In 1976, I remember telling Jean Knight, the owner of Cozy J Kennels in Brooklin, Ontario, which one of the puppies in the litter we wanted – we had first pick.

Annette and I did not hesitate and excitedly pointed at the puppy we wanted.

That pup is the ‘runt’ of the litter; are you sure?

Jean Knight

We never paused with our answer…

Yes, that’s the puppy we want!

Danny & Annette

In retrospect, I know that Little Danny always felt like a ‘runt,’ so it was an easy choice.

Annette was never a ‘runt’ – but she and I had shared all decisions fifty-fifty, and we think a lot alike.

At the time, we were living together in Whitby, Ontario, with some of Annette’s sisters and brothers and two of their cats.

German Shepherds are a breed of dog that I had mixed emotions about at the time because they were so intelligent – yet scary.

But my memory of Jasper – the German Shepherd I loved and wrote about in my story Leaving Home In The Summer of 1966 – convinced me he was the breed of dog I wanted. 

Jean Knight was breeding and training her dogs for the Ontario Provincial Police and was very knowledgeable about the breed.

She was also very particular about who she sold her pups to because of her love for the dogs’ well-being.

However, she told us that purchasers of her pups were required to bring the dog to her training session as a condition of the sale.

At the time, Annette and her twin sisters, Wanda and Elizabeth, were raising their seven younger brothers and sisters and were the legal guardians.

It’s been almost fifty years, and I cannot recall all of the details of Jesse James, but I remember how much we loved that tiny puppy. 

At the time, we wanted our pup to have a distinctive name to match the breed’s intelligence with its bravery – so we chose ‘Jesse James.’

Here’s a photo of Jesse James a few hours after we got him home:

I remember we had to wait until he was a few months old before we took him for obedience training.

Jean Knight held evening training classes for the new dog owners, familiarizing everyone with safely handling the breed.

She also mentioned that German Shepherds have a bite strength of 300 pounds per square inch – whereas humans have a bite strength of 50 – 75 pounds per square inch.

A bite from one of these dogs would be excruciating, and there could be costly legal implications if your dog bites someone – especially if it was one of the neighborhood children!

It was hard to imagine this little pup growing up as a fearless and loyal pet.

When we took Jesse James for obedience training, he was four months old but hadn’t been ‘socialized’ yet.

The only people Jesse knew were Annette, her brothers and sisters, and me.

It is essential for your dog to become familiar with other people and their dogs.

So, several other dog owners attended the training instead of ‘one-on-one’ training.

Some of the critical lessons we learned in the training included,

• Use choke chain collars
• Walk with the dog on your left side at all times.
• Hold the leash with your right hand – so if the dog tries to run – you turn to your right – and the leash is now held in place by your legs and upper body.
• Do not slap or hit your dog with your hand – otherwise, it will associate it with punishment. It is best to only use your hand for petting and showing signs of affection.
• Train using love and rewards – and patience.
• Never use a folded newspaper to hit your dog – otherwise, it will hate your paper carrier.
• Dogs should never be left outside – tied to a lead.
• Always treat your dog as a child – a member of your family.

Jesse James, the Protector

Two years after getting Jesse James, Annette and I married and bought a house in Oshawa, Ontario.

Our new house on Hillcroft Street was under construction when we got married in January 1978, – so we rented a place with acreage on Taunton Road.

Jesse James always slept in our bedroom – either on the bed with us or on a rug beside the bed.

One night, my younger brother Ricky was staying with us, and he woke me up when I heard his pleas for help.

Ricky wanted me to get Jesse James away from his bedroom door – so he could walk to the bathroom down the hall.

Jesse was preventing him from leaving his room.

Although Ricky was scared, I couldn’t stop laughing at him hiding behind the barely opened bedroom door.

But Ricky and Jesse James became best friends in the days that followed.

Once Jesse got to know you – he accepted and loved you – without exception.

New Home On Hillcroft Street

Annette and I moved into our new home the same week we were married (January 20), and her younger brother and sister (Jerry & Renee) moved in with us.

The first thing we did was install a six-foot privacy fence around the backyard.

By the way, all of the rocks pictured in the garden behind Jesse were from our family’s cottage in Parry Sound, Ontario.

Jesse had an area behind the garden for him to go potty – he never had ‘accidents’ indoors after he was ‘paper trained.’

We seldom excluded Jesse from our leisure activities – and always made him feel like we were his mommy and daddy. By the way, we always treated Jesse as our child because we had chosen not to have children.

We stored Jesse’s food (a large bag of kibbles) and his leash in the hall closet.

Whenever I was going to take Jesse for a walk, I would ask him if he wanted to go.

He answered by running to the hall closet and opening the louvered door with his snout. Jesse would then grab the leash that hung on a hook and bring it to me!

