So Long, Spudley

Fifteen years ago we added a new member to our family. Our good friend, Ron, owned a pet store in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was a member of our church and lived across the street from us. One day he came over and said that a breeder he worked with had a Pekingese puppy that he would give away. While this puppy had a great bloodline, his plumbing didn't form properly and he would never be able to breed. With all our kids jumping up and down saying "yes, we'll take him", how could Kathy and I say no. So a brand new puppy joined our full house. The first job was to name him. Both our boys were basketball players and they decided that our new puppy resembled a short player in the NBA, Spud Webb. Somehow I suspect that if Spud Webb had known that a new Pekingese puppy had been named for him, he would have doubted it was a compliment. But after a lot of names and input from everyone in the family, the name Spud stuck. Somewhere along the line, he also became know as Spudley. Spud lived with us in Grand Junction, moved with us to Oklahoma City and then for the past eight years in St. Louis. 

Spud was a great dog. We had a lot of wonderful years with him. He really became part of our family. Spud loved Josh. Every time Josh came over Spud acted like a puppy again. He loved to have Josh hold him. One time when we were Skyping with Josh and Kelly from South Africa, Spud heard Josh's voice and started to respond as if Josh was in the room. 

 Earlier this year we became aware of the fact the Spud was slowing down. He still came to the door to greet us when we came home, but a lot slower. I even think his tail wagged slower. In the last two weeks he really slowed down. He didn't even want to go outside. He ate very little. On Monday it was apparent that he really wasn't doing good. We decided Tuesday evening that Spudley needed to see a vet. On Wednesday morning, before we could get him to a vet, he breathed his last breath. He was on Kathy's and my bed, he had been there since Monday. Kathy left the room briefly to do something in another part of the house and when she came back, Spud was gone. Today we dug a deep hole in our yard and laid him to rest. Shawn helped me dig. Shawn took Spuds passing really hard. Spud slept in Shawn's room a lot. Shawn is going to miss his buddy.

I'm not the greatest pet person. I suppose I could have gone my entire life without having a dog. But I'm glad Spud was part of our lives. We'll really miss him. I wonder if we'll see Spud again. Last night a friend told me that he was positive that pets would be in heaven. I guess we'll see. For now, we have pictures and memories of Spud, and that is enough.