SPARKY AND ME

TONIGHT THE KIDS AND I WATCHED "MY DOG SKIP' AND WE WENT TO ,"MARLEY AND ME". I LOVED THE SHOW. IT TOUCHED MY HEART AND GOT ME THINKING OF HOW ONE DOG HAD A BIG INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE. WHEN I WAS IN THIRD GRADE I WENT TO A FRIENDS HOUSE UP ON BLUE HILL DAIRY IN SPRINGLEN. THEY HAD THE CUTEST APRICOT POODLE PUPPIES I HAD EVER SEEN.

I WANTED ONE OF THOSE PUPPIES SO BAD. THEY WANTED $260 DOLLARS FOR ONE OF THE PUPPIES. MOM AND DAD SAID IF I WANTED ONE I WOULD HAVE TO EARN THE MONEY. I BEGAN TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO EARN MONEY. I WOULD GO TO ALL THE NEIGHBORS HOUSES AND ASK IF THEY HAD ANY POP BOTTLES THAT I COULD TURN IN FOR MONEY. I THINK AT THE TIME YOU COULD EARN 5 CENTS FOR EACH GLASS POP BOTTLE. I THINK I EARNED UP TO $16.00 DOLLARS AND IT WAS HARD WORK. I ALSO DID THE CARD SELLING THING.

ON VALENTINES DAY IN MY YEAR OF THIRD GRADE DAD AND MOM CAME HOME AND WOKE ME UP.THEY HAD BEEN OUT DOING STAKE MISSIONARY STUFF. THERE IN FRONT OF MY FACE WAS A VERY SCROUNGY BLACK AND WHITE DOG. DAD SAID HE WAS A POODLE AND A LADY HAD GIVEN HIM TO HIM FOR FREE. I DON'T THINK I WAS TO HAPPY AT FIRST. HE WAS FULL GROWN AND HE SURE WASN'T THE CUTE APRICOT POODLE PUPPIES I WAS OBSSESSING ABOUT. BUT IT WAS RARE FOR DAD TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT SO I APPRECIATED THE ACT OF KINDNESS. DAD WAS SO EXCITED AND PLEASED WITH THE FACT HE HAD GOT ME A POODLE FOR FREE. LITTLE DID I KNOW SPARKY WOULD BECOME MY BEST FRIEND AND BEST PLAYMATE FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS. MOM SAID WHILE I WAS AT SCHOOL HE WOULD SIT IN FRONT OF MY PICTURE AND SMILE AT IT. YES, THIS DOG COULD SMILE. THE SUMMER AFTER THIRD GRADE MY ADVENDURES INCLUDED SPARKY, STORMY THE SHETLAND PONY, AND QUACKERS MY ORPHANED DUCK. WE DID EVERYTHING TOGETHER . WHEN I WOULD GO RIDING ON STORMY SPARKY WOULD FOLLOW ALONG ON OUR ADVENTURES. I KNEW HE LOVED ME AND I LOVED HIM. ONE DAY HE DID SOMETHING HE SHOULDN'T HAVE. I CAN'T REMEBER WHAT IT WAS BUT I WAS SO MAD AT HIM I STARTED HITTING HIM. I WAS SO ASHAMED AT THE ANGER I HAD, THAT I COULD HURT MY BEST FRIEND ,THAT IT HAS STUCK WITH ME ALL MY LIFE. WHEN I WOULD GET ANGRY AT MY SMALL CHILDREN FOR DOING THINGS LIKE, DUMPING A WHOLE BAG OF FRUITY PEBBLES OUT ALL OVER THE FAMILY ROOM, OR SOME OTHER THING THAT FRUSTRATED ME I WOULD OFTEN GO BACK TO THOSE FEELINGS I FELT WHEN I HURT MY BEST FRIEND. IT KEPT ME FROM ACTING OUT ON MY CHILDREN IN ANGER FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL . I FEEL BAD THAT A LESSON LEARNED CAME FROM HURTING SOMEONE I LOVED SO MUCH BUT I HAVE BEEN SO GRATEFUL THAT I DID LEARN A LESSON AND NEVER GOT THAT ANGRY WITH MY CHILDREN. I NEVER WANTED TO BE THAT PERSON AGAIN I WAS THAT DAY.

WHEN FOURTH GRADE STARTED SPARKY WOULD RUN OUT TO MEET THE BUS. MOM WOULD TRY TO KEEP HIM IN AROUND THAT TIME FOR FEAR HE WOULD GET RUN OVER. ONE DAY HE CAME RUNNING OUT TO GREET THE BUS AND WAS RUN OVER. IT WAS A PRETTY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I THINK THE WHOLE FAMILY WAS PRETTY UPSET ABOUT IT. THE BUS DRIVER FELT SO BAD THAT HE BROUGHT ANOTHER PUPPY TO GIVE US BUT I DIDN'T WANT IT. THEN DAD BROUGHT HOME PEIRRE, WHO HAPPENED TO BE A BEAUTIFUL PURE BRED POODLE. I NEVER DID WARM UP TO HIM EITHER. THE ONLY THING I LIKED ABOUT HIM WAS UNCLE RUDY KEPT TELLING ME HIS NAME WAS PEIRRE BECAUSE HE PEED AIR. I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY.

I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES OF THAT SUMMER SPENT TOGETHER WITH MY THREE ANIMAL FRIENDS. I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THAT EXPERIENCE AND THE FRIENDSHIP THAT SUMMER WITH MY THREE ANIMALS. QUACKERS ALSO WOULD FOLLOW ME ALL AROUND THE YARD. HE THOUGHT I WAS HIS MOTHER. I LOVED WATCHING HIM SWIM IN THE POND. THIS IS THE FAMOUS PIERRE. WHO PEED AIR.



THIS IS SPARKY AND I AT LAKE POWELL. I THINK I WORE THE SAME PAIR OF PANTS ALL SUMMER LONG. THEY WERE STEVENS . THEY WERE BROWN WITH WHITE STRIPES RUNNING DOWN THEM. I LOVED WEARING THEM WITH A PAIR OF COWBOY BOOTS I HAD. OH !HOW I LOVED THOSE SUMMER DAYS.

THIS IS STORMY WHO FIRST STARTED OUT AS CAROL'S. SHE WAS GIVEN HIM BY MR HUNSAKER. POTTYETTA(WHO WAS KELLEY'S DOG) IS ON THE LAWN WITH HIM. OH! WHAT FUN I HAD ON HIM.