Sparky's Quest

The afternoon was clear, cool and sunny - nothing less that what Little Man deserved. The clear blue sky made a fitting backdrop for his burial. I buried Sparky at my farm, at the foot of flowering pear tree (bright orange leaves in the fall, white fragrant blooms in the spring) that was chosen and planted to provide the shade for his final resting place. You can see his grave in the foreground at the foot of the tree.

I feel better now that I know he's home.

It is with an unbearable sadness that I report that Sparky is no longer with us. My apartment is so empty without his presence. I cannot begin to relate how painful this is. He will be buried at my farm over the Labour Day weekend.

I was called into service for an "dog delivery" mission. Grainger was up in Vermont and he needed to be in Manhattan so I headed up Sunday afternoon.

What a great dog! Amazingly well behaved in the car and a really sweet dog on the leash. Here's a picture of Grainger on the road. (Don't tell Sparky - that's his seat!)

Despite the rain and several accident-caused traffic jams by 4:45pm Grainger was being introduced to his new owner.

Have you ever seen a prettier dog? I might be biased, but I think not! (Make sure you click the picture for the large version!)

The Spans and I have instituted a new routine most evenings where we go to Sant Ambroeus on Madison Ave to have a coffee and cookies. I was pretty worn out today and had decided to forego our evening trip and was relaxing on the couch watching a bit of TV. A little after 9pm (Sant Ambroeus closes at 10pm) Winnie and Sparky walk over (basically shoulder to shoulder no less) to see when I would be getting (my lazy self being the implication) off the couch and attending to the Spaniel Stomachs. After a moment of contemplation on their part (and inaction on my part) Win plopped herself down with a sigh of disgust and proceeded to deploy "the look" while Sparky took a flanking position and looked on expectantly.

Very few people I know can resist one of the Spans when they put "the hurt" (as my father calls it) on you, much less the pair of them. When they join forces - fogeddaboudit - just quickly conceed that you're going to do what they want and save yourself some grief.

Needless to say, off to Sant Ambroeus we go. I park out front and head in for the provisions and who do I see standing at the bar when I walk in the door? Emeril.

Yes, that Emeril.

BAM!

When I came out to the car, Sparky was sitting on the driver's seat smiling ear to ear and Win was sitting on the passenger's seat with a smug look on her face.

Just goes to show you - trust your dogs in all things.

I finally got some pain killers from Dr. K yesterday evening and they seem to be helping. Sunday and Monday were really tough, with Sparky barely getting out of his bed all day long. He spirits improved significantly within 20 minutes after getting his pill last night, so for that, I was relieved. He even played fetch with me for a good 20 minutes before I had to leave for my guitar lesson. When I came back (a little over an hour later) he was still in good spirits.

This morning he's up, eating, and moving around - all good signs that the pills are doing a decent job, although I have a suspicion that the dose could be increased slightly. I'll give it a day or two, and then talk to Dr. K about upping the dose slightly if I think he's still in pain.

Sparky, Winnie and I loaded up the car and headed out for a road trip. Sparky was not feeling all that well, but he loves to ride in the car, so off we went. The plan was to go to Boston to pick up an analog 8-track mixing board that I had purchased on eBay that was just too heavy to ship and then drive back down through CT on the back roads, working in a stop in Old Lyme, CT for some ice cream. (Yes, the ice cream is worth the drive to Old Lyme - if you get a chance, stop.) The Strawberry ice cream was top notch and Sparky perked up significantly and ate a good portion.

Here's a (crappy phonecam) picture of the pack in the back of the car. This was a watering break that we had - Winnie is in the foreground (tanking up!) as Sparky looks on from the background (having already tanked up).

It saddens me greatly to have to report that Sparky is dying. I received the news about a week ago, and although I was holding out faint hope that the test results wouldn't confirm the worst, they unfortunately have.

Sparky has a cancerous tumer at the base of his nose and the most aggressive form of cancer at that. Nothing holds out the option for a cure. The only things that can be done can potentially lengthen his life by a few months, but at a great cost to Sparky. Radiation therapy is one of the treatments that has been suggested. It is not a cure and there is no hope of remission.

The sense of helplessness is what cuts the most painfully.

Well, it has been some time since I have last updated "Sparky's Quest". I am posting some pictures from Christmas 2004 so that you can all see what a handsome boy Sparky is.

These pictures were taken at my farm up in Canada at the end of December. I think you will agree that he's looking good! I had him in for a weigh-in yesterday and he tips the scales at 37.5 pounds now. The weight gain is completely attributed to his increasing muscle mass - he's still a very slight (although strong!) dog now.

