Mitch Kirby sent this story about his Sparky: "I really can't say much about him as I do not know that much about his background or where he came from, but one day I raised my hand trying to teach him the hand signal for sit and he cowered almost instantly - abused!

In just two weeks he has mastered sit, stay, heel, lay down and we still are working "come here" but this little guy is really coming along. Sparky craves my attention and I give him all I can.

I also give him two other playmates, in Max, my 3-year-old Golden, and Murphy, my 8-yr-old Cocker Spaniel. They all get along great and spend many hours playing together down in our River Valley! Welcome home Sparky!"


November 2007 Update
Here is an updated photo of a senior Sparky boy, still sweet as ever.

 

April 2011 Update
This is both a sad and a hopeful update. We received this letter from Mitch on November 19, 2010:

Hello Rochelle, It is with a most heavy heart that I send you this, I thought I'd let you that my Sparky has succumbed to his cancer. I helped my boy cross to the Bridge at 8:50 am today. It just got to hard for me to see my precious boy struggling to get his food down, to see him bleeding badly. To watch this once proud, very athletic dog waste away right in front of my eyes was gut wrenching to say the least.

Sparky was my first rescue golden, the one that got me started on this journey. Sparky was a true gentleman, I couldn't fault him on anything, he was a class act. So well behaved, he studied things, he was an observer.

It was so strange to come at lunch to let the dogs out ( I go home everyday to do this) and not see his face staring back at me, I felt hollow, like a
part of me was missing? It will be very hard to go to our local off-leash again without him, he so loved his daily trips there. I have the others to help me thru this, trouble is Sparky was the one I loved the most. I just don't feel as much for them as I did for Sparky. I feel terrible for that.

I feel so lost and alone without the anchor in my life. Happy Trails my dearest sweet boy.

But, then in March 2011, Mitch shared his newfound puppy joys: Sparky (II) and Angel.

Hi Rochelle, Yes another Sparky, in memory and honour of my first rescue and greatest love. And in memory of Angel whom I only had for 5 weeks before she died, she was 12 when I rescued her.