'A very good boy': Family gives away tennis balls to honor beloved dog

Alex Gladden, Montgomery Advertiser
·2 min read
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The idea was simple. The Farley family would leave a bowl of tennis balls on the sidewalk outside their home in Old Cloverdale. Next to it: a chalkboard that read, "Please take one ball to play with your dog in memory of Jackson, A Very Good Boy."

The Farleys set up a memorial for their dog Jackson who died in the spring.
The Farleys set up a memorial for their dog Jackson who died in the spring.

Jackson, a 15-year-old black Labrador, joined the Farley family five years ago. He died during the Easter season last year. But the family wanted to think long and hard about what they would do to honor Jackson.

Lisa Farley said she and her children put out the sign and the bowl of tennis balls on New Year's Eve in honor of Jackson, a longtime lover of tennis balls.

"He was so good," Lisa said. "We were so lucky to have him."

Although Jackson loved everyone in the family, he was undoubtedly Ian Farley's dog. Ian was 10 when his family adopted Jackson.

Ian Farley poses with his dog Jackson.
Ian Farley poses with his dog Jackson.

Lisa Farley found a Craigslist ad from a woman in the military who was being deployed. She had lovingly raised Jackson but needed to find him a home before she went overseas.

Farley drove to Memphis from where she and her family were living in Jackson, Mississippi. She immediately fell in love with Jackson.

“And he was great. We brought him home and he just immediately rolled into life with three kids and cats and a million people, and he was such a good dog," she said. "He loved tennis balls. He loved the recycling bin. If he could have like a crunchy water bottle, he’d be super happy."

Ian Farley plays the guitar for his dog Jackson.
Ian Farley plays the guitar for his dog Jackson.

Ian said he felt like Jackson chose him amid the excitement of entering his new home because Ian was calm.

“He kind of just wandered over to me when we first got him," he said.

The pair became inseparable.

“He was a pretty goofy dog, was kind of happy all the time," Ian said.

The Farleys now have three dogs, but they will always remember Jackson, a very good boy.

Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or 479-926-9570.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Family shares tennis balls with neighbors to honor beloved dog