When Cove resident and Colorado native Linda Komatsubara was 22 she had not planned to have a puppy to care for, but when her brother discovered he could not keep his Rottweiler any longer in the college dorms, she gained a new friend. At that time, the puppy was a mere nine weeks old and Komatsubara fell in love at first sight. She wanted to make sure everyone else fell in love with the pup too and enrolled him in formal training and took him to “puppy socials.” She succeeded in turning her into a people dog, a protector, companion and “one of the gals.” Later, the pup took on being the mommy to two younger Pomeranians and the family cat.
Everything seemed fine for Jada until 2020 when Komatsubara noticed her little pup had gained a lot of weight, was sleeping more and getting up to go to the bathroom. She finally took her to the vet, who did an ultrasound and discovered she had an enlarged spleen. That led to going to another doctor and scheduling for surgery in hopes of prolonging the pup’s life for even 6 months. The family would take what they could get. The surgeon ended up removing a tumor the size of a volleyball! Luckily, the surgery was a success, the cancer was removed and her health began to improve. She even tolerated with ease another surgery to remove a small mass on her shoulder and lip.
Today, her mobility may be slow and she may have some arthritis, but six months since that first surgery and Jada is going strong. This month, Jada is celebrating her 16th birthday. Happy birthday, Jada!
