Flame and Spunky

March 4, 1983 We got two golden retriever puppies. The smaller redder calmer dog we named Flame, and the larger blonder bouncier one we named Spunky, after David's dog when he was a boy. They were very cute, and the kids were absolutely delighted.

On May 1, Flame got sick so we took her to the vet, who kept her overnight and diagnosed her with Parvos. She died the next day. We were heartbroken.

We got Spunky his shots immediately, and he was just fine. On June 9, we got an animal trainer named Kay Bickford to teach us how to train Spunky so he would be a little more manageable. Her method was to throw a chain at him when he misbehaved, which I had a very hard time with. I don't know if I'm humane or just lazy.

When we moved on June 23, Spunky's new home was our unlandscaped back yard. Unfortunately, the new sprinklers had to be there as well, and Spunky chewed them to pieces. We decided that we were not cut out for a large dog, what with a new house, a new baby nearly there, and the challenges of trying to train him. So we arranged for him to go to a good home.

The night after he left, someone opened our back door in the night and set off the alarm. Spunky was a good dog, after all.