He was right. We were living in a tiny, 1-room studio. It just didn't seem right to bring him there after he'd spent his whole life virtually running free, so I kept putting it off.
One night my dad called and said he might have a solution. My uncle Bill in Texas wanted him. Bill's wife Becky had some kind of disorder causing her to lose consciousness without any warning. Bill thought Jamie would be a perfect companion for her, to help keep her safe, and give her a little more freedom. She was basically confined to the house.
At first, it was a shocking plan. As long as Jamie was in New Jersey, he was close enough for me to visit and see on a regular basis. But Texas? I said I needed to think about it, but a few weeks later, my dad called and said they were moving to London. That forced me to decide - should he come live with me or go to Texas? As hard as it was to admit, I knew the right decision was for him to go.*
My dad built him a huge wooden crate; it must have weighed 200 lbs. He took him to the airport and off he went. My uncle Bill picked him up in Dallas and drove him to Vernon. Apparently, Jamie kept trying to escape, but fortunately, he was not successful. My dad didn't tell me any of this at the time. I would have been terribly upset to know how unhappy he was.
Then one day, he was with Becky and she passed out. Jamie stayed by her side, barking, and my grandmother found her. After that, Jamie had a job, and he never left her side. He even went to the beauty parlor with her, sitting outside the door. Once he had a job, he was a happy dog.
When I heard about this, I was jealous. He was still my dog. But I was glad too. My uncle called him Haus and he was a local legend. If Becky had a spell, Haus would run and get my grandmother. Because of him, Becky was able to leave the house, which she hadn't been able to do before he came. He was literally a life saver and I was proud.
- When I moved to the Village, I met an amazing dog named Khan. He was an Afghan Hound and I knew someday I would have one. When I agreed to send Jamie to Texas, I basically blackmailed my dad and told him he should give me the money to get another dog, since he had stolen mine. He sent me $300. A couple of months later, David and I bought our Afghan Hound puppy, Bandirran Mona Lisa (Shendi).