Sparks

And a rare post from Nick...

Anyone who knows me well enough has heard me complain about the dog that my wife brought into my life from the day he moved in with us. He was far from the perfect dog, and in the beginning only tolerated me. However, as the years went, he became more and more comfortable with me, which I think had alot to do with the fact that we both realized we had to co-habitate, as neither of us wanted to guess who Sue would pick if either of us gave her an ultimatum.

Having had a dog in my life before as a I child, I wasn't foreign to the efforts it takes to have a pet, but what I did not have an appreciation for is the attachment can develop. It is funny, I was thinking today and I have known Sparky pretty much as long as I have known Sue. He was there when we started dating...he followed her from NJ to NC...and has been there since we were married. He was part of the package...as Sue put it.

When we had Abby, the thing that concerned me the most was the effect she would have on Sparky...after all, he loved the attention, and was used to it. Thankfully he had none of the negative effects that I had thought he might and while he probably wasn't happy sharing the spotlight, he tolerated her. From the first time Sparky met my friends daughter Hannah, with her yanking his head to the ground by his ear, and him not getting upset, I knew he would be good with kids. With Abby around he has been even more tolerant than I thought he could be. She has grown to accept him as what he is...a part of the family. I can only imagine how difficult it is going to be to explain to her why he is not around anymore.

At the end of the day, Sue has reached the only decision that I think we truly have with him. Sparky has gone from being the grumpy, but personable dog, to one in a level of constant pain, who just has faint glimmers of life in his eyes. I am proud of her for coming to this point.

Sparky has meant the world to her for alot of years...and I can honestly say, he has to me as well. I am going to miss him.

I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite pictures of Sparky....looking at it now, it reflects where Sue and I came from, and our future.