Fourteenth Anniversary With Sparky The Dog

Left: Sparky and his master enjoy the ocean breezes at Carmel, CA, Memorial Day weekend, 1994.


In February, 1994, I left Sacramento for New Mexico, in order to attend my Uncle Ramon's funeral. That weekend, the gate to the back yard on 40th Street was left open and Stella the Dog, the smartest dog I ever had, vanished for all time. Katherine Arthur and I were heartsick. We hoped Stella found a good home, wherever she went.

So, we started looking for an opportunity to find a new dog. We started cruising the animal shelters, where some wonderful dogs are to be found.

On April 2, 1994, we were cruising the County of Sacramento's animal shelter, on Bradshaw, when I thought I found the perfect dog in one of the outer cages. Small, short-haired, white, friendly - what more could one ask?

I went to locate Katherine in the central building, and discovered she had her own ideas. There, smack in the middle of cluster of three African-American teenaged girls, was a small, long-haired jet-black Pomeranian. The dog had a pampered, tame look, and was very handsome. Katherine wanted that dog bad! I thought that since the girls seemed to have placed a claim on the dog already, perhaps we should drop the black dog, and check out the wonderful white dog outside, but Katherine would have none of that kind of defeatist thinking.

Turned out the girls had just one small problem: before they could adopt the dog, they had to get permission from their parents first. The girls reluctantly left, and Katherine swooped in....

And thus began the saga of Sparky the Dog....

Left and below: First known pictures of Sparky - May, 1994.