Memorial for
JB Turkiewicz |
Born in Estacada, OR on
Dec. 10, 1996
Departed on
Jun. 19, 2008 and resided in
Portland, OR. |
| |
JB was born in Estacada, Oregon on
December 10, 1996. We chose JB over her puppy siblings
because she was the toughest puppy of the litter while
playing tug-of-war. She wasn't the biggest, but she was
the strongest.
The full name of JB is Julia
Brunette, Christel's great-grandmothers name. We thought
we might name our puppy Reagan, and choose a male, but
when we saw the size and ferociousness of JB's sire we
promptly choose a female puppy.
We picked up JB
in Estacada when she was twelve weeks old and brought
her to our newly purchased home in the Westmoreland
district of Portland, Oregon. The house and the puppy
were a lot of work in the early years. JB would love to
go for a walk in the late evening hours to expend the
puppy energy. While doing so she would love to play
fetch, or better said keep-away, with the neighbors'
newspapers (they were made from trees and looked liked
sticks, and they were in the box I came home in). The
area turned out to be the perfect place to raise a
"family dog" as there were many trails, parks, rivers,
lakes (stocked with ducks to chase) nearby.
JB
started out as the only child in the family. After a few
years she was nudged out by Tristan, Trafford, and
finally Blythe. She knew the new pecking order and was
fine with it, as long as there were plenty of tennis
balls to chase, mysterious food falling from highchairs,
tables, and unsuspecting small children trying to eat
hot dogs. Other than the single instance JB never
snapped at a child (when Tristan was under a year old),
she would put up with all sorts of tail pulling, ear
twisting, and even the occasional child rodeo.
JB
was not just a stay-at-home dog; she was a professional
dog, walking to Michael's office in Sellwood, waiting
all day for the short walk home and possible fallen
goodies on the sidewalks in Westmoreland.
JB was
an athlete, climbing up to Mt. Hood's Palmer Glacier
from Timberline Lodge many times and chasing Michael
down while he skied or snowboarded - two and a half
hours up and fifteen minutes down. JB also climbed to
the summit of Mt. Adams, over twelve thousand feet. The
volcanic rock almost ruined her paws on the way
down.
JB came from a strong bloodline of water
retrievers, and it showed. When she was just a three
months old, she chased a duck right into the lake at
Westmoreland Park. She ran the first few feet and then
promptly went straight under water. Frantically paddling
with her front paws she pulled herself out and shook
off. It was another week or two before she would get
back in the water; it took Michael getting in the water,
and Christel going to the other side of the river and
calling her name, before she would swim again. Once she
did, she was off for good.
She spent many
mornings, days, and evenings fetching sticks, balls, and
just about anything else in the Willamette and Columbia
Rivers, Trillium, Frog and Collins Lakes, and the
Pacific Ocean. She was most at home when in the
water.
JB was a dry land dog, too. She spent many
hours on trails running with Christel and Michael. It
was a bit tiring when Christel would run in the morning
and Michael in the evening of the same day. She put in
many extra miles whenever Christel would train for a
road race or triathlon.
In her later years JB
mellowed and became smarter about her jaunts in the
Eastmoreland district. Frequently Christel would get a
call from the owner of the Eastmoreland Market, a few
blocks away, stating JB was sitting at the front door
waiting for dog biscuits. She also spent a long hours
waiting for the kids to finish the school day at Holy
Family.
JB was a great family dog that loved
people and her family to her fullest ability. Her
memories are strong with many people in and around
Portland, from the mountains, through the city, to the
coast.
|
JB
JB on front lawn in Westmoreland
JB, Tristan, and Christel at Yale Lake,
WA
| |
