Linda McCaffery, of Waverly Place, adopted Jack, a mixed terrier rescued from the Gulf Coast, last week. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Walking to Linda McCaffery’s doorstep this week, on one of those uncomfortable, steamy afternoons, it didn’t take long to notice her porch was the warmest spot on the block.
It had nothing to do with the heat or humidity, but the radiant smile McCaffery flashed when introducing her new companion.
“This is Jack, from Louisiana,” she said while rubbing her hand along the black scruff of a wide-eyed three-year-old mixed terrier.
Life, she says, can’t be better now that she found her new friend.
It’s a serendipitous relationship McCaffery, of Waverly Place, has with Jack.
On August 7, a Saturday, she was milling around Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown when one of the society’s employees told her there’d be a special delivery in a couple days. About 100 dogs, rescued from Gulf Coast homes strained by the effects of the BP oil spill, had just been trucked to New Jersey, and the SPCA was going to receive about 20 of them.
Jack, a dog rescued from the Gulf Coast, now makes his home in Red Bank. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
“I took a half a day off from work the next Tuesday, and there was Jack,” McCaffery said. “I just couldn’t resist. He was perfect.”
Since taking Jack home, McCaffery, who had been dogless since her golden retriever passed away, says her days are a lot more fulfilling. When it’s time to go to bed at night, Jack follows. When she needs to get up for work, Jack is her canine alarm clock. On her lunch break, she comes home to take him for a walk.
McCaffery, who is planning her retirement, says the transition to post-work life is going to be a lot easier now.
“I’m thrilled to death with him,” she said. “He’s perfect. I can’t get over it.”
