JUST JACKSON ★
A Your Dog reader pays tribute to his dog of a lifetime.
“Jackson and I were together 24/7...”
William Bromwich and his Dobermann, Jackson, from Coventry, West Midlands, first featured in the February issue of Your Dog Magazine. We were interviewing owners who lived in flats with their dogs, and finding out how they overcame any challenges. It was clear that Jackson was the perfect flatmate, and they were the best of friends.
“I’ve had six Dobies since 1980,” said William. “I love everything about them. They are so elegant and proud. My last Dobie passed away in 2017, and as I’ve suffered from severe depression in the past, my son worried I was heading down a dark path again and found Jackson for me. Jackson was born in February 2018 and we fetched him at the end of April. I liked him from the minute I saw him.
TOTALLY DEVOTED
“From the beginning, Jackson and I were together 24/7, and I dedicated every day to playing and talking to him. When he had a sleep, I had a lie down with him! I’m no dog trainer, but I was always teaching him something, and his intelligence was on a completely different level. He only had to be shown something once and he understood. Jackson was never very interested in treats as rewards, but he loved his football. As soon as I got out the ball, he focused on me because he knew we’d soon be playing his favourite game. I even taught him to skip with me — he was the Einstein of the dog world!
“Jackson’s intelligence came into its own when he was about a year old, and he saved a little dog from drowning. It had been raining for days and the river was high, with the current fast-flowing. I noticed an old man running up and down the steep bank who was obviously distressed. I asked what was wrong, and he said his Jack Russell had fallen into the river and couldn’t get out. The bank was too steep for me, but
I thought Jackson, who loved water, might have a chance of saving him.
“I pointed Jackson at the little dog and said: ‘Go fetch’ and to our amazement he went straight to him. I scrambled down the bank a little, clinging onto the branch of a tree. Jackson was using his body and head to push the dog against the current.
I kept calling him and when they were close enough, I grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him out. His owner was over the moon, but I knew how strong Jackson was, and how much he loved water, as one of his favourite pastimes was jumping into the river and digging out old tyres that he found! Jackson received a medal from Lincs Dobermann Rescue for his bravery that day.
“When Jackson was 20 months old, I noticed he was getting a big build-up of saliva out on walks. When we played fetch he started to lie down between throws, and sometimes coughed. I lay down next to him and could feel his heart beating irregularly. Something was
very wrong.
BEST LIFE
“Because of my disabilities, I relied on PDSA in Coventry to help us, and they were absolutely brilliant. I can never thank them enough.
“I’ll never forget the heart specialist telling me that Jackson had advanced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and atrial fibrillation (AF), and probably only had six months to live.
“I was absolutely gutted, but held myself together as Jackson was so in tune with me that if I’d broken down it would really upset him. The vets started him on a lot of medication, and thankfully Jackson quickly responded. I decided to give Jackson the very best life possible, and not to wrap him in cotton wool. Many people offered advice, but I only listened to the vet at PDSA.
“As Jackson’s health improved, he achieved so much. He obtained his Kennel Club Good Citizen Awards in bronze, silver, and gold, parkour awards, trick training certificates, and raised thousands of pounds for charity with sponsored walks, numbers boards, and going into town in fancy dress at Halloween and Christmas to encourage people to donate. It was hard to resist Jackson! We did lots of fun videos for social media, and his fame began to spread.
“Jackson’s intelligence was on a completely different level.”
If Jackson had not been ill,
I can’t imagine what he would have achieved.
“Six months came and went, and we constantly aimed for new targets. Our last target was for Jackson to reach his third birthday, but sadly he became very ill just before this, and died 18 hours before his big day.
“Lincs Dobermann Rescue, who we raised so much money for, were brilliant and paid for Jackson to be cremated and sorted everything for me. I lost part of myself with Jackson, but the support I’ve received has been phenomenal.
“What Jackson achieved in three years, and the people he touched with his zest for life, was incredible — someone even paid to have a star named after him!
“To me however, he was my best friend. He was just Jackson.”