Java

If you’re like our family, your dog is a member of your family. Many of you who know Java’s story know that I adopted her from the Denver Dumb Friends League July of 2000 during a heatwave. Some say I was just running out of places to visit after work with air conditioning. But I say something was pulling at my heart. I knew I wanted a puppy because I wanted the longevity of a special relationship with my dog. All the other puppies had waiting lists of hopeful owners, except for Java. Was she sick? A runt? What was wrong with her? Come to find out, absolutely nothing was wrong with her. She was shy at first, but very affectionate, calmer than most dogs, but I loved that about her. It was God’s plan that she would be mine. I could go on and on about Java, how smart and good of a dog she was, but I won’t take the time to brag. What I will share is that I have lost a loved one, and it hurts like hell. She brought joy into my life. My mom says she brought us all “luck.” Maybe it was a coincidence, but life was better when she came into our lives. After all, Bryce and I started dating and I landed my first real job out of college. Things were just looking positive all around, including for my parents and brother. They were very much a big part of Java’s first years of life as I was living back at home again after school. Java was very spoiled with lots of walks, sometimes multiple times in one day. She became my running buddy after she grew into her paws. She was proud of her “tricks” and how fast she could chase a squirrel or rabbit. Like myself and our family, she was active and in love with the outdoors. Through the years, life brought many changes, new homes and separation from family members, babies, illnesses, and even deaths. But through it all, Java was my rock. The one that no matter what was going on, you could count on her to be there to greet you at the back door, to beg for that treat after dinner, to wag her tail when she knew the running shoes were being tied on. Or, just to lay by you when you just needed to watch some TV or when you were sick or sad. She was our family nanny, our “security system”, the rabbit repellent for the garden, but most of all, she was our very best friend. She was a big part of our lives. She’ll always have a big place in our hearts, and she’ll never be forgotten. (Java died of cancer and passed peacefully with her family surrounding and holding her).