Hey.  I'm Becky, Sparky's mom, and I'm new to the forums.  Sparky has been blogging for about a month now, but we didn't know how to join in here.  (Thanks, Shari, for the help.) 

Sparky is a 5 year old