Losing a family pet is never easy. I’ve lost pets before and each one hurt terribly, but losing Jake feels so paramount.

When we adopted Jake he was about 11 weeks old. He was the cutest little black ball of fur I’d ever seen. So curious, observant, aware and so eager to give and receive love.

  Jake loved the neighborhood dogs. Even if the neighborhood consists of 4 houses and 3 dogs. A setting that far out in the country was every dogs dream.

Jake was particularly fond of an adorable bloodhound named Mable. When she’d come to the house to visit, he’d take one of his toys, his teddy bear or a treat outside to share.

I kid you not!

When the boys and I moved away from dads, leaving Jake behind was so extremely painful – but it was a choice I made in the interest of Jake as well as my dad.

Moving close to a state road – I knew Jake would eventually run trying to get back to Mable.

That wasn’t a chance I was willing to take.

We visited Jake often – always taking him treats to share or keeping him in a physically fit teddy bear. His favorite always was Taz in a Harley jacket though. Never understood – just knew it and thought it was adorable.

There were times Jake would sit out behind the house, sitting statuesque and proud – looking back toward the woods as if he were waiting for a squirrel or chipmunk to emerge. He’s sit there so still, sometimes as long as 15 minutes.

Jake was laid to rest in that very spot. Knowing he would love it there, where he could see the woods, the landscape of the farm and where we could all look out the window and envision him sitting there in the brightest of his glory days.

When the final goodbyes were said to Jake, I asked dad if I could have Jakes Shrek. It’s the one he was photographed with in my favorite picture of him. When I brought it home, I noticed some of Jakey’s black hairs on the vest. In that instant I felt Jakes presence and got a brief glimpse of him running, playing and waiting just this side of Rainbow Bridge.

I am going today to pick up a new pup for my dad. A new companion that will surely bring lots of joy and laughter – but as I welcome the new little guy into our family – I hope and pray that Jake knows how very much he was loved and how painful it is learning to live knowing he’s not going to come racing out the door at my dads to greet me, ever again.

God I miss that dog!

Today we say goodbye to our beloved pet Jake. He was such an amazing, awesome dog. So many times we swore he was more human then dog – He just “got” us somehow. He was a shelter dog and while we rescued him over 10 years go – Jake spent the remainder of those 10 years rescuing us in ways we never dreamed. 

I love you Jakey! I will miss you every. single. day! 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

  All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…. 

Author unknown…

He doesn’t like the camera much today

Since early October 2010 my family has been doing everything possible to find a label for the condition our family dog has. There have been tests, multiple vet visits, a second opinion, medications, etc. Still, nothing definitive has ever been named, only guesses and treatments for suspect conditions.

In October, Jakes left eye began to swell – severely. To the point he was unable to blink fully resulting in a very sore, dry eye. The vet prescribed eye drops for a possible infection.

Didn’t work.

Meanwhile we found Jake tested positive for heartworms. Mild case but could not treat him for heartworms until other infections were cleared up.

We continue to explore options for fixing his eye.

Jake acted like it hurt him to eat – Vet put him out to run some tests, that’s when he realized how stiff Jakes jaw was. Jake was then believed to have Masticatory Myositis. At that point Jake was placed on prednisone at high levels to help with the painful jaw and hopefully reduce the swelling in his eye.

The jaw did loosen, he was able to eat without pain but the toll the medication was taking on his body was horrific. The usual side effects were in place – the excessive drinking, frequent urination, fatigue, lethargy.

Jake is a real trooper though – he was able to maintain an appetite, eating early in the morning, going outside to take care of business without problem then was given the morning dose of medication that would send him into a zombie like state the rest of the day and night.

Jake is still on the prednisone but is growing ever weaker – now to the point that he’s unable to stand, let alone walk.

It’s SO difficult watching our loyal friend and loved one losing muscle mass to the point that he’s barely recognizable.

Still we hope.

Still we pray.

Still we believe a miracle will happen that brings our buddy back to us healthier then before.

