Spats The First Dog Chapter

Spats was the hubby's dog. He acquired him from his grandfather George B who cared for that pup until we took him home with us. Spats was an incredible little half lab. His mother had been a show dog. Bright Eyes was a beautiful AKC registered pup until she got mixed up with the "wrong kind" of dog at the farm in Holly, Colorado. She had a beautiful litter of 7 puppies, five females died shortly after birth and only Spats and
his brother Bubba remained. Bubba died many years before Spats and we raised that dog for nearly 17 years before his untimely death.

That little dog loved the Denver Bronco's and sat with the hubby each weekend when they played football. He also had a penchant for beer and would knock over your can or bottle "accidentally" so he could have a sip or two! Our daughter Noelle had a party one time when we were out of town and she said her friends brought rot gut beer. Black Label to be exact. She said it was so gross that they poured it in the dogs dish! He kindly walked over to that dish, sniffed it and pushed it aside! He was a high end beer drinking dog!

Our daughter Rebekah would sit with him and rock him in her arms and she would lay in his kennel and sing to him and rub his ears. When he got old and sickly she took to caring for him as if he were her only real friend..

When he was a young pup we had a mean neighbor behind us who had two German Shepherds that he abused.He was a police officer. Once before the common fence between went up he cut those dogs loose they came charging our dog across the yard. Now you need to know we were law abiding citizens and we put the pup on his chain attached to his dog house when he was outside so he would not accidentally get away and be hit by a car. My father-in-law built that little dog house and it was built strong and tough. That dog took that house with him when those dogs charged him and he grated the entire backyard with that house on his back! Those dogs never troubled him again.

He always rode shot gun with the hubby and I obliged him. He was the last gift from my hubby's grandfather whom my hubby adored so I indulged him. When we got hi neutered he hopped into the front seat and stared out the window the whole way home. He was mad that we took his manhood away from him and he never let my husband forget it.
He was so gentle and once our oldest son tried to stick a pencil in his rear quarters! I caught him just in time, J was a little tyke learning to walk and talk. That dog had the most antimated face and he looked like "Whew, that was a close call!".

He loved those Broncos and when they won their first Superbowl he went parading up and down our street like a puppy with a crown on his head and his favorite blue blanket tied around his neck like a cape! He had waited 16 plus years for those darn Broncos to win a pennant and six weeks later he fell down the basement stairs and it was then that we had to have him put down. He had a series of health aliments including hip dysplasia. When he fell and the hubby ran to him he snapped at him. Not once in his entire life did he ever get mean or onry with us or the kids.

No news today about Tink but we will always have hope.

Here are a couple shots of Spats in his glory days. We called him Spars because his feet had white markings on them and it looked like he was wearing old fashioned "spats".