11/27/2022
One year ago today, Pet Connection Magazine co-publisher Tracy lost her sweet boy, Jack. He was a hero to her, and it has taken 365 days for her to process this loss.
When we’ve lost our balance, when we’re losing hope, when we just feel lost, where do we turn to? We turn to our heroes.
We’ve all needed a hero at some point during our lives. You see, the column that she wrote about her journey with her dog was called “Balancing Jack,” and losing him made her lose her balance. He accompanied her everywhere. He was her inspiration to join Pet Connection Magazine, to write dog books, and to find balance in her life. We jokingly said that he was “three quarters Labrador” because he was missing an eye and a leg from a car accident shortly before she adopted him, but he was one hundred percent hero. For his six and three quarters years with her, he was brave and kind; his goofiness and joy inspired differently abled people, the sick, the elderly. He helped foster bottle baby kittens, rescued orphaned flying squirrels, befriended Oskar the Blind Cat & Klaus, even accompanied her on her honeymoon six weeks before he passed away.
Tracy writes: "We found each other when we were both recovering from injuries, and he helped me find my balance. He was a hero to me. I have dreaded writing this, because I knew I’d cry. But then I remember the balance that he helped me find. And the heroism that is all around us, in human and animal form. And on this day, 365 days after I lost him, I am filled with nothing but gratitude, and hope, and love."
As the co-publishers of Pet Connection Magazine, we’ve had the great honor of meeting many heroes over the past several years. We’ve watched as people stepped up to lead and love, help with hope, and connect with our local community. We have watched as leaders have emerged – leaders whose vision for a better world have inspired paradigm shifts. We have watched as animals transformed the lives of their people – and even their planet.
We are thankful to have the opportunity to shine a light on those who are making an impact on our community and we think these stories will resonate with you, too.
So we bring you the first articles of our 2022 heroes issue, featuring heroes from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Each is doing their part to make a difference in the world. We’re humbled to be able to honor them. Please join Pet Connection Magazine as we celebrate them and thank them for all that they do.
You can read our first heroes articles here:
https://www.petconnectionmagazine.com/september-2022-articles
And please enjoy these assorted photos of Jack. He was a very good boy who was very loved and is very missed, but now it's time to write again.
Sarah and Tracy
Seattle Humane Seattle DogSpot Mutual Rescue
