Sparky
The end of an era. After 18 years, we no longer have a pitbull in the pack. Sparky was with us for 6 years and laid to rest in August of 2012. His battle with Valley Fever began in January 2011 and nearly claimed him then. He survived another 20 months though he slowly deteriorated. His weight dropped from 75+ pounds to a little less than 50, most of it during the last 6 months. His sweet personality remained to the end, and he passed in peace with dignity.
He was a wonderful breed ambassador and many people learned how nice a pitbull can be because of Sparky. Our neighbors were so taken with him that they adopted a pit from our local shelter. When Greyhounds began to fill the house here, Sparky tried to fit in. He had nicknames like "the big-brained Greyhound" added to his other monikers. He loved his Grey girls and welcomed all the visiting hounds to our dog park.
He leaves a large hole in the house with his departure and will always be remembered.
He's been with us since May of 2006. Shortly after we lost Boris, we heard about a dog at the Verde Valley Humane Society that was called "Vader". He was a large, male, brindle pit mix. He had been there for over 5 months, and no one had adopted him. After the third time we heard/read/were told about him, we decided we needed to meet him in person. So we went to the shelter.
We "interviewed" this sweet boy for about an hour, and it happened that the next day he would be a an adoption event in town. So we took Tasha to meet him. The meeting was a success, and we adopted Sparky. The shelter staff were so happy he had a home at last. We had a few rough spots while the hormones subsided (he had just been neutered), but everything leveled out, and he is the breed ambassador now. If another dog in the house growls, he walks away or goes and lays down. He loves Jeep rides, and has a special harness and custom bed for his riding comfort and safety.
Sparky's arrival had a side effect. Because of him I got involved with the local Humane Society, and was the board president for several years.