As you can see from the "comfortable chair" pose in the picutes below, Sparky has started to develop some "springs" in his legs. He has also discovered that he can manage to jump up onto the bed - I have caved in and he now occupies a spot at the foot of the bed, although there have been more than a few times I have woken up with him lying right next to me with his head on the pillow, although this typically occurs when Winnie is sleeping on the bed too. After all, he has to sleep like the people do - at least he doesn't snore!

Since my last post I have moved into a large loft in the South Bronx. Sparky and I are enjoying it very much - Sparky found the amount of room in the loft remarkable!

Now on to the pictures!

Come-on Dad, give me the goose!


That's more like it!


"Ummm, I was *sleeping* here, what *do* you want?"


"Ok, ok, I'll pose - now we'll have photographic proof that this is my chair!"


"Pile O'Spannies"

Well, there is almost a tail beginning to show, although withour some sort of surgery there is just too much skin for Sparky to have a regular bum. We went to the vet today for a weigh-in and he tipped the scales at 33.1 pounds. I have upped his food intake again as I want him to stabalize around 32 pounds.

Of other note, I should have some pictures shortly (maybe even video) of Sparky "Speed Demon" playing at the dog park - it's amazing that 9 short months ago this dog couldn't walk more than about 20 feet without a rest and that his back legs used to give out stepping off the curb.

Trip to the vet today for a weigh-in - Sparky 35.0, and Winnie 29.7.

and Sparky weighs 35.3 pounds - another .7 lost. I have incresed his food intake to almost maintenance now, so the weight loss should slow right down. He is very close to his ideal weight. He still has some fat deposits on his bum, and far too much skin there, but that should go away as the days pass. I spoke with Dr. Kalvig about his bum, and she said that it would be possible to do some skin reduction if it was required. Sparky would truly be an Upper East Side dog if he underwent "plastic surgery"! :)

Do you think he's happier?

We're almost there - that bum still needs a bit of work, but I think that its possible to see a bit of difference. ;)

Groomer's tomorrow for a summer hair cut, so check back in a day or two and I will post a side-by-side comparison but for now, take a look at these.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Here is a picture that I took of Winnifred (a.k.a Winnie) that I like very much.

Just back from a weigh-in at New York Vet and Sparky is 39.0 pounds. The thirties... wow! Sparky has now lost 31 pounds since November. We are closing in on the final weight - I think that healthy weight for Sparkyis going to be about 30 to 32 pounds.

Now, as for Winnie, she was 30.0 pounds this morning, for a one-month weight reduction of one pound. She should be about 27 pounds, so she doesn't have far to go.

No, seriously...

Elephant herd rescues antelope from KZN Boma

I'm not sure if either of the Spannies would want to come across a cat that's this tough!

Cat survives cross-country move in drawer

Sparky tipped the scales this morning at 42.5 pounds (woHOO! 2 pounds), and Winnie, (who has put on a few too many pounds b/c of a switch in diet) at 31.0 pounds.

The following is an excerpt from the Times Herald-Record. It was published on March 24, 2004 and can be found online at 61 Spaniels

Wawayanda – The 61 spaniels raced out of four sheds, their hair matted with feces and dirt. Their tails wagged, but the smell of urine staggered onlookers. The dogs' owners, Jack and Frances Stoltz, were charged with 61 misdemeanor counts of neglect yesterday. Authorities took away nine dogs immediately for emergency cleaning. Later, he [Jack Stoltz] said the couple got one dog. Then they bought her a mate. Then there was a litter. "Unfortunately, we didn't get rid of them fast enough, and it just went on," Stoltz said. Now the females and males live in separate quarters. They do not breed them and do not sell their dogs, Stoltz said. They have no one to help them care for their massive pack. The heated sheds lacked ventilation, creating a noxious steam bath inside. There was no sawdust on the ground to absorb urine. Sheriff's Deputy David Ayers said the hair on some was so matted they couldn't even walk.

ESSCLI-Rescue (the rescue organization that handled Sparky's rescue) has launched a campaign to rescue these dogs from their current situation. This is not as simple as it might seem. There was an initial court hearing at which ESSCLI-Rescue representatives presented 2 documents; one was a proposal for ESSCLI-Rescue's participation and how with the help of the national Springer Rescue organization(ESRA), the Mid-Atlantic ESS Rescue, NEESSR, and the local shelters, the dogs could efficinetly be moved to foster care. The second was an overview/mission statement of the ESSCLI-Rescue Program.

