Meet Jack & Our Story
The inspiration that lead to Supporting Shelters Inc.
My name is Christopher, Founder & President, and the idea of one day creating a nonprofit organization to join the animal welfare movement has been a long awaited dream. From 2010 to 2020 I was enlisted as active duty in the United States Air Force and finished my military service from 2020 to 2023 enlisted in the Idaho Air National Guard. Now, I dedicate my time to founding and growing this nonprofit to join the animal welfare initiative - from a different angle.
December of 2012 is when I visited the Humane Society of Southern Arizona while living in Tucson…“just to look.” The shelter was full of rambunctious dogs eager to find their forever homes and doing so quite loudly that day. I walked down the single-isle kennel area filled with dogs left and right. I had already told myself that I was just perusing but one kennel slowly caught my attention at each pass I made, up and down. A straw-colored shepherd mix with a distinct black muzzle was laying in the back of his kennel – quietly with his head down and not paying much attention to the noises echoing . Being the only dog not making a sound, I sat crisscross applesauce in front of his kennel and managed to get his attention enough for him to plop down by the chain-link with me. I sat and chatted with him while he got secret pets through the kennel, and unknown to me we had started to make our connection. “Jack” was his name.
Jack’s first order of business was to take a nap with me on the couch, which was a perfect start to our friendship. Jack minded his own business after that first interaction, not coming up to be pet or hanging around me. It almost seemed as though he thought this too was a temporary home. Eating was a struggle as well that eventually turned into feeding him for the first time by hand, letting him know that it was officially too long since he’d eaten. Even after that, he returned to his secluded nature for the next week or so. I let him have his space and waited patiently for him to reach out to me.
The fence in the backyard was not high by any means, so I simply let him know, “you’ll always have food, toys, and lots of love here if you want to stay, but I can’t watch you out back all the time and I’m not tying you up bud.” I started to leave him out back to his own devices, reluctantly, but every time I peeked out the window, he was enjoying sunbathing in the Arizona heat.
Over a week later while I was at my computer desk ordering tires for my little Ford Ranger, Jack trotted in from the living room. At this point I was still minding my own business and letting him come and go as he pleased around the house. In just a few moments he squeezed himself in front of my computer chair, slowly crawled up, and melted into my chest.
It's as if he meant "I'm with you" - That very moment is when I felt Jack attach to my soul, and a piece of mine to his.
(I will forever be thankful for my friend capturing this moment that day)
For the next 9 years Jack and I went on many adventures together, always being a hit at family functions of course. Jack sent his love through 2 active duty deployments, and countless work trips away. During the first handful of years of our friendship I experienced the first of many early lows in my life that often left me hopeless, hurt, and in strong despair and depression. Jack knew each of these, and always found a way to intervene - at times putting himself between me and decisions I could not take back. The unspeakable bond that we had built sincerely saved my life at numerous, unfortunate times. He had no service animal training prior, nor any similar training throughout his life. My mother often referred to him as my guardian angel, encouraging him to keep up the good work - thanking him for what he's done.
Jack did exactly that until January of 2021 when his call to the rainbow bridge fell on us. Jack held on in my arms as we reminisced the countless times we had been there for each other, and how our camping trips together were just the best I’ll ever have had. The piece of my soul he held for so long, I asked to keep with him to find each other again.
Supporting Shelters Inc. exists today because of Jack’s inspiration and service to my life - for who I am today because of him.