Džekis

Before World War II erupted, my Mom decided to acquire a dog. She made that decision unilaterally; she did not secure her parent's permission. One afternoon, she and a childhood friend went to the home of a person who had advertised the availability of German Shepherd puppies in the newspaper. Mom paid the equivalent of half a month's salary* for a puppy. She called the pup "Džekis." In English, that name is pronounced "Jeckis."

Džekis got off to a rought start. On the way home, Mom and her friend tried to board a bus. The driver would not allow a dog on the bus. Mom and her friend instead walked many miles.* When Mom arrived home, her mother, my maternal Grandmother Jadzė, "had puppies" when she saw what her daughter had just bought.

Because Džekis was not a welcome arrival, he spent most of his youth tied on a chain in the backyard. He also did not have a job to do. These circumstances made Džekis irritable. One day, he bit a postman. Džekis relocated to a farm shortly afterward.

Mom talks about her time with Džekis as though it were moments ago. She's still in touch with the childhood friend who accompanied her on the dog adventure.

Mom's account of this episode always made me think that Jadzė disliked Džekis and had angrily banished him to the yard. Recently, however, I found a photo in which Jadzė lovingly craddles Džekis's head. I'll post it soon.
 
*That's the version, and we're sticking to it.

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1939. My Mom stands in the backyard with her beloved Džekis.