But then something like this happens. With not even a year having passed to show Jacky what it truly means to be loved. We are faced with uttering the most difficult word of all.

Goodbye.

Please - light a candle for Jacky tonight. And for his family who gave him the love of a lifetime in less than a year.

Yesterday, we went to see Jacky. With Connie, our other chubby bunny rescue case, only arriving a couple days prior it's been a busy week.

But Jacky cannot wait until all our ducks are neatly in a row. Jacky needs us now.

About a week ago, this dear beagle's elderly owner passed away at home. Jacky was there. At the time relatives gathered him up, the trauma was written all over his face. Jacky was visibly shutting down from the loss. This is when family could have made all the difference but instead, they promptly brought him to a vet clinic (where he'd only been once before when his owner was mobile) to have him euthanized. It made perfect sense to them. Jacky is about 12 years old. He's a burden.

But here's the thing about beautiful souls like Jacky. They instantly take hold of your heart. And such was the case for this compassionate vet and her staff. She could not agree to those terms. She called us. We understand why they couldn't do it. He's beautiful inside and out, never mind all the rolly polly pounds he's gained due to his owner not being well enough to walk him or look after him properly.

His face brightens at the mere sound of a kind word or a pat on the head. His tail never stops wagging.

Jacky is not a burden. Far from it.

He's a beautiful light and he deserves to shine.

We're currently searching for a foster home for Jacky. He doesn't ask for much at all. Just a little love and a cozy bed. But we want a heck of a lot more for him than that. If you've fostered for us before and might be ready for an easy kind of love, give us a holler. Or, if you've been considering our foster program, visit our web site and download our Foster Application. We do need you to be fairly local to us within the GTA and surrounding areas.

A little info on Jacky - He's met a few dogs at the clinic and appears to be just fine with them. He likes cats too but maybe a little too much. He likes licking their bottoms…The vet clinic has kindly run a blood profile and everything looks normal. Heart is good too. But he is terribly overweight and we'll want to address that straight away. Stairs are a challenge for him, and there are always health risks associated with obesity to keep in mind. He also needs to be neutered but we're hoping to have that done while still in hospital. Skin and coat need revitalizing. Surprisingly enough, teeth are not so bad for an old boy! He's not been vocal while in hospital but we'd kinda like to hear a happy howl one day!

Please understand there is a process we must follow for your sake and for our beagles. It takes time and we are a small organization run entirely by selfless volunteers. We will get back to you as soon as humanly possible. The beagles are always our priority.

We hope Jacky will be among them as part of our BOB Family soon.