The Great Jake (2001 - 2011)

A little less than 10 years ago, I convinced my parents to buy me a lizard as a belated Christmas gift. I had my eye on a Chinese Water Dragon. There were five in the cage, but I knew just the one I wanted the minute I saw him. Maybe he knew too, because he immediately leaped onto my shoulder.



I named him "Uncle Jake," because I was a silly college girl who thought that was just the greatest name. An instant bond was formed and I know that's hard for a lot of people to understand. But Jake liked to cuddle with stuffed animals, and he liked to sit on my lap while I did homework. He was a pet and he was a great one.

Gah, look how small baby Jake was.

Once Jake got bigger, my dad, The Engineer, built him a 6ft tree to live on. He had MBD and his bones were fragile, though they healed up very nicely. Jake's tree had a ramp, but he loved to jump off the top anyways.



Jake was quite famous in his time. He starred in a small (student) indie film where he played a giant lizard. He was featured in a calendar for his glorious FancyPants™. Jake has been painted and drawn by many talented artists. He was even a guest star in our winning Green Mountain Energy video.



I'm not sure what the point of this post was suppose to be, because even now, just nearing the end of it makes me sad. I guess it was just to say:

There was a Chinese Water Dragon named Uncle Jake. He was a great companion and a famous movie star. When he was excited, he could run on two legs. When he took baths, he swam like an alligator. He loved the ladies and anything shiny. His favorite past-time was sitting. He ate flowers, even if they were silk. He lived 10 wonderful years and he will be missed very much.



My life wont be the same without him.