This first hearing for the Stoltz family did not go as we had hoped. At the time of the hearing it seemed apparent that the judge could not grasp the magnitude of what was going on at the Stoltz farm. Basically, the judge ruled that he couldn't see any reason why if there were still 51 dogs remaining at their home, why the other ten couldn't be returned. He requested that an inspection be done on Saturday, April 10th, and the findings of that inspection would determine whether or not the 10 would be returned.

When one of the rescue coordinators from ESSCLI spoke with the deputy, he said that the judge allowed them to show up for the inspection an hour early and that the inspection was certainly not glowing. To make a long story short, the judge did not give the Stoltzes back their ten dogs that are now currently in shelters.

The Stoltzes will go to court on May 4th and at that time the fate of these dogs will be decided. Unfortunately the judge appears to not understand the gravity of the dogs conditions. At this time the remaining 51 are still living in 4 sheds with no ventiliation. They remain soaking wet from urine. Their mats have been shaved off, but not their entire coats, so basically they have holes! Further, their food is thrown in piles on the floor for them to eat (the same floor that they urinate and deficate on).

When ESSCLI-Rescue coordinators spoke with the Deputy Sheriff, he asked if they would tell everyone that they knew to email, write letters and/or call the judge and tell them what they thought of his ruling at the first hearing.

The final court date has been moved up to May 4th as the judge realized that there was a lot of ground to cover and that was the only day that he could schedule it early enough. There are 54 counts of abuse that have been charged against these people.

If you would like to pass on your opinion to the judge as to why you think these dogs should be taken away and given to individuals where they could get love and attention; either through rescue or through a shelter, please feel free to contact him.

Sparky and I are asking that readers of this site provide a voice for those 61 Spaniels without a voice by writing to the judge via email to let him know what you think about his ruling. If you do feel you can send an email, please email the judge, but additionally, (and very importantly), it is imperative that you cc: sparkysquest at hotpop dot com with your email. It might be very easy for the judge to delete emails after he figures out that he is getting bombarded. What I will do with all the emails is send them to the ESSCLI-Rescue coordinator so that they can fax them to the DA. This way all of our thoughts will be there no matter what. Unfortunately it is not possible to cc the DA via email as it appears that they either do not have that availability or don't want to be overwhelmed with that info on email. They did however give me the fax number, so that is how we will proceed.

The contact information that you need, is this:
Judge Gromacki
Wawayanda Town Court
74 Ridgebury Hill Road
Slate Hill, NY 10973
845-355-5706 or 845-355-5750
Email is: Judgegromacki at pioneeris dot net
CC Sparky: sparkysquest at hotpop dot com

(Please note, you will have to enter this email into your email client, in order to stop automatic spam emails I have written out the email addresses.)

If you would like any further information regarding what is going on, please feel free to contact Sparky and I will update you as soon as I can. Information will also be posted here at sparkysquest.com.

This is the letter that I sent to Judge Gromacki, please do not copy it verbatim, the letters will have much more impact if they are written individually.


Judge Gromacki
Wawayanda Town Court
74 Ridgebury Hill Road
Slate Hill, NY
10973

April 29, 2004

Dear Judge Gromacki,

It is with great regret and not a little anger that I read about the 61 Spaniels that Mr. and Mrs. Stolz had on their property. It is deplorable that animals, through no choice of their own, are forced to live in horrendous conditions. The care of these animals was entrusted to Mr. and Mrs. Stolz and they have failed miserably in their charge. The Stoltz's are very clearly unable to care for their dogs as the abominable living conditions that the dogs were found in clearly demonstrate. The winter creating "difficulty" for Mr. Stolz in cleaning the dog's sheds is not a legitimate excuse. Are the dogs expected to live in disgusting sheds for the entire winter? Are the Stolz’s responsibilities to these animals merely fair weather?

Additionally, the way in which the Stolz’s arrived at the present situation of owning 61 dogs demonstrates a clear lack of an understanding of what responsible pet ownership entails as evidenced by information reported in the Times-Herald Record, "Later, he [Mr. Stolz] said the couple got one dog. Then they bought her a mate. Then there was a litter. 'Unfortunately, we didn't get rid of them fast enough, and it just went on,' Stoltz said."

This stuns me in its ignorance, there are very simple and inexpensive options to neuter or fix a dog, which make this statement all the more indicative of the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Stolz are unable or unwilling to care for these animals properly. There would have been ample opportunity to turn this situation around well before the current situation arose.

