SAINT JACK AND THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

The human stretched in his bed and scratched his head. Saint Jack wagged his tail and sat up. He knew what that meant: it was almost breakfast time. That made him so happy that he jumped up and joined his person on his bed. He wasn’t supposed to do this, as he was a big dog called a Saint Bernard. But the human didn’t really mind. Saint Jack knew that because his person scratched his ears and just laughed when he accidentally slobbered on him. The good boy hopped down to give them man room to get up. Saint Jack then rushed to the kitchen, then to the bathroom, and back to the kitchen. Bill, that was what other humans called his person, always took so long. First, he went into the big, white thing where water fell on him(Saint Jack had never understood this), then he put the little stick in his mouth and moved it all around, pulled the plastic thing through his hair, and finally covered his body with the human fur that they called clothes. Only then would Saint Jack and Bill get their breakfast.

                   The rest of the day was the usual kind of wonderful. Bill and Jack (sometimes, people shortened his name) went for a long walk in Terra Cotta Park. It was very hot out, and Jack liked that the trees kept the sun away. Then it was home for lunch – Bill had a sandwich, and Jack had a cookie. In the afternoon, Bill’s canine buddy waited in the car as he ran errands. An older couple waved at Jack as they passed by, and two teenagers tapped on the window, made faces, and said silly things. Jack answered with a good strong woof.

                   Back at home, Bill sat on one end of the couch and Jack hopped up on the other. Bill turned on the tv and closed his eyes while Jack rolled himself into a big doughnut and rested his bum against his human. They both dozed off, comfortable in each other’s warmth.

                                The sun had gone away, and the living room was cooler when Jack woke up. Hungry, he nuzzled his human with his snout, but the sun had also gone from Bill. He was cold and didn’t move, even when Jack put his paw on his face. Jack whined, a sound that usually made the man come running, but he never moved. Jack cuddled up tight, covering the man with his body. If he made him warm, maybe he would wake up and get Jack’s supper. But no matter how close he nestled, Bill didn’t move.

                   Jack was uneasy in a way he had never been before. Sometimes he worried when the man went out for too long, but he always came back. But now, Bill was here, but not here. Jack wondered if he had gone to that place where all creatures go at the end. This was the only home he had ever known, and Bill the only human he had ever had. He wondered if he was supposed to follow the man, but he didn’t know how.

                   Jack stayed beside Bill all night, but by morning, he was very hungry, and he had to go outside to do what he was never supposed to do in the house. He had just finished his twenty-fifth pace between the living room and the kitchen, when the man’s machine began to make that sound. When that happened, Bill would put it against his ear and talk. Jack didn’t think he could do that, but he’d try. He knocked it off the table, put his paw on it, and barked. Eventually, the sound stopped. This happened two more times, leaving Jack frustrated and frightened.

                   He continued pacing to pass the time until finally, he couldn’t hold it anymore. He lifted his leg in the kitchen and did it. For just a second, he thought he would be in big trouble but then remembered about Bill.

                   Jack was very sad. He knew that he and the human had gone for their last walk and their last car ride. The big dog mewled, wondering what was going to happen to him. He lay down next to Bill, but the man was so cold, it made the Saint Bernard shiver. He thought about going to the window to bark, but he wasn’t supposed to do that.

                   It was getting dark again when he saw lights outside the house. That meant someone was here! Now, he should bark! He had to let them know he was alone. With his two paws on the windowsill, he howled for all he was worth. He knew the man getting out of the car. He was a friend of Bill’s. And Jack’s. Jack made sure the man saw him and then ran to the front door. The man rang the bell, but Jack couldn’t open the door by himself. He ran in circles, frantic in case the man left. The bell stopped ringing and Jack panicked. The man couldn’t leave! Jack ran to the living room window, but he couldn’t see the friend. At least he wasn’t driving away. Then, Jack heard a noise at the kitchen door. The friend was coming in that way. Jack ran and almost knocked him over. He tried to tell him about Bill, but humans almost never understood anything he said.

                   The friend patted Jack and tried to calm him down. “There now, big guy. Easy now, easy.”

                   Jack felt so much better with the friend patting him. He gave him a big slobber to thank him. The friend saw the huge puddle on the floor, and Jack was afraid he would be scolded. But the friend just looked worried. “Where’s Bill, fella? Where’s your dad?”

                   Jack turned to lead him to the living room. The friend stopped beside the couch when he saw Bill and said, “Oh, no.” Then the friend’s eyes had water coming out of them, and Jack knew for sure that his human had gone to that place. The friend touched Bill, just to make sure, then he bent down and wrapped his arms around Jack’s head.

                   “Bill’s been gone a while, hasn’t he, fella?”

                   Jack whimpered his answer.

                   “You must be starving. Come on, let’s get you fed. There’s no rush to make any phone calls. Nothing’s going to help Bill now.”

