Jack the 14-year-old dog is the newest member of the Wilmington Police Department in North Carolina, if just for a day.
The one-eyed Parson Russell terrier had the chance to spend the day as a full K-9 officer, which included wearing a uniform, riding in the front seat of the patrol car with his head out of the window and responding to calls with Sgt. Lisa Kittrell as a part of his bucket list. Jack was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in his jaw and doctors don’t expect him to live past Christmas.
“When we saw Jack’s story on the local news, many of our officers were touched,” said the Wilmington Police Department. “Then we saw his actual bucket list, which included taking a ride in a patrol car.
“We were excited that we could be a part of Jack’s journey and help make his final days memorable.”
His owner, Jeremy Miller, said the idea of a bucket list came amid their grief, when they realized Jack spent his life making others happy and wouldn’t have wanted them to be sad.
“We decided to celebrate his life rather than be depressed waiting for him to pass away because of all the years of joy and happiness he’s given us,” said Miller. “He’s proving that despite looking down this loaded barrel we call cancer that he too can go out happy and positive rather than sad and scared.”
He added: “We all owe this to our dogs.” Jack was adopted by the Millers as a stray when he was around 2 years old. He lost his eye about two years ago when a scratch on his eye got infected.
“He is a rare special little man – wife says [he’s] my mini-me,” Miller said. “He’s fearless. Beyond fearless. He has never backed down from anything.” The next item off Jack’s bucket list, is a large community barbecue that all his friends and neighbors will be invited to.
