Jackson and Spike were special dogs so they deserve their own special page. They lived to be 16 or 17 - from 112 to 119 in dog years! Spike, a pure-bred toy fox terrier, was with Michelle all of her life, as she and her previous boyfriend, Philly Phil, bought him for a whopping $500 from a pet store in Pennsylvania. Jackson, a mixed breed with Jack Russell terrier and perhaps toy fox or chihuahua, was only with us about 7 years after Michelle found him walking across a busy street near the University of Texas at Arlington to go to Jack in the Box.

Spike was the prince of the house, but he was loyal and would rarely run off. One time, Spike ran off for a few hours from our house in Arlington, but he returned. The next day, Jackson ran off. We didn't think Jackson would return, but he did. When we lived in our second-story condo in Dallas, we could let Spike out on his own, and he would come back after doing his business.

Spike didn't make a very good first impression on Kevin's dad, biting his hand as he tried to pet him. Michelle gave him that tough-sounding name when she lived alone in Philly to ward off potential intruders, and Spike tried hard to live up to it. He was adventurous and loved to take trips with us, including cross-country ones. He loved to sit by the window, let the breeze blow his hair back, and take it all in. He died after having a sudden stoke with us at his side inside our Arlington house. We thought he was in fairly good shape and would live longer, but you never know.

Jackson fit in well, he never complained about being second in line to Spike. He was an angelic dog, except when he was going after a female or food. He had a sweet disposition and will be missed. He also had a sense of adventure and could outswim Spike and other dogs. He had a habit of jumping on us and putting his rear in our faces as he sat down.

Jackson didn't want to be a bother and was independent, and that's how he died by going to sleep on his own terms under a tree he liked in our backyard. He didn't want a vet putting him to sleep, and we didn't want that though we probably would have if he hadn't died that morning. In his last few months, he had several medical problems, including when he had surgery to remove a tumor. We buried Jackson and Spike under their favorite tree in our big backyard of our Arlington home.
These are some of our favorite photos of Spike and Jackson. This is how we remember them.