Essay and Painting by Robert Beck

Upper West Siders are, in large part, dog people. I certainly am one. And as we come up on the anniversary of Jack’s passing, it’s appropriate that I give testimony to the best dog ever. I know from whence I write. I was there.

First off, Jack was a proper size, weighing in at 85 pounds in fighting trim and edging 100 at times. A real dog. Part lab, part border collie, we think. Polite, gentle, and blazingly smart, he amazed people with his athletics (his ballwork was legendary) and knew precisely when somebody needed to have a dog lean against them. Jack was also excellent at assessing a situation. If people were stiff in conversation, he would stick his head in their crotch.

Jackson Diego Aticus Blue Beck rose from a Tennessee kill shelter (there’s an

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