Shortly after Jesse learned this self-taught trick, we had our friends, the late Bill and Karen Hoffman, over for dinner.

After dinner, we were all sitting in the living room, and I told Bill about Jesse being so intelligent.

But Bill was skeptical, so I told him I would get Jesse to prove it by asking him if he wanted to go for a walk.

Immediately, Jesse ran to the hall closet, opened the louvered door, grabbed the leash from the hook, and brought it to the couch where Bill and I were seated.

So, as I gave Jesse a pat on the head and an elbow jab to Bill’s side, I heard Bill then say to Jesse,

Now attach it to your collar, Jesse!

Bill

But Bill and Karen loved Jesse, who was always excited to see them.

Jesse James and Puberty

One morning, when Annette was in the hall bathroom brushing her teeth, I decided to get up to use the same washroom to go pee.

But as I opened our bedroom door, Jesse was standing in front of the bathroom door. He appeared to be ‘on guard‘ in a protective stance.

As I approached him, he suddenly growled and exposed his teeth in a menacing manner!

I quickly retreated back into our bedroom and quickly closed the door.

My heart began to race with fear.

After a few seconds, I cracked the door open, and Jesse awaited me.

Once again, he showed his teeth and growled another vicious warning.

I slammed the door shut and sat on the edge of the bed.

Annette was still in the bathroom, amused by Jesse’s behavior.

But I was terrified – it seemed that Jesse now considered Annette his own and did not want to share her with anyone – including me!

I called Jean Knight but couldn’t get an answer.

So, I called our vet – who had an office in his home in Brooklin.

After he answered the phone, I frantically explained that I was confined to my bedroom because our dog wouldn’t let me out.

I said it seemed that Jesse was protecting Annette from me.

However, the doctor began laughing hysterically and could not regain his composure for a few minutes. And every time I tried to explain my fear, the vet laughed louder and louder.

At that point, I gave up on the vet being of any value and asked Annette if she would put Jesse outside in the backyard.

Things improved over the next few days with the assistance of Jean Knight, but I cannot remember the particulars.

New Home in Vancouver

In July 1982, when Annette and I moved to Vancouver (my job transfer with General Motors of Canada), we had another example of Jesse James’s protective instinct.

We always took Jesse with us – when we went for a walk, and one night, in a bad part of Kingsway Avenue, we were approached by two men who held their hands up to stop us.

Is your dog friendly?

Stranger #1

Yes, I answered.

Is he trained?

Stranger #2

Yes, I replied.

They appeared to be friendly, and during the conversation, Jesse James sat quietly between Annette and me on the sidewalk.

I was becoming a bit uncomfortable with their line of questioning and was about to start walking again when one of the strangers remarked,

He doesn’t look like he’s very protective,

Stranger #2

As he said that, he made a sudden move towards Jesse, which was a HUGE mistake on his part – because Jesse lunged at both men, growling and fiercely exposing his teeth.

Both men gasped and began running away from us.

We knew then that Jesse James prevented a robbery or worse!

Those losers are probably still running…

To be continued…

Update: Saturday, October 7, 2023 – 4:45 a.m.

Although I have much more that I wanted to include in this story, I got too emotional to continue writing about Jesse or our other four dogs I planned to include in my story.

The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Although I have never experienced ‘anger’ in the passing of any living thing – I am currently dealing with depression – so acceptance is sometime in the future.

But knowing I can no longer care for a pet is difficult to accept.

I cannot imagine life without a furry loved one to cuddle.

I will continue writing this story when I am feeling better.

Thank you, with love, for your understanding.

Dedicated to Jesse James, Skippy, Missy, Beau, and Holly Golightly.

I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.

Hugs,

Danny

Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):

I don’t want you to hold me tight
‘Til you’re mine to hold
And I don’t even want you to stay all night
Just until the moon turns cold

She said all I need is…
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
And somebody who cares when you lose
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues

You say that somebody really loves you
You’d find her if you just knew how
But honey, everyone in the whole wide world
Is probably asleep by now

Wishing for…
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
And somebody who cares when you lose
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues

You can close your eyes,
And sleep away all your blues
I’ve done everything but lie
Now, I don’t know what else I can do

Oh, the nighttime sighs, and I hear myself
But the words just stick in my throat
Don’t you think that a man like me
Might-a hurt much more than it shows?

Just send me…
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
And somebody who cares when you lose
I need some white rhythm and blues

I need…
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
Somebody who cares when you lose
Just play a little hillbilly rhythm and blues

Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
And somebody, who cares when you lose
I need some white rhythm and blues

She said all I need is…
Black roses, white rhythm, and blues
And somebody, (somebody),
Who cares when you lose
I need a little white rhythm and blues

Songwriters: J.D. Souther

Here’s what Danny is listening to now: Drowning in a Tub Full of Tunes