Having rescued this amazing dog from the shelter when he was 11 weeks old and having him in our family since has made this relationship one that is of humanlike quality.  

The vet called today with the recent results from Jakes tests and said the news was not good. But what does he know, right?

My family is not prepared to let go.

Years ago when my boys and I moved and got our own house, we left Jake on the farm with my dad. We wanted Jake to continue to run like he always had – but we also wanted my dad to have a friend he could count on and not have to feel alone. Those two have been so good for each other.

While talking to my dad earlier, he refused to believe Jake was suffering but rather to believe that God would take care of this situation in a Godly way. Dad said he promised Jake he would stand by him to the very end, if that’s what he needed to do and he said he will not break that promise to Jake.

With that, I agreed to stand with my dad, to believe in the power of prayer – to believe in miracles and to believe that Jake can and will be healed of this dreadful condition and back to chasing chipmunks around the farm in now time.

Jake is such a precious, precious soul. Many people have said he’s far more humanlike then doglike. I’ve simply always thought – Of course he’s special – He’s God Made

I’m calling on my friends, family, readers – anyone who believes in prayer, positive thinking, healing or miracles to believe with me, with us, that Jake will get better.

A gentleman was strolling along the beach just at the waters edge.

After he had walked for sometime he came upon several starfish that had been washed up on shore and then left behind by the tide. The man stopped and looked at the starfish a moment and then shook his head when he thought of the fate of the starfish, for they would all surely die if left out of the water for long. He then continued his stroll along the waters edge. After he had walked a bit further he came upon a young boy. The boy was furiously picking up starfish that had been left by the tide and throwing them back into the sea. The man watched the boy for several moments, then spoke to him. "You can’t possibly save them all. So why bother ? It won’t matter."

The boy paused, a starfish in hand, and thought about the man’s words. He looked out at the sea and then down at the starfish in his grasp. He looked up at the man and replied "Well, it matters to this one." and he threw the starfish back into the sea.

How have you made a difference today?

Did you hear the one about the ostrich? The sperm donor? The dog food?

They’re just three of the more ingenious tax deductions that creative Americans have devised over the years to counterpunch the tax collector. A quick Ali shuffle, a feint with the left and an outlandish deduction delivered with a straight face can take the sting out of the annual tax beating — at least until the Internal Revenue Service catches on.

Taxes, of course, are no laughing matter. Serious consequences await those who fail to file, falsely file, knowingly underreport or otherwise throw spitballs at the system. Just ask Willie Nelson, who lost the best little golf course in Texas to back taxes.

Still, every year Americans try to shave what they owe on their personal income tax returns by pushing the envelope and letting their certified public accountant make the line calls.

"If you’re going to be aggressive, deductions are where you’re going to do it. You’re not going to do it in the area of income; you want to report all your income," says Frank Howard, CPA and principal of Howard and Waltrip in Dallas. "I go ahead and apply the smell test. Most of the time, they’re just throwing everything up against the wall to see if it sticks."

Old argument invalidated
As any accountant will tell you, the rewards of cheating on your taxes are never worth the risk. And even if you find a tax pro willing to push the limits, the Treasury Department says when it comes to "potentially abusive" tax moves, the old "my tax adviser said it was OK" argument will no longer work.

"We are raising the stakes for taxpayers who fail to disclose potentially abusive transactions to the IRS," stated Treasury Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Pam Olson in announcing the tougher rule. "Too many tax advisers have counseled clients against disclosing their transactions with the expectation that the advisers’ opinions will allow the clients to avoid penalties."

By removing that argument, tax officials now believe taxpayers’ risk-to-reward calculations will be more judicious, eliminating what Olson describes as "inappropriate tax-avoidance transactions."

Still, it’s a good bet that as the April deadline approaches, many taxpayers will do — or at least try — the darndest things. Here are nine of the funniest, though not recommended, tax-trimming attempts that clients have taken to CPAs across the country.

My son, my dog
Disc jockeys typically don’t make much money and save even less. A few years ago, one approached Wyoming CPA Mike Lovelett for some free advice.

