Saying Goodbye to a pet...

13 almost 14 years ago my mother and I drove to a little house in Ceres CA to buy a puppy. Our dog had passed earlier in the summer and thought it was time to get another. We arrive and they open the door and bring out the puppies. They were all hugging on each other but one got out and started looking around and hobbled his way down the pathway. He was red with a black stripe down his back, which he kept for the rest of his days. We picked him! We paid our money and got in the car and headed home. He was just a little fella. I could almost hold him in my arm. He didnt like sitting on my lap, so when i put him on my shoulder he loved it and soon he was asleep on my shoulder.
After that every time we got in the car he wanted to be on my shoulder. Basically for the rest of his life he loved sitting our our shoulders. Especially on the couch when he could sit on our shoulder and lay on the top of the couch watching what was going on around  him in and out of the living room and kitchen.

 Sparky is what we ended up calling him. He was an indoor dog. Slept on my fathers side of the bed. As most puppies do he brought a of laughter in to our home. I had got myself into some trouble and was facing prison. He was a good distraction for me during that time. 6years later upon my return home he did remember me. As soon as I got on the couch he ran up my waist and got on my shoulder and started licking me. What a great home coming that was.
He had the best dachshund ears as you can see in the photo. His feet and face turned white around 10 or 11 years old. Another puppy was brought into the house and he was so gracious with the little guy, as the pup would romp around and play and tease Sparky.
When I moved out to get married Spark became my dads dog. He would stay up late with my dad and sometimes have extra treats. As my dad watched TV he would lay beside my dad under a pillow or blanket. Then dad would head to bed and spark would follow. Every evening my folks would have ice cream. And they would let him lick the bowls. Well after I left for prison, my mom began giving him his own. One little scoop in a little bowl, he would lick on that for days savoring every moment. The evenings she forgot he would remind her. He would put his nose under her hand and whine and get fussy (he also taught this to the puppy who now then did this for Sparky). When mom would by ice cream she would buy some for them and then buy a cheap half gallon just for the dogs. The puppy didnt want to savor the goodness of the ice cream so he would gulp it down in one bite. So mom switched to whipped cream. One little squirt out of the can. They both loved it.
Last week Spark has stomach flu like symptoms. And barfed for like the whole day. It wore his little body out. He really didnt come out of it. Mom called me and me and my family came over. He was just laying on his bed in the family room. looking at my mom. she was crying. I got down near  him and started petting him. He never moved. His legs were stiff straight out. He made some convulsion type sounds and then his legs relaxed and his glossy eyes went dull. Our buddy had passed on. He was a good dog. Loyal, even had a sense of repentance when he got into trouble. If he nipped you when he got excited he know right away what he had done and would make up to you. Good ol Sparky was truly one of a kind!