to be honest as I am sure everybody misses their pet baby too and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, what is left of it at the moment that is, thank you for helping me through a very difficult time.
My blood results havent come back yet but will let everybody know when they do. Dont forget to please NOT let your animals drink from any water other than what you provide for them and if me putting down on this forum what happened to my baby saves more dogs from dying of Wells disease then it will have been worth the upset that writing about Jake has caused me.