June 20, 2011
Do All Dogs Go To Heaven?
Pierre, our first red Toy Poodle that we ever owned, had to be put down at the age of 10. Jim and I were heart broken and traveled to Oregon to look at another red Poodle pup for sale. It was 1996 when we made that trip and we'll never forget it. The little Poodle pup that we went to see was not the one we ended up bringing home. A small cute bundle of red fur caught my eye and I inquired if he was for sale. The owner said he was only 6 weeks old and wasn't sure if she wanted to part with him yet, but with some pleading, she relented. We had already picked out the name Sparky so when I brought him out to the car and asked Jim, "well, what do you think?", he said he didn't look took "sparky" to him. As soon as we took off, he became more animated and befitting his new name!
Sparky grew up and went on many journeys with Jim and I across the country to show our sculptures. He was quite the little traveler. We dressed Sparky up in all kinds of costumes and he became known as "Sparky, The Wonder Dog". He even has his own webpage devoted to him and his friends.
On one of our trips we visited Bryce Canyon for the first time and we didn't want to leave Sparky in the car, so I carried him in his "Kari-Pet" and away we went on the trail. We did notice once we were on our way, that there was a sign that said "No Dogs On The Trail". Technically, Sparky wasn't on the trail, so we proceeded with optimism.
Sparky enjoyed going everywhere we traveled. Whether is was riding on a bike, walking down our road or his favorite of all----car rides! If Sparky heard you jingle the keys, you weren't getting out of the house without him!
Sparky really had a fascination with chasing balls and sticks. We could never play a game of Croquet or swing a golf club without Sparky barking incessantly, never quitting until we gave in and let him play with the ball or put him in the house to quiet him down. Many times he and our other dogs would walk down the road with us. Sparky had a habit of chasing sticks that we threw for him. As soon as we reached down and Sparky would hear us snap a stick off a branch, he would put up such a fuss barking that you couldn't wait to release it from your hand to get him to be quiet!
When Summer came, we couldn't always take Sparky and his furry brothers and sister for their car rides since it would get way too hot in the car for them. As soon as we got home we were serenaded by what became known as the "Howlalujah Chorus"! All four would join in and it wouldn't stop until several minutes later. Jim and I would sometimes join in with them and all of us would have fun singing together!
Last video ever made of Sparky the day before he died:
THE HOWLALUJAH CHORUS ON YOUTUBE
Life had a sudden turn of events the day Sparky got bit by a Brown Recluse Spider. We used Tea Tree Oil on him and he healed up from his horrible wound, but later in his years, he became blind because of the poison still in his system. He then developed a huge tumor on him. The Summer of 2008 was one of the most difficult to face. We saw our Sparky dog, affectionately known as "Sparkmeister" (among many other nicknames), go down hill fast. On July 13, 2008, Jim and I were driving to our church, Hope Foursquare, in Snohomish, WA, when we saw an amazing sight in the sky. It was a cloud hovering over our church that looked like a dove. God gave me a poem to go with the photo I took of this sight. We feel God showed us this sign to give us peace and strength at what lie ahead in the coming two months.
Spirit of Hope (Cloud in shape of a dove)
Sparky would have turned 12 years old on August 17, 2008, but it wasn't meant to be. On August 11, only four days before my birthday, Sparky crossed over the rainbow bridge. I brought his little body home from the vets and we buried him on our place.
Sparky had many adventures in his life but the biggest and far greatest was the last time that Jim saw him. Two days after we said good-bye to Sparky and laid him in the grave, we were sorrowfully sitting on our front porch. All of a sudden, to Jim's surprise, Jesus appeared with Sparky in his left arm holding him to His chest! We always called Sparky "our little lamb". In the Bible, it says that He holds the little lambs close to His heart. Well, there was our little guy, being held by our Savior and do you know what? Jesus had the biggest smile on His face and was holding His right hand up to greet Jim's eyes! Jim said that Sparky looked like a pup again, but he was full grown. He also said that Sparky had a town and country clip on him. Sparky was so content that he was almost asleep while Jesus was holding him. All of this took place in less than 6 seconds, but if you ask Jim if he will ever forget it--I think you who know him, will know the answer! Do dogs go to Heaven? Many people have asked this question. Do you think if they didn't, Jesus would have taken the time to bring Sparky back to show us that He had him safe in His arms and for us not to worry--he was with our Lord! Blessing to all who read this story and have ever lost a precious pet. May this bring comfort and give you hope.
Vicki Keeling
Sparky The Wonder Dog Webpage: