To Sparky

Early this morning, my dear friend and companion, Sparky, died. (See “Home Alone” in the March 2006 archives.)

Sparky is the big, shaggy, drooling Poodle – Newfoundland mix who is doing the pre-pee sniff on the For Sale sign on the cover of The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate. And this is a love story.

He joined my household about 8 years ago when some of my clients moved to London and couldn’t take him along. He’s been a goofy and often inappropriate friend. He warded off burglars and soliciters with a very scarey bark, mooched food at the dining room table during dinner parties and drank from the toilet. And he humped the legs of most of the men who crossed my threshold during his tenure, whether they were my father, clients or dates.

Sparky and I met in the mid 90′s. I was walking my neighbor’s dog, and Sparky followed us home from a far corner of my neighborhood. He was flirting with Scout, wagging his tail, and capturing my heart. After I let Scout into her house and crossed the street, he was at my heels. Was he inviting himself in? Should I say yes?

He wasn’t wearing a collar, but he looked like he’d just come from the groomer, and he was clearly someone’s beloved pet. So instead of welcoming him to my house then, I put him in my car and drove to the part of the neighborhood where we had met up. When I let him out, he went up to a front door, scratched the screen, and someone who seemed very glad to see him let him in.

A few years later, I got a call from someone in the neighborhood who said they wanted to sell their house and were planning to interview four agents. Some friends of theirs suggested they give me a call. The next day, I walked into their foyer. And there he was at the top of the stairs! “Oh, my God! Sparky, it’s you!” He wagged his tail in a 360 degree circle, ran down the stairs, jumped up and threw his paws around my neck and started to lick my face. (I might have licked back!) I got the listing.

A few weeks later, the sellers learned they were going to be moving to London. The same day, their son’s allergist broke the news that their son was highly allergic to dogs. When they tearfully gave me the news, I offered a solution on the spot, and I became Sparky’s new human. Later I learned they were afraid I would change my mind when I found out he was a “profuse drooler”. I didn’t

Over the past couple of years, I realized he was becoming a geezer doggie. His muzzle was gray and it was getting easier for him to sleep on the floor than to jump onto the bed. This morning, my vet reminded me that in dog years, Sparky was way into his eighties. And even though I’ve known at some level he was not going to be with me for a whole lot longer, it’s really hard to get used to the idea of him being gone.

So, here’s to you, Sparky! You were the best, and I will really, really miss you.

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