When we got our dog Jasper it was exciting because he was our very first pet.
He is looked after by a family of six, including two parents and four kids.
Jasper, who only knows three commands — sit, drop and come — has a run yard, meaning he can be let free for the whole day.
He loves going to the forest near our house and dashing through the trees.
He usually listens when he’s told to ‘come’, unless he is with his dog best friend, Duke, our other dog; then he never listens.
He barks at a lot of things, such as when the cows on our farm come to get water.
As a puppy he was very playful and, with a family of six, he always had someone to play with.
As he’s grown older, his energy levels have fallen.
Jasper might be king of the wild out in the forest, but as soon as the dark clouds roll in, he shrinks into a corner.
He has good reason to be scared of storms after an incident during one in 2018.
The power had gone out, so we tried to make something in the slow cooker before deciding to go out to eat instead.
While we were away, the power came back on, and the slow cooker had been on top of the stove.
There was a gas canister near it on the bench that heated up so much it exploded.
The dogs heard the bang and were shunted by the door, so it’s no wonder he’s scared of thunder.
Kaitlyn Bowman is a Notre Dame College student who recently completed work experience with The News.