The Dog Named Jake

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I haven’t seen Jake once in my life.I haven’t seen his sparkly eyes or his wet nose. I haven’t heard his barks or growls. I haven’t seen him happily wagging his tail, when Neethu returns home.But I’ve watched him grow into a handsome doggy with a heart shaped of love, through the thousands of pictures that Neethu clicked of him, through the sweet tales that she narrated to me, through the joy that he brought into her life. Trust me, on a gloomy day, a glimpse of Jake could make me smile. If Jake the enchanter can do this to me, imagine the immeasurable delight Neethu had each day, with her baby boy. I believe that Jake has brought smiles and giggles on the faces of so many people like me, for the past five years. I’ve known Jake since the day he came into her life and yes, he was a teeny part of my life too.

When Neethu told me that Jake was missing, my heart skipped a beat. All of us frantically shared the information as much as we could, in the hope of finding him.That night, I woke up in the middle of my sleep, thinking about Jake, hoping that he would be safe and fine. It was then I realized how much he meant to me.

But the next day, I received a devastating text from Neethu saying that Jake was no more. He was hit by a car, and fell into a drainage. The driver and the spectators were least bothered to check up on the poor thing, as they were ‘too busy’ with their lives. Don’t we all know that ‘too busy’ is a myth? So, let me replace that mythical lie with a brutal truth called ’empathy deficit’, a condition which is pervasive but overlooked. To put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes, does not confine to, taking the perspective of someone else regardless of whether you’re experiencing the same emotions or not; it also includes acting upon the answers that empathy gives you. If one person made an attempt to understand Jake’s plight, many hearts wouldn’t have shattered.

For Neethu, Jake was ‘the best and most pure soul’ she had. She asked,’I wonder why humans are so heartless. How can someone see a dog been hit by a vehicle and let it die?’ If one person imagined what you would feel, if that four legged being, your synonym of love is hurt, he would have intervened in that emergency situation. For empathetic people not only just feel others’ pain as if it were their own, but also set their actions in motion to help them.Just imagine how every problem would be greatly reduced if people felt more empathy towards one another. Don’t you think it’s high time to shift from introspection to outrospection? And what is the ultimate art form for outrospection? Undoubtedly, it’s Empathy.

Neethu, I know that your loss is irreplaceable and no words can console your crushing disappointment. But think of this, can you come up with a better ending to the novel ‘marley&me’? I’m sure that you can’t. So, I hope with all my heart that you would find a Jake again, just like how John and Jenny found Marley’s twin after his death. And when you finally find him, you’ll realise that unconditional love, comes in many forms.

Melanie Ann🌼

Forever in our hearts!

Published by Melanie Ann George

Published

49 thoughts on “The Dog Named Jake”

  12. Dear Milu
    You have a heat of gold and the art of expressing it. I think you inherited it from your grandma Ponnu

    Best wishes

    Love you

    Alice

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  13. That’s heartbreakind and a sad but true statement on the lack of empathy. You are correct in the assertion that “busy” is a myth . . . people will make time for what’s important to them.

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  16. Sorry for the loss of Jake 💔. And yes I understand how it feels as I even lost a dog a year ago where I felt again I found his face in your Jake. One or the other someone has to leave and we ought to deal with that pain but they always stay close to us in our hearts that’s what makes us feel better cherishing those memories.

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