Puppy Love

Last Christmas, we had two pups in the house. This Christmas, we'll have zero.

Porter, died a few days after Christmas last year and Spark was euthanized earlier this month. Needless to say, our house has been pretty quiet the past few weeks. 

I found Porter, our 60-pound mutt, in January 2009 just sitting on a driveway at a home in our San Antonio neighborhood. He was probably a couple of months old at the time. 

How could I give this cute face away after I found him?

After putting up "Found" signs, nobody claimed him and instead of bringing him to the dog pound, I convinced Micah to get a second dog (we had another corgi, Rogue, at the time). Porter was a chill mama's boy. He loved being invited on the sofa and would have the best howls. 

In July 2009, Rogue abruptly died from a health issue. Heartbroken, Micah found a corgi rescue and we got Spark a few weeks later by way of Kansas. The rescue had a harder time adopting her out because she was diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus—a heart condition. If you listened to her heart with a stethoscope, it would sound like a washing machine. 

Our first day with Spark! She was so stinky and furry!

With her medical condition, we checked vet schools to see who could fix her heart for a decent price. We ended up at OSU's Vet School since they were able to do it for $1,000; we just had to spend several days in Stillwater, Okla. Eskimo Joe's! She was scheduled to have the noninvasive surgery but when they went in with the catheter, the monitor had an electrical fire so they had to abort the surgery (she really lived up to her name!). Since they weren't able to get a new monitor for several weeks, we decided to go ahead with the more invasive approach where they cut open her chest and do the surgery. The surgery went well and because of it, she lived a long and healthy life. 

The two poopy heads got on together like peanut butter and jelly. Spark would jump on Porter every morning as they got ready for breakfast and while Spark would chase after the tennis ball, Porter would work to block her. 

The two worked together to break through the chicken coop for a delicious and organic meal. I'm sure it was a Pinky and the Brain scene. Porter broke through the fencing, killed the birds and Spark ate a whole chicken! She was happy as a clam! 

Porter was also a cherry tomato thief - always digging through my garden for a sweet snack. Every time Micah would snap a banana open, Spark was there ready for a piece. 

For more than a dozen years, Porter and Spark filled our home with doggie kisses and farts (mainly Porter, he had some gut bacteria issues). lol. Dogs are truly the best. I would know, my Chinese zodiac is the dog. 

Thanks for the memories, puppies.