"I’ve got this problem, and I’m really starting to get nervous about it," the DJ said. "Several years ago, I was going to owe some tax, so I put an extra deduction on my tax return."

Well, reasoned Lovelett, managing director of Lovelett, Skogen & Associates in Casper, it couldn’t be that bad. Then the DJ explained: "I put my dog on as a dependent." The radio personality had deducted his dog Red all these years, allowing him to escape owing the IRS on those particular returns.

But, unfortunately for the DJ and all other pet owners, claiming a dog or cat or any other furry family member is definitely disallowed by the tax laws.

Sex and the city
Then there was the client who approached Manhattan CPA Marc Albaum about a very personal tax matter. "He had made some money being a sperm donor and wanted to know if he could take a depletion allowance," Albaum recalls. "I told him he really needed to be an oil well or something like that."

Playing with fire
Herb Wakeford, a CPA in Raleigh, N.C., recalls a Pittsburgh furniture-store owner who, after years of trying unsuccessfully to sell his business, hired an arsonist to torch the place. The insurance company paid off to the tune of $500,000, which the owner dutifully reported on his income tax return. However, along with taking the proper deductions for the building, its contents and the usual business expenses, he also deducted a $10,000 "consulting fee" he had paid the arsonist. An IRS audit two years later landed them both in jail. The IRS disallowed the "consulting fee" and slapped on $6,500 in additional taxes, penalties and interest.

What, not the Barcalounger?
Then there was the client who insisted on deducting the cost of his television and cable service, against his accountant’s advice. "His reasoning was that he was a Spanish teacher at school, and the only reason he bought the TV and had the cable was for the Spanish channels so he could be able to teach his students better," Howard says. "I told him, ‘Well now, not too many people out there can deduct the cost of their TV and cable, but if you can get away with it, knock yourself out.’"

Fun with livestock, part I
Back when the Society of Louisiana CPAs manned a tax hot line, few inquiries stumped them. But Al Suffrin, SLCPA’s communications and public relations director, recalls one that did: "We took a call from an ostrich farmer in St. Tammany Parish who called in to find out how to go about depreciating an ostrich," he says. Strange as it sounds, you can depreciate an ostrich or any other livestock, as long as it’s used for breeding.

Fun with livestock, part II
Which brings us to the tale of the crusty old Texas rancher who insisted upon accompanying his CPA, Raymond Lott of Lott, Vernon & Company of Killeen, to the rancher’s first tax audit. When the rancher’s tax depreciation schedule listed 15 or 20 animals as breeding stock, the no-nonsense young IRS agent challenged the old cowboy. "I presume you breed these animals?" she asked pointedly. Without hesitation, the rancher replied, "Nope," sending his CPA into mild tachycardia. After a sufficient pause, the rancher finished the popular Texas joke, "I’ve got a bull for that."

Go fish
There was a time when deductions were as plentiful as dinner mints. "Many years ago when I was a young clerk, a local CPA kept a very large glass bowl filled with receipts in his office," says Nancy Reynolds of Reynolds & Associates in Naples, Fla. "If a client came in and was a little shy of deductions, they merely dipped into the bowl and helped themselves to some of those glorious deductions."

Sic him, Fido
Sometimes deductions seem so logical they just have to be legal.

"I had a guy come in one time wanting to know if he could deduct the cost of his dog food. His reasoning was that his dog was security for his house, therefore the dog food became a security expense," Howard says.

"I kind of liked that one. The IRS loves that stuff."

He works in mysterious ways
And when all other loopholes seem closed, sometimes only a higher power can help.

One fine February, a rookie tax accountant completed a slam-dunk return for one of the firm’s old and trusted clients and turned it in to his boss, says Mary Anne Petesch, a CPA with Hagen Kurth Perman and Co. of Seattle. There followed several loud whoops of laughter from the partner’s office.

It seems the client had accidentally lost his dentures when they fell in the toilet and had claimed them on his taxes as an act-of-God casualty loss.