In Memory of Spike
When I filled out an application on the FBRN site in February of 2006 to adopt a 1.5 year old puppy mill-bred French Bulldog named Spike, I didn’t realize that I was changing my life.
We made the five-hour drive to pick my soon-to-be best friend up and from the moment he me us, he was ready to be our sidekick on any excursion we planned.
Spike was a clown, he was always making us smile or laugh. When we’d arrive home from work, he was always either waking up from a nap and woofing to let “the intruders” know he was on the guard, or he’d have heard our cars and knew it was us and would await us at the door with the first of many toys he wanted to play with.
Spike was the master of Frenchie Tug of War and soon learned the subtle arts of wrestling with his “dad”. We’d spend literal hours on the floor chasing each other, trying to steal toys from each other, and other games that just would erase the stresses of my day and light up his life.
Spike charmed his way into his “mom’s” heart too. She was a cat person all the way and was not especially ready initially to be a dog parent. Somewhere in the first couple of years, Spike stole her heart too. Rainy days, the two were inseparable cuddling on the couch, or when the weather improved, heading out for long drives to different places for Spike to explore.
Spike touched the lives of the developmentally disabled adults his parents work with in their professional lives. Many of the group home residents and clients would want daily reports of what Spike had been up to. On special occasions, he’d make a surprise appearance to say hello and shower his friends there with kisses.
Spike loved football season, because it meant day-long cuddles on the couch under a blanket, something he discovered he loved and would communicate by pawing at the blanket to say “tuck me in”!
On July 24th, Spike left us for the Rainbow Bridge. Early that morning, he went into a seizure and never came out of it. All of our efforts to keep him alive and rushing him to an emergency vet were in vain. We honestly are left to deal with far more questions than answers as to why he passed on.
We were lucky to have him in our lives for 5 years, but it seems so unfair that in an instant, he was gone. It is impossible to sum up how in five years this little Russian puppy mill-bred dog would grow up to be the light in my smile. He was not my first dog in my life, as my family had dogs all through the years, but he was the first dog that was my dog. I still look to my front windows instinctively when I get home, hoping to see the silhouettes of his ears. When the doorbell rings, it is still strange not to hear his bark. When I sleep, the bed feels so much emptier without him sleeping near my feet.
I feel blessed to have stumbled over FBRN and to have looked through the “available dogs” and to have fallen in love with the puppy named Spike. Thank you for trusting us with him and allowing him to be a part of our lives. He was loved as much as any dog could be loved and returned that love as much as any dog could. …and to my little frenchie romping in the fields awaiting a chance to wrestle again with his dad, be patient my friend our day will come.
This is the link to a tribute I made of Spike a few days after losing him. Hopefully more people will be touched by my best friend.
