Sparky 4/3/94 - 3/13/06

All my daughter wanted for the holidays was a little black puppy. It was at the top of her list, the bottom of her list, and sprinkled in between.

Sparky came into our lives at eight weeks old. She was born 4/3/94 to proud parents Magic and Hershey. When we first brought her home she weighed just 2.2 pounds and you could hold her in the palm of your hand. She was our first dog. I think her ears were bigger than the rest of her. My husband and children named her because she was black with a little white running down her chest. My husband said she looked like a little spark plug, hence Sparky.

Sparky was a petite little girl. She had the prettiest little face and was the love of my life. She was so soft; she had such silky thick black fur. If I move my hand I can still feel her fur. She was my shadow. If I was sick, she would stay snuggled next to me and never leave.

Sparky was about 5 when we adopted Sarah. And she was definitely a princess. At first she ignored Sarah. She didn't want us to know she really liked her, but at times we would find them snuggled together on the steps or on a bed.

In October of 2005 I noticed something starting to protrude from the side of her mouth. We had it removed and it proved to be cancerous. We were told that oral cancer is one of the worst for a dog. After speaking with an oncologist we decided not to put her through treatment. It would have involved travel to NYC and would have been too stressful on Sparky. It would have possibly given her only a few extra months at most. She was too good and too sweet to put her through all that. And so, about 3 weeks before her 12th birthday, my little baby Sparky lost her battle. It was time and she told me so with her eyes. My daughter and I held her as we gave her hugs, kisses, and through tears, our final gift of love.

Sparky, you are now free of pain at the Rainbow Bridge. We miss you so; you taught us the meaning of unconditional love. Someday we will all be together again. I know that you are with Grandpa smiling down at us now. We love you so much!!

Love, Mommy (Sheila), Daddy (Walt), Cheryl, Matthew, Richard & Sarah