Further, the things that Mr. and Mrs. Stolz hold up as excuses are simply no consolation to these dogs. As an example of their "care" for these dogs, Mrs. Stolz is quoted as saying that she spent over $15,000.00 in vet bills (which I am sure she took to show her "love" for these dogs). I would like to point out that this works out to slightly less than $250 per dog, a number, which falls short of the amount of money that I spend on routine (not to mention emergency) veterinary care for my dogs each year. This number would be significantly higher if the dogs were truly receiving adequate veterinary care.

It is not the number of Spaniels that the Stolz couple own that bothers me, if someone is capable of caring for 61 dogs, then by all means, they should be able to keep their dogs, but therein lies the essence of the problem here. The careless and callous disregard for the animal's safety and well being and clear demonstration of the couple's inability to care for this number of dogs makes it imperative that you not allow these dogs to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Stolz. At this point, promising to "rectify" the situation seems small consolation for these animals which have been living, sleeping and eating in their own urine and feces. Mr. and Mrs. Stolz have made no effort to "rectify" the situation before threatened with criminal action and left to their own, I have no doubt that these animals would remain in deplorable living conditions.

I urge you to enforce the counts of animal cruelty to the full extent of the law and to take these dogs away from Mr. and Mrs. Stolz. It would be reprehensible to allow these people to keep their dogs. The proposal by the Springer Spaniel Rescue League is a good one and is one which I have no doubt that can be executed. I myself have an adopted Spaniel that I found through the volunteers at the English Springer Spaniel Club of Long Island Rescue and I have witnessed the dedication of this group of volunteers and have been continually impressed by their professionalism and dedication to the welfare of all of the dogs that they rescue each year.

Sincerely,
Jon F. M. Webster
New York City, NY

44.5 pounds. Although the weight loss has slowed significantly over the past several months, Sparky continues to lose weight, albeit slowly. His tail is slowly appearing, and he is slowly getting his shape back!

Sparky went to the groomer this morning for the first time. (Although I know that he was groomed once right before I got him.) I am very proud of him as he was a complete gentleman! I have started growing out his feathers and chest, although we have quite some way to go before they are of any significant length. In anycase, I thought that I would include a picture for you this morning!

Off to New York Veterinary Hospital this morning to pick up another bag of food for Sparky and for a quick weigh-in. Sparky tipped the scales at 47.5 pounds this morning - definitively into the 40's!!

Here is a picture of Sparky taken this morning with my camera phone while he was helping me navigate. I have a loaner car for a week while the Range is in the shop. Check out all of that hair - what a fur ball! I haven't had him clipped since November as he was shaved right down just before I got him. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I think that I am going to take him over to the groomer next week. I want to make sure that the weather has started to warm up for good before I get him clipped.

You can now email Sparky if you want. His address is: sparkysquest at hotpop dot com. (I have entered it this way to avoid getting SPAM - just re-enter this into your email program in normal format.)

You should have seen Sparky when I got him home last night. (You might remember from yesterday's post that Captain Insaneo went to the bath room in my apartment.) Well, Sparky was no fool and the moment that he stepped foot in the apartment he knew something had gone down in his absence. It was really funny to watch him go around the apartment.

"Hey buddy - what is it. What's going on?" I said as he ranged around the apartment smelling unfamiliar dog. I assumed a look of astonishment as I followed Sparky around the apartment. Complete innocence was my cloak and I didn't admit any culpability in the fact that there had been another dog in the apartment.

Operation "Insaneo Drop" involved breaking a Springer ("Captain Insaneo") out of the CACC in NYC and transporting him to his new home in Albany. I had received a call from ESSR about helping this dog get to his new home, and after some initial hesitation, centered around the fact that Sparky hates all other dogs except Winnie, I thought "hey, how bad can it be" and agreed to get this fella home.

I arrived at the CACC on Saturday afternoon to bust Insaneo out and after signing some paper work, a wirey field Springer was presented to me. As with all dogs on their way out of the CACC, he didn't look back. (At this point, I should point out, he wasn't known as Captain Insaneo.) I took him for a short walk before loading him in the car and after a few minutes he settled down.

I didn't have anything else planned for the afternoon, so I took him for a drive around the city to find out what I was in for with respect to the trip to Albany (he rode very well in the car) and then on to Riverside park for a walk. Walk! Ha! That was a good one! This poor little guy had been at CACC for almost a month, and undoubtedly spent most of his time in a cage. Well, he was ready for a run now - and could he run.

Back in the car, and off to get Kira at Columbia where she had been working all day in the library to show her this handsome boy that was on his way to Albany tomorrow. She remarked how beautiful his face was and we were off to drop Kira off at her apartment.

