A Year of Jax

Although he will be two in April, today we celebrate Jax as it is the one year anniversary of his Gotcha Day. Jax was the third beagle we had had. He was eight and a half months old when we brought him home last January after we lost our ten year old beagle Leo. We fell in love instantly and knew we had won the lotto with this sweet, affectionate boy.

Jax was already named, but we did get to choose his registered name, a no-brainer, Shillington Pictou Island of course!

As soon as we got Jax, you could tell he had a burning desire to be a part of our pack. He would wake us up early, his face millimeters from ours, excited as if he missed us so much he barely made it through the night. Now, he loves cuddling with us in the mornings, and is the last one out of bed.

In Jax's short life he has experienced a lot. His first visit to the island he was named ever was via plane, a month after we got him. You could tell he knew it was home right away as he hopped right up on our bed. We only had him for two months before COVID struck and I began working from home full-time. In June we packed up to move to the island full-time so he has now lived on the island longer than Durham.

Jax's first trip to the island was on a plane

Jax is a sweetheart, but oh so mischievous. You can’t leave anything out of place! There is nothing he prefers to attention, especially of both his parents at once. He is very bright, I just basically talk to him like an adult and he understands whatever I'm saying. He is big for a beagle, weighing in at 33 pounds. That does not stop him from thinking he is a lapdog. He is very quiet, we rarely hear a peep out of him. He also fetches a ball better than any beagle I've ever heard of.

Mom, I'm trying to relax, but I can hear you talking to Dad about me...

We lost Jax's beloved older brother, Chilli, suddenly in November. Jax looked up to Chilli immensely and took great comfort from him. We knew Jax needed a sibling. He is most grateful for the company of his younger brother (by two weeks),Indy, and he has surprisingly embraced the role of big brother, but of course he did learn from the best!

Jax is a happy dog, it doesn’t matter where he is. When we are in Durham, he’s happy to see the toys he hasn’t played with in a while. But if Jax could tell you about our Island, through a dog’s eyes, this is what he’d say.

Jax would tell you that he knows he’s coming here when he gets on the boat. He would tell you we have different vehicles when we are living here and we only travel on three roads. He would tell you everyone here knows his name and that he’s been a guest at many a home. Likewise, when friends come to visit, furry friends usually join them. Jax would tell you about bossy Trooper (the goldendoodle), cranky Monkey (the chihuahua), energetic Milo (the border collie), confident Ava (the goldendoodle puppy), ball-loving Hobbes, and silly Lucy (the chocolate lab). He would tell you that his Nannie has a place here a pleasant walk away and that she is a great cook and that she visits us often. He would tell you that he’s rarely left alone here, except for when mom and dad leave for the day to get food, and they don’t seem to be doing that anymore! Jax would tell you that his Mom and Dad cook way more often here! He would tell you that he has even got to run free in the yard and sometimes he has even been confident enough to chase a stick in to the big scary ocean that surrounds this place. This summer we added a piece and now he would tell you that he can chase a ball way further in the house!

It's the little things, right? Dogs are so happy anyway, he'd probably think he won the lotto no matter his life. But each of the Pictou Island Paw Patrol really has. And so have their humans.