                   Jack understood “fed” and rushed to his food bowl. The man filled it and then mopped the floor. As Jack inhaled his supper, he wondered if the friend would move in here with him and be his new human. As if in answer to his thoughts, the friend said, “Gosh, I wish I could keep you, Jack. But there’s no pets allowed in my apartment, and I don’t think I could smuggle a big guy like you in.”

                   Jack didn’t understand all the words, but he got a bad feeling. The friend put Jack’s leash on him and took him for a walk. A while later, cars with flashing lights came and strangers all dressed the same came in the house. They covered Bill with a blanket and took him away. Jack stood at attention, knowing he would never see Bill again.

                   The friend spoke to one of the strangers. “Look, I can’t keep the dog.” He looked down at Jack with water coming out of his eyes. “Would it be okay if I stayed here tonight and took him to a rescue in the morning?”

                   The stranger said something about nothing being suspicious, so he didn’t see a problem.

                   The next day, when Jack first woke up, he forgot that his human had gone to the other place. He whimpered and put his head on his paws when he remembered. The friend got up and came to pat Jack on the head. “It’s a rough one, that’s for sure, fella.” The friend wiped his eyes, and said, “And it’s going to get even rougher for a little while.” He blew his nose and added, “But then, everything’s going to be okay. I promise. Come on, let’s get you fed.”

                   After breakfast and a short walk — shorter than the walks Jack and Bill took — the friend put Jack in the car. Jack hurried to his spot, wondering where they were going. Maybe the Canadian Tire that let dogs in or the little store where Jack would wait patiently outside. But after a few minutes, Jack realized that they must be going to a new place, because he didn’t know this road at all. He slobbered a little and wiggled his paws, wondering what it would be like. Would he be able to run or would he meet more nice humans? He leaned forward and gave the friend a big lick on the back of his head.

                   Finally, the car stopped, and the friend opened Saint Jack’s door and took his leash. Jack jumped out and looked around. There was a little house and a bigger one. The friend patted Jack on the head and led him to the big one. “Come on, Jack. No sense making this any harder than it is. If I didn’t live in one of those no-pet apartments, I wouldn’t be doing this. I hope you know that, Fella.”

                   Jack saw that the friend was sad and wondered why he was coming to a place that he didn’t like. A lady came out and went right to Jack and scratched him behind his ears in just the right place. Jack got excited and drooled on her and she didn’t even mind. Then she told the friend and Jack to come in and he wondered if she had any of those cookies that he was allowed to eat. Well, she did! Jack had a couple while the humans talked, and he wondered why the man was still sad. Finally, they stood up and the friend wiped his eyes and gave Jack a pat on the head. “So long, Jack. You’re going to be okay.”

                   Jack tried to follow him, but the lady held him back. “You’re going to stay with us for a while, Saint Jack. Then we’re going to find you the best home ever.”

                   Jack lunged to try to catch up to the man, but the lady was strong and held him back. Jack was terrified; he didn’t know what was happening to him. He shook his head from side to side and tried to back out of his leash. But the lady held on tight, always talking to him. “It’s okay, Jack. Relax.” She put her arm around his head and gave him a hug. He was still scared, but not of the lady. As he calmed down, Jack heard barking. There must be others like him here. “That’s a good boy,” she said in a kind voice. “Come on, you’re too big for a cage. You can stay in this room.”

                   There was a big window, a comfy bed big enough for him, a few toys, and a bowl of water. The lady sat at a table and put her fingers on a machine, like Bill used to do. Jack was still very scared, but maybe not as much as before. He lay down on the bed and wished as hard as he could for Bill to come back from the other place.

                   Jack played outside with the big dogs but then came back to his room by himself. There were people coming in and out all the time. Kim and Heather seemed to be here almost all the time. Sometimes, one of the people would take him for a walk, and there was always someone here at mealtime. One day, a man and a lady came to see him. They took him outside for a walk but came back right away. The man said something about “too much dog.” Humans often left Saint Jack bewildered.

                   The Saint Bernard spent quite a bit of time looking out the window. The outside was changing, like it often did. The fur on the trees was changing colours and falling off. Bill had always let him play in that fur. But Bill wasn’t coming back.

                   Heather came to see him often. She took him for walks and told him he was a good boy and let him put his head on her leg when she sat down. She also didn’t mind when he drooled on her.

                   Soon, the white stuff fell from the sky and covered everything. This had been Jack’s favourite time, but he got sad when he remembered playing outside with Bill. One day, Heather put his leash on, but instead of going for a walk, she brought to a square place they called a pen. She unhooked his leash and threw balls for him to catch. He caught them all and rolled on his back and caught the white stuff on his tongue. Jack thought he was a pup again. He had the zoomies around the pen until he was dizzy. He got so excited that he jumped on Heather and knocked her down. He bounced off her, but she wasn’t even mad. She was so happy to see Jack happy that she had no time for mad. They romped and wrestled for a long time but then Heather had to go back to work. Jack lay down on his comfy bed and dreamed about playing with Heather.

                   That evening, when it was time for Heather to go home, she came to say goodbye, like she did every day. But this time, she turned back, looked at Saint Jack, and murmured to herself, “I wonder.”

                   One day, a man came to visit Heather, and she brought him to see Jack. The man scratched Jack’s ears and said, “God, he’s big.”

                   Heather said, “Yes, Saint Bernard. Come’s with the territory.”

                   The man sat on a chair and looked at Jack in the eyes. “He’s not a bad dog, but we already have four. Do we really need a fifth?”

                   “Technically, we don’t need the four. Except we do.”

                   “And you think we need this guy?”

                   “Yes, we need him so much,” Heather said almost jumping up and down.

                   “Okay, whoa. You’re beginning to remind me of Will Ferrell in Elf.”

                   “You love Will Ferrell.”

                   “Don’t want to marry him. Tell you what. I’m going to think about it. Okay?”

                   “Yes, yes, yes,” Heather said, jumping up and down again.

                   Once the man was gone, Heather showed Jack her thumb and said, “I think we’re almost there.”

                   Jack lay back down. He had no idea what had just happened.

                   More of the cold, white stuff fell and people often took him out to play. Heather often came to talk to him, and she always seemed glad to see him. One day, the people seemed happier than usual. They were all laughing and giggling. Heather was singing and wore a funny hat with a round ball on the end. They put up one of those inside trees that didn’t smell like anything Jack had ever peed on. They hung shiny balls and long, prickly strings on it. He and Bill had had one like this too. Bill would bring everything up from the basement, set it up in the living room, and then take everything down later. Jack thought that it must have been a human thing.

                   Another day, Heather brought Saint Jack his breakfast and gave him a big kiss. “Today’s the day, Jack. He said yes.”

                   Jack had no idea what Heather was talking about, but her excitement made him happy and gave him butterflies in his tummy.

                   The day went by as usual. People came and let Saint Jack and the other dogs outside. One of the big men took Jack for a walk. When someone brought his supper, he knew that it was time for Heather to leave, and he felt sad. But he still ate his supper. He was just licking the crumbs in the bottom of the bowl when Heather walked in. She was carrying a leash. Wow! Was he going to get another walk? This was a good day!

                   “Come here, Jack,” Heather called to him as she bent over to attach the lead to his collar. Jack’s tail sliced through the air and slapped against the wall. He moved closer to make it easier for her to hook him up. “Wait ‘til you see where we’re going,” she said, giving him a big hug. Jack pranced to the door and took a moment outside to jump in the snow. Heather jumped after him. “Merry Christmas, Saint Jack,” she said, beaming. “Come on, big boy, let’s go. But go pee first.”

                   Jack peed and headed toward the road, but Heather pulled him back. “Over here, Jack,” she said, opening her car door.

                   They were going for a car ride! Jack could hardly contain himself. It had been so long. He hopped into the back seat and let Heather attach his leash to the hook. He wondered where they were going. Maybe to a park or even just a walk somewhere else. He didn’t care.

                   Jack’s tongue lolled and his tail wagged as he looked out the windows. They went through a town with a whole bunch of houses but then they were in the country again. They were going really far. “You okay back there, Jack?” Heather asked. Okay! It had been a long time since Jack had been this okay.

                   They were still on a road with not many houses when the car turned into a driveway like at his and Bill’s house. Jack’s tail beat against the back of the seat. He and Heather were visiting. They were going to see a friend. Jack remembered that sometimes these humans gave him cookies. Heather opened the door and led him out by the leash. “Come on, Jack. We’re home.”

                   Jack knew that word. He hesitated but then lunged forward. Heather was showing him her home. She must really like him. The man who had come to see him and Heather opened the door. He was surrounded by a pack of wagging tails and slobbering tongues.

                   “Back up, guys. Give him some space,” the man said.

                   Heather left Jack’s leash on for now and stood back to see how things went. Jack lay down and all the others came to sniff him. Jack rolled onto his back to show them he was friendly. Heather and the man looked at each other and smiled. The man patted Jack’s head and unhooked the tether. Then he led him by the collar to a whole bunch of beds by the fireplace. He pointed at the biggest one and said, “Feel like trying it on for size?”

                   Jack looked from the man to the bed and back again. What did he mean?

                   “Go on, lie down. You might as well get comfy,” the man told him.

                   Jack inched towards the bed, looking around to make sure he wasn’t taking someone else’s spot. He put a tentative paw on the big puffy part and studied his new canine buddies. Each one of them was already stretched out on their own spots. Jack looked down at this bed.

                   And then he understood. This bed was HIS bed! He lay down with a thump and wiggled around until it was a perfect fit.

                   “I guess it’s going to be okay,” the man said to Heather.

                   “Of course it is,” she said, giving Jack a pat. “Welcome home, Saint Jack.”