Sparky was hanging out at Kira's for the night as there would be no way to have the bunch of them all meet because Sparky doesn't like other dogs and frankly I didn't want to deal with a sulking Springer after he saw me leading Insaneo around, so after walking up to say hello to Sparky and give him a quick walk, I was back down to the car for the trip over to my apartment.

I got him upstairs and let him into my apartment.

....

Wow.

That's the only way to describe it. On the bed, off the bed, on the bed, off the bed, round and round and round he went.

Shortly after we arrived I named him Captain Insaneo.

We came to a tacit understanding that it was time for bed by allowing him to sleep on the bed with me. (Sparky doesn't even get to do that). At one point he was lying beside me, on his back, feet flailing in the air, in puppy lying position with his head on my shoulder. The problem with this arrangement is that if I moved, and I mean even shifted a toe, Insaneo was up and ready for action. This happened at, among other earlier times, about 5:45.

I finally gave up trying to sleep at 6AM and got up to take a shower. After peeing in the corner - Insaneo, not me - (he just didn't have a clue that he shouldn't be doing it) and standing outside the door of the bathroom wagging his tail (I know this because every time that he wagged his tail banged on the door), I took him out for a walk. A really long walk. We hung out for a couple of hours walking the city and then got into the car for the trip over to Kira's for some breakfast with the Spannies. I picked Kira up and we drove over to Via Quadranno for coffee and pastry, but they weren't open yet, so we went to La Pastisserie Margo on Lex instead. Once we had our coffees we drove some more as Insaneo snored, (and I mean really snored), in the back. (Afterall, he had a rough night of bed jumping and the guy he was sleeping with kept moving.)

Since Insaneo quite enjoyed the car and the temperature was quite warm I left him sleeping on "his" blanket in the back of the car and went up stairs to see Kira and the Spannies.

On the way up we stopped to talk to Cathy (the owner of a very adorable Westie named Bently), who lives in Kira's building and told her about Captain Insaneo. Her mother has a field Springer and when I told her that he was sleeping out in the car she said, "He's in your car - are you nuts? Get ready for it to be destroyed." To which I replied - "Destroyed, no way - he loves his blanket in the back - I don't even think he can jump over the back partition." (I was trading on the fact that he wouldn't try to jump up as he was such an inexperienced puppy.)

HA!

You'd think I was new or something.

Field Springer not able to get out of the back.

Yeah, right....

When I finally was ready to drive up to Albany, I went down to the car and was greeted with this.



What a face, he was so proud of himself! You will notice the shoe that was discarded on the front seat. (That came out of a bag of Salvation Army give-aways that was in the back seat.) Actually no damage was done, and actually all he did was fling the shoe around and then promptly fall asleep on the front seat. (This seems to be the preferred Spaniel position as both Winnie and Sparky love it up there.)

Since he had a defacto upgrade to backseat privleges, that's where he rode for the rest of the trip. Captain Insaneo and I made the trip up to Exit 23 on the throughway where I delivered him to his new home - what a satisfying feeling!

Sparky has just tipped the scales at 50 pounds! Forties here we come!

Sparky wanted me to make sure that I told everyone that he is now 52 pounds! The "forties" are coming fast!

Well, not quite, but about two weeks ago, I actually felt Sparky's tail wagging when I reached down to pat him. This confirms that there actually will be a tail appearing sometime. The bad weather has slowed things down recently, as we haven't been "marathon walking" not to mention that I spent the first two weeks of January sick in bed.

However, the last time that I weighed Sparky, he was just over 54.5 pounds, so he is still losing, but a bit slower than the first 15 pounds. We're about due for a weigh-in so I'll post the progress as soon as I know.

Sparky's Quest now has a proper domain name. What this means is that you can type http://www.sparkysquest.com to find out the latest and greatest info about our boy Sparky.

I have added commenting functionality - if you would like to leave comments, click on the Comment link at the bottom of the post! Additionally, pictures are coming in the next week. (I promise!)

Sparky had a weigh-in today, and we are pleased to report that he tipped the scales at 56.3 pounds!

It is difficult to tell the difference in him as I see him everyday, however, yesterday I got the roll of film that we shot of him the first few days that he was here developed (yes, this means pictures on the site soon!) and there is indeed a noticeable difference in him.

Sparky still has quite the rump and shelf, however, his backside no longer "bumps up" and is coming close to the same level as his back. Also, a little bump of a tail is beginning to be seen, although it is going to be quite some time before an actual tail appears.

He is going gang busters, and although he must be quite hungry most of the time, he doesn't complain at all.

At his new lower weight (remember that he has lost 10 pounds now!) he finds it easier to jump and run, and in fact tonight (as it was raining) he was jumping and "ducking" waiting for me to towel him off.

Sparky will be accompanying me to Canada this Christmas and I can't wait to take him out to the bush on my farm for some "hard-core" exploring!

I have changed the seating configuration in the car slightly. Winnie, of course, is in the back seat as always, but I have folded down one of the back seats and Sparky now uses this as his "platform" and loves to sit and stare out the windows. Occasionally he will give a little and low growl out when he sees another dog on the street, but I verbally correct him and he is beginning to understand that he doesn't need to fend off other dogs as he is "my boy" and has nothing to worry about.

From his platform he can also (suprised me the first time) reach foward and kiss my cheek between the front seat head rest and the window!

He doesn't really do anything other than sit and watch the world go by - he loves to see the passing scenery. The skinner that he gets the easier it will be for him to ride in the back seat as currently he is a little too big to make riding on the seat comforable or safe.

Sparky is now under 60 pounds! He tipped the scale this morning at 59.2 pounds!!

We had a bit of a scare today when Sparky lunged at another dog on the street. His back legs went out when I was holding him back and he then wouldn't put any weight on his left hind leg. I massaged it and checked it for sore spots, but he didn't complain over any specific place on his leg and was walking without favoring it in about 1/2 a block. He has been fine for the rest of the day - and nothing appears out of the ordinary.

He is such a character, and has to be one of the most loving dogs I have had the pleasure to own. All he wants to do is sit beside my chair and have my hand on his head or back. He also has one of the best faces, and most expressive eye brows that I have ever seen.

I will get some pictures up soon so that you can share in the transformation!

Sparky continues to amaze. As with any rescue dog, it takes a bit of time before the dog's personality comes out. Additionally, the new home also has an effect on the dogs personality. Sparky is no different. As the days pass he turns into more and more of a character.

Sparky is doing so much better climbing the stairs. (There are 4 flights to get to my apartment.) When we first started climbing together, it was a slow and difficult process for Sparky. The biggest challenge for him was the weight of his back side and the lack of strength in his hind legs. He is now to the point that rather than "one foot at a time" climbing he is now stepping with his front paws and then "jumping" up with his hind legs. He can't make the entire set of stairs like this yet, but he can do half of the first set.

The other thing is that he can consistently pee with one hind leg up in the air now. (A little off color in terms of content, but hey, you're all dog lovers!) As he mainly was "puppy-peeing" when he first arrived, I count his ability to "three-legged-pee" as another small victory!

Dr. Kalvig has prescribed Eukanuba Veterinary Diets Restricted Calorie food for Sparky, and Eukanuba has generously donated all the food for Sparky's quest.

Sparky and I would like to thank the local Eukanuba rep for her generous support.

I have been swamped with work recently, so I apologise for not getting the news up on the site. Sparky has been progressing quickly over the past weeks and I am very proud of him!

We were at the vet's office two days ago and I am very pleased to report that Sparky now tips the scale at 60 pounds. (That's 6.5 pounds lost so far for all those of you who are counting!)

I am not expecting this pace to maintain itself, as the first pounds are always the easiest, but in any case it is great progress!

As a result of the weight loss Sparky can actually sleep comfortably on his side and more importantly get himself up, which was very difficult for him to do when he arrived.

His strenth on the stairs is improving as well. The apartment building stairs are still a bit of a challenge, (mainly due to the pitch of the stairs), but Sparky is now able to almost run up the stairs in the park.

He is still clearing out the last of the tapeworms and yesterday we found (and killed) a flea on his shoulder. I am taking both Winnie and Sparky to the vet tomorrow to get them started on Frontline. (Sparky is supposed to already be on Frontline, but apparently not!)

Sparky and I would like to wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

The weather has been miserable (well, not if you're a duck) here in NYC with rain falling constantly, today was the first day that there was clear weather. Sparky really doesn't mind the rain at all and was game for walking even though it was wet and cold. I thought that I might be able to convince Sparky to go for a swim since he was already soaked, but he shows no interest in getting into the water. I am going to have to wait until the summer so that he and I can go in together. If it is like everything else with Sparky, all I need to do is show him the first time, and then once he knows that it is ok - look out! I will probably regret showing him the water as I probably won't be able to get him out!

Now on to a quick health update. Sparky's ears look just fantastic - nice pink coloring (no more bright red), no discharge, and now smelly ears. He really enjoys getting his ears cleaned (if you can imagine that) and makes the most extraordinary grunts, groans, and other un-classifiable noises. Also, the worms are gone although Sparky still has his second dose of de-wormer later this week.

As for progress on the quest, a quick trip to Dr. Kalvig's office where I confirmed Sparky's weight loss. He is down to 63.5, which is a 3 pound improvement since he arrived on November 2.

In addition to the weight loss he is so much stronger. I am even more cautious now as a result of the fact that he is capable of running and jumping. I am worried that he could injure himself. (I keep telling him that the more weight he loses the more fun that he can have!)

Kira purchased a new stuffed toy for him, which he just loves. It squeaks and rattles and is in the form of an orange cat with a very long neck. Sparky has taken to carrying it with him when we go on our walks in the morning. He is quite the endearing sight to see walking down the street.

Depending on your perspective one of the benefits (a good way to monitor the health of your dog), or detractions (don't forget the bags), of owning and walking a dog in NYC is that one becomes intimately familiarly with one’s canine companion’s poop!

In any case, I saw evidence of tapeworms in Sparky’s morning stool and took a sample over to New York Veterinary Hospital for confirmation. Dr. Kalvig confirmed that this was indeed the case and proscribed a two-dose de-wormer. Additionally, she is going to screen for any other parasites in his stool.

After a leisurely walk in the park (even a Springer in training deserves one day off), we loaded the dogs into the Rangie for a day of shopping. We were headed down to Chinatown for some Dim Sum and then on to Soho for some proper shopping. Sparky and Winnie were making friends all around Soho and shopping up a storm. Burberry was a highlight for the Spannies and Winnie looked smashing in the Burberry doggie coat that she tried on.

Sparky behaved himself admirably in the crowds on the street, and although there was a brief and tense encounter with another dog in the Louis Vuitton store, other dogs were handled with aplomb.

It was a beautiful fall day and I decided to load “the pack” into the Rangie for an upstate road trip. We headed out after picking up some breakfast and decided that we would head up to Woodbury, Connecticut to do some antiquing. Although most of the leaves have already fallen, we drove the back roads for a view of the countryside and what leaves remained put on a good show. We were driving along Route 188 when Kira spotted a small state park and we decided to stop to walk the Spannies. The park turned out to be very pretty with a long cascading waterfall and covered wooden bridge. Winnie and Sparky were in their element! Winnie loves to walk in the fallen leaves and she amuses herself by kicking the leaves with her front feet. At times she all but disappears for the flying foliage. Sparky, was nose down in search of whatever scents he could find. After the walk, we loaded the dogs back in the Rangie and were off for the remainder of the drive to Woodbury.

We arrived in Woodbury relatively late in the afternoon so we didn’t have time to go into all of the shops that we wanted to, however, we managed to cover the highlights. After our first antique foray we stopped at a small restaurant along Route 6, just outside of Woodbury, called the “Charcoal Chef” and had a great cheeseburger and some apple pie. If you’re ever in the neighbourhood, I would definitely recommend stopping in!

We rounded out the afternoon in a few more shops and then stopped for some coffee and got the dogs out for a walk – although the were excited to get out of the car after diligently sleeping during most of the afternoon, once they hit the ground they frankly just wanted back into the car as the temperature had dropped to about 40 degrees at this point. The necessity to relieve themselves won out, and we took a brisk walk before loading the dogs back into the car for the trip home.

On the way back, we stopped in Greenwich, Connecticut on a small pier that afforded us a fantastic view of the lunar eclipse, although I think that the majesty of the moment might have been lost on the two sleepy Spannies, Kira and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After watching the eclipse the pack turned for NYC and called it a (very successful) day.

This morning was Sparky's vet appointment at New York Veterinary Hospital with Dr. Kalvig (who I think is just about as perfect a vet as one can find) to have a general check-up and have his ears examined. Kira and Winnie decided to come along for the walk so that they could keep an eye on things in a supervisory capacity as well as wanting to be there for the weigh-in. We were quite a sight coming in the door - Winifred the “miniature” black and white Cocker and her "older brother", (or at least "larger brother"), the "super-size" black and white Springer.

Winifred, as always, was into everything and was occasionally playing "tough dog" with anyone she felt needed an attitude adjustment, while at the same time madly wagging her nub of a tail and saying hello to all of the staff. (As anyone who has ever had a cocker knows, never is a cocker as tough as when they are either being held back or are behind a stout glass window. I have a funny story about her involving a large, albeit friendly black lab who wasn't tied up when she though he was that I'll relate another time.) Sparky on the other hand was busy making friends with everyone in the office.

The office cat was the next source of canine entertainment. The office cat is one of the sweetest cats you could find, is as old as the hills and was having no nonsense from the Spannie twins. Sparky, who I am not so sure has ever seen a cat, got a little too close when sniffing in the cat's direction and took a quick right hook to the nose for his trouble. No claws were involved, no one was hurt and Sparky was astonished that anything could move that fast. And Winnie! Winnie at one point had a five-minute long "stare-off" with the cat as they sat at either end of the long office corridor. The way that the two of them were staring at each other I was just waiting for one of them to yell "DRAW".

Once in the exam room the first order of business was the ears. The ears were looking better after three days of clear, however, they were still quite red and inflamed. Dr. Kalvig shaved the inside of his ears and applied a drying ointment, the name of which I have currently forgotten. Having done that, we’re going to leave the ears alone until Sparky’s next appointment with Dr. Kalvig.

Now for the good news - only a week in and Sparky has dropped a pound. He tipped the scales today at 64.5, a little over a pound lighter! (I told you I could see the difference in him.) Although Sparky is doing well on his current food and exercise routine (1 pound in a week after all), Dr. Kalvig has decided that he should be on an ultra-low cal food (more on this in a few days) to try to get this weight off him as soon as possible.

The rest of the exam went off without a hitch and other than his weight he is in great shape! Sparky is due back in three weeks to chart his progress on the scale and make any adjustments to the volume of food that might be necessary.

As always the staff at New York Veterinary Hospital was just fantastic and Sparky definitely picked up some new fans today! I want to thank Dr. Kalvig and her staff for all of the "preferred treatment" that Sparky, Winifred, Kira and I receive. I couldn’t ask for a better veterinary hospital.

Thanks to customer support at Blogger.com, I now have an upgraded site. All of the pictures I took earlier this week were with a film camera, and I still have some photos left on that roll before I can get it developed. I will take some digital pictures this weekend and I'll upload them as soon as I do.

One of "the regulars" noticed the improvement in Sparky when he saw him running with me this morning. This was an encouraging sign! I am convinced that you can see a difference already, but then again it is hard to tell when I see him on a daily basis.

We had a really rainy day today and this evening was no different. Fortunately, by the time that Sparky was ready for his evening walk, it had stoped raining in ernest and was only misting. The girls weren't interested in going out in the rain for an evening walk (I swear that Winnie rolled her eyes at Kira when I suggested it) but Sparky and I were up for it. We walked about 40 blocks up and down Madison and then called it a night.

This morning in the park, I decided to up the training intensity to see how Sparky responded. We did "the monster" stairs twice and as always Sparky was a trooper and powered his way up both times. He starts out on the bottom steps at a run but by the last few steps he is struggling a bit.

After the stairs we had a rousing game of fetch, again with Kira and Winnie throwing and Sparky and myself retrieving. (I think that I am going to drop a few pounds myself with all of the stair training and fetching!)

We then returned to the apartment wet, muddy and happy. I have discovered that Sparky loves to be towelled off, particularily when I hide his face in the towel and wrestle with him. Winnie is much the same and both begin to get charged up and then look up with "Crazy Spaniel Eyes" and a big smile on their faces. The two of them are, if not friends yet, at least peacefully co-habitating.

Sparky is still getting used to other dogs and it's not so much as he is aggressive to them, but that he just doesn't know how to saw hello properly. We're working on it and he's getting better with each passing day.

"The Pack" just got back from an evening walk during which we toured down Madison Ave and did some window shopping. (Sparky and I are partial to the Beretta store - I'll leave it to the reader to surmise why.)

I am astonished by how quickly his endurance is improving and Sparky continues to be amazed that he gets to go out for a minimum of two walks a day. The evening walk was uneventful, but the morning walk had several aspects worth noting. I suggested a slight modification to the circuit through the park that added a second set of stairs. Sparky managed this new set as well as "the monster" set by the fountain with, if not quite ease, then considerable improvement from his first try.

It is really pleasing to see him run, (yes run) for his squeezy bone during the morning session of fetch. You can almost see the thin dog with long flowing feathers bounding across the grass that will emerge at the completion of the quest. I even let him run loose for a few retrieves in a quiet section of the park where there were no other dogs. He behaved himself admirably, returning each and every time.

I could go on and on about what a character this dog is. Every day something new emerges - from his desire to sit beside me on the floor with his head tucked under my arm to the way that, as I am sitting here writing this, (and thus not paying attending to him) he is at my feet throwing his chew toy to himself!