A Tribute to Jiro: The Senior Rescue Dog Who Changed Our Lives

GoFeisty! is here to fuel the bold, the bright, and the fearless with content that empowers, uplifts, and adds a little extra sparkle to your life. Today, we step gently out of that space. This is not an uplifting story, but a quiet one—a moment to send our love to our beloved dog, who became a dog angel just before Christmas 2025.
There’s a surprise update at the end of this tribute. Please read on.
今日は、2025年のクリスマスを迎える前に天国へ旅立った、愛犬ジロウへのトリビュートです。

The saddest news of 2025.
Our beloved dog Jiro left us on December 23 and became a dog angel.

He was a senior rescue, and we knew from the beginning that our time together might be limited. Still, he gave us six of the happiest years of our lives.

The first ten years of his life are a mystery. We  found him through a Facebook post from an eastern Washington Pit Bull rescue—listed as a dog with terrible injuries.

He came to us with many visible scars, but he was the sweetest goofball you could ever meet.
We decided to spoil him rotten—and we absolutely did.

He was diagnosed with cancer, but he defied the vets’ expectations and stayed with us much longer than anyone thought possible. We just wish we had told him we had his favorite prime rib for Christmas. He missed that.

We are amazed by how deeply one rescue dog can change your life.
It’s so hard to accept that we can’t touch him anymore.

And it makes me wonder—if I were gone, would anyone miss me this much?

He was the cutest dog at home and at the dog park. Sunny days like today are especially hard. I wake up thinking, What a perfect day for the dog park!—and then remember he’s not here.

Love you, Jiro.
We hope you’ve found our first dog Jojo and that you’re skipping together in heaven.

Senior dogs are often overlooked when it comes to finding a family.
But we want you to know that sharing life with a senior dog can be incredibly rich and rewarding.

If you have room in your heart and home, please consider adopting a senior dog. Donations will help them thrive too.

Please Support!
The Pit Bull Pen
Humane World for Anumals
We’ve learned so much about senior dog care along the way, and we’ll be sharing more about that in a future post.

<Update: January 18, 2026>
Nearly a month has passed since Jiro left us, but I still think about him constantly.
There are moments when I suddenly break down in tears, and that has continued.
Then yesterday, something surprising happened.
My daughter, who lives in New York, attended a group Reiki session. During the class, the instructor asked,
“Is there anyone here who has recently lost a pet?”

This instructor, who is said to have psychic abilities, went on to describe:
“A small, light-colored dog. Not quiet. Very happy.”
My daughter immediately knew it was Jiro and spoke up.
The instructor told her that Jiro had come all the way to her because he wanted me to know that he is happy. She said he is always with me, sleeps with me, and that I can talk to him anytime.
That he is completely free—and very, very happy.
Hearing this from my daughter brought another wave of tears. I think Jiro must have been worried about me crying. He was probably trying to tell me how happy he is, but when I didn’t notice, he thought hard about what to do—and decided to go all the way to New York to borrow the help of a Reiki instructor.

Barking loudly to get her attention, doing his very best to say, “I’m happy.”
What a gentle soul.
So thoughtful. So clever.
Thank you, Jiro.
I love you. I will always love you, and I will always be with you.

To anyone grieving the loss of a beloved pet,
I believe your companion is still with you—always by your side.
Free from pain, running happily in a place of peace.

Please don’t feel alone in your sadness.
You don’t have to grieve forever.
Live your days feeling their presence, knowing they are still close.

我が家の愛犬ジロウ君が、2025年、クリスマスを迎える前に天国へ旅立った。
我が家に来て6年の保護犬で、年齢は15歳か16歳でした。

とてつもなく、かわいかった。
そして、とてつもなく悲しい——

もうすぐ亡くなって1カ月がたつというのに、泣いてばかりいるわたし。
そうしたら、なんとジロウからメッセージが届いたのです！

ニューヨークに住む娘が、昨日レイキのグループレッスンに参加したときのこと。
インストラクターが、こう尋ねたそうです。

「この中に、最近ペットを亡くした方はいませんか？」

そのインストラクターは、サイキックな力を持つ方で、
「小さくて、ライトカラーで、わんわん吠えている、とてもハッピーな犬」
が会いにきているというのす。

娘はすぐに、ジロウだとわかり、インストラクターのもとへ。

ジロウは、
「ぼくはハッピーだから、心配しないで」
と、わたしに伝えようとしているとのこと。

でも、わたしが気づかないから、どうしたらいいか一生懸命考えて、
ニューヨークにいる娘のところまで行き、
レイキのインストラクターの力を借りることにしたようです。
なんてお利口なのでしょう。

わんわん吠えて、彼女の気を引いて、
「ぼくはハッピーだよ」と、全力で伝えてくれた。

なんて、やさしい子なんでしょう。

ジロウは、いつも一緒にいるって。
わたしと一緒に眠っているって。
とってもハッピーだから、心配しないでって。

あーまた泣けた。

ジロウのベッドは、寝室と窓際に置いたまま。
そこで寝ているんだね。

亡くなっても、スピリットはいつもそばにいてくれる。
それは本当なんですね。

弱って旅立っていったけれど、
今は元気に、わんわん走り回っている姿が目に浮かび、安心しました。

わざわざ伝えに来てくれてありがとうね。
ニューヨークまで行くことをよく思いついたね。

ジロウ、うちの子になってくれてありがとう。
ジロウとの6年は最高の6年だったよ。

ジロウ、大好きだよ。
これからもいつもずっとずっと一緒だよ。

ペットを亡くし、悲しみの中にいる方へ。
きっと、みなさんの大切な存在も、今もそばで見守ってくれていると思います。
痛みのない世界で、自由に走り回りながら。

もう悲しまないで。
そばにいる気配を感じながら、これからの日々を過ごしてください。