We want to share some sad news: A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to Jax (fka Friend). We adopted him in July of 2018, and he was one of the last of a group of 20-something senior dogs that came to Muttville when a woman who ran a sanctuary suddenly died.
When we first met him at an adoption event, Sherri Franklin came up to us and said she’d spent a week fostering him and he was one of the sweetest dogs she’d ever had at Muttville Manor. He had a red, goopy eye and was wearing a cone, so maybe people were deterred, but it was nothing that a few antibiotics couldn’t fix. We brought him home, named him Jax, and within three days he was settled. He knew his name, he followed the house routine, and he had completely embedded himself into our hearts, where he will forever remain.
It soon became obvious why he was named Friend; on many occasions, random strangers would take one look at his sweet face and his soulful eyes and say, “Hi friend!” We called him our zen master because he was so easygoing, and any time we were having a bad day we could scoop him up, give his soft body a few squeezes, and instantly feel better. When I would come home from work and my wife and I would stand around in the kitchen recounting our days, he would stand between us, focused on whoever was talking, like he was truly listening to and interested in the conversation.
When we adopted Jax, Muttville estimated that he was 11. After we’d had him for about five years, we did one of those DNA age tests, figuring the results would show that he was a little younger than we’d suspected, maybe 14 or 15 by then. But Jax always defied the odds, and the results came back saying he was 11 once again! So after five years of healthy eating, good living, and endless love, he hadn’t aged a day!
We’ll never know how old Jax was, or how he ended up in a sanctuary, or why his original family didn’t keep this most perfect friend, because he was truly 100% perfect, and he was our very best friend. We were deeply grateful every day he was with us, and we know what a gift it is to have a senior dog for almost eight years. He was so vibrant and full of life, even in the last year or so as he started slowing down. He would always greet us with excitement, he’d twirl for breakfast every day, and he’d beg for an evening walk even when we knew his little legs were getting weary. He was such a huge presence packed into a tiny body, and it’s so hard to fathom that he’s gone. Never again will we hear his dainty pitter patter, rub his velvety ears, or gaze into his adoring eyes. Instead, we’re left with a deep ache in our hearts and a million happy memories.
We still have two other dogs at home: Ollie is a senior tripawd and Sadie is our first youngster, and both are from other rescues. So this is the first time in over 10 years that we haven’t had a Muttville dog in our house, and somehow it feels different. Muttville dogs just have a special type of energy, a deeper level of gratitude, and the truest understanding of love.
When the time is right, we will surely welcome another Muttville dog with open arms, and in the meantime, we always support in whatever way we can. We love seeing the new adoption photos pop up, and we hope other families feel as lucky as we did to love a Muttville dog (or four, in our case). Jax was truly one of a kind, but of course they all are in their own special way to their own special people.
Thank you, Muttville, for making these dogs so special, and for making Jax ours.
Jessica Walitt & Nicole Gyan
6/15/26
