One of my former colleagues, as a departing 'gift', left several puppies to go wild on the job site. It's not uncommon to wake up to a symphony of dogs barking at odd hours of the morning. We've had case of dog bite so far. The victim went through the rabies shot series.

One pair of dogs, who haven't gone wild, is Mr. and Mrs. Jack. Adopted by the security guards, Mr. and Mrs. Jack took a while to get to know Bluelou but ever since them, when they're not sacked out in the sun or shade, they bark and yelp to get my attention for that back or belly scratch that only Bluelou can give. Mr. and Mrs. Jack dine on only the finest kitchen scraps our mess hall can provide.

Mr. Jack, it seems, is always recovering from something. He got the worst end of the battle with a bigger dog showing signs of a broken leg. No sooner had he recovered, Jack tangled with a snake. The vet had to remove the fangs from his leg. He tangled with our shuttle bus. He broke his hip and limps on three legs though he is showing signs of recovery. Now days, Jack doesn't tangle with much except he does 'battle' on whether to sleep in the shade or the sun.

It's not uncommon that one can get really dirty walking on the job site from the lingering dust. With the Jacks, I'm dirty before I get on site...they crawl all over me before I reach the entry gate. Jack 'escorts' me to the gate by gently biting my hand and holding it until I hit the gate. Most of the folks who try to befriend Mr. Jack say that he's not too kind to strangers yet he's like a baby seeking a bit of attention in my presence...whimpering if I move my caressing hand away.

All the while, Mrs. Jack waits faithfully by his side. She'll wait for him to finish his dinner before she eats but will compete for my attention when I walk by. I usually have to 'leave' them about three times before they stop barking and chasing me vying for my attention. When Mrs. Jack went into heat, Mr. Jack suddenly lost his limp.

Since the guards left and Mrs. Jack has had her pups, she's given Mr. Jack the boot and he's playing the field.

This is Squimish. He definitely lives up to his name though once you break that apprehensiveness, he's quite warm. He and Mr. Jack are great buddies.