“Jax is my soul dog. He makes me laugh, smile, walk more, and enjoy life more. Adopting him was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” -Locke Hughes
I’m sitting on my porch writing this as Jax sits next to me, his little snout moving a million miles an hour as he sniffs the evening mountain air.
Today, I can’t imagine my life without him.
A little over a year ago, my mindset was very different.
I had been considering adopting a dog for a while. I had recently moved back to Park City, after several years in NYC. With more space and trails in my backyard, I craved a canine companion. I even made a couple visits to Nuzzles to meet the puppies up for adoption. I’ll admit—I didn’t meet a dog I had a connection with. They were all cute, but I didn’t feel the pull. I polled friends and family: “Should I adopt a dog?” The majority answered with an emphatic “no.” They warned me, “You’re too busy for a puppy. They’re a lot of work. They’ll change your life—forever.”
I was torn. I felt ready, but I second guessed myself. That’s when I decided to foster a puppy—a “trial run,” I told myself.
On a sunny Sunday in June 2023, I arrived at the Nuzzles Rescue Ranch to pick up my foster puppy. I didn’t expect to connect with the first dog they handed me. I didn’t even know what kind of dog I was picking up. I only knew that he’d been brought in a few days earlier with two brothers from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.
At the Ranch, I waited as they went to the back. Then they brought out a puppy with black and white markings, a skinny tail with a white tip, and the biggest, brownest puppy eyes I’d ever seen, looking up at me. I immediately knew I was in “trouble.” I had a black and white dog, Muffin, growing up as a child, and while I didn’t voice it aloud, I had always hoped to get a black-and-white dog as an adult.
That day, I packed him, his crate, and his food into my car and off we went. He didn’t make a peep in the car ride home, until we were about 1 minute from my house when I heard him start throwing up. Welcome to puppy life, I thought. (Jax still hasn’t learned to love car rides, I’ll admit!)
As we got settled at home, I immediately began to see more of his sweet, docile, and playful personality emerge. He’d come up to me and lean against my legs, “hugging me.” He loved the little hikes I took him on around town. He slept through the night in his crate after just one night of a few yelps. He picked up potty training miraculously quickly. He was, quite simply, one of the best dogs I’ve ever met, let alone as a 5-month-old puppy.
For the first few days, though, I still thought I’d just foster him. I took him on walks, introducing him to people around town, and posted on social media about him, hoping to find him a great home with people more prepared to have a puppy.
But as the days went on, I knew I couldn’t give him up. We simply connected. I woke up every morning, excited to see his little face staring out of his crate, his black and white tail wagging enthusiastically. The more I got to know him, the more I loved him. I began to imagine what my life would be like with him. And I didn’t want to imagine life without him.
Spoiler alert: I decided to keep him, and officially adopted him two weeks later. Yes, it has been hard at times, and he has changed my life—for the better. Sure, life is busier and a bit more complicated, mainly when I travel.
But those are small potatoes compared to how much love and happiness he brings into my life.
To this day, Jax is still the best dog I’ve ever met. He’s calm, yet playful and energetic. He’s sweet and loving, but so adaptable and flexible. He’s friendly, fun, and senses how to behave in different places. And, he’s remarkably handsome, if I do say so myself.
His favorite thing in the world is going to the “park”—the Library Field Dog Park. He loves to meet new doggy friends, whom he loves to chase and play and wrestle with. He loves to meet new people, too, of all ages, wagging his tail as they pet him. He loves to do somersaults and wiggle around in the grass. He loves treats, especially pig ears. He doesn’t love to fetch and couldn’t care less about balls. But that’s okay. He loves walks and hikes and sniffing all the good smells on Park City’s trails.
It hasn’t been all easy, of course. He definitely went through a few “teenage” years at around 8 or 9 months, with some nipping and puppy antics. With training, though, he became incredibly (maybe perfectly?) well-behaved.
I feel so lucky I chose to adopt Jax, and I feel even luckier he chose me. He’s brought so much love, joy, and adventure into my life, as well as the lives of my close friends and family. He’s my companion, my son, my soul animal. I’m so grateful to Nuzzles for bringing us together, and by sharing this story, I hope that my love for Jax inspires other people to adopt a pet from Nuzzles to change their own lives.
