JACK TUCKER, 1997-2008

Canine sportsman and beloved friend Jack Tucker died in Seattle, Washington this week following a long illness. He was nearly 11.

Jack, a cream-colored standard poodle, found his calling as the devoted companion of Nancy Tucker at six months of age after bonding with her during a week-long New England snowstorm. However, he also enjoyed spending time with his extended family and with his many dear friends, both human, canine, and feline.

His lifelong hobby was Chasing Things. He was extremely fast (see photo below), and was looked upon as a hero in canine sporting circles for having once actually caught a squirrel with his bare teeth, though it escaped while he was looking it over in surprise. He also spent a blissful, memorable night hunting raccoons in the Ohio woods with our Cousin Scotty, who swore Jack was better than a beagle.


Jack's unbridled enthusiasm was one of his greatest gifts, though it once caused him to accidentally run off the end of a pier into a lake, and another time landed him stuck up to his fluffy white hips and shoulders in black mud at a dog park. In moments of joy, he would leap like a springbok gazelle, 4 feet into the air from a standing start.

Jack was a cosmopolitan dog, equally at home bounding through the woods, flying in an airplane cabin, strolling the streets of Manhattan, or eating toast under a cafe table. He was unfailingly well mannered and remained in good spirits until the end, patiently permitting ministrations by preschool age "veterinarians" and accepting a single biscuit daintily on his final day.

He is survived by his co-poodle, Zoey, aged 12, and by his human family. He will be sorely missed by his many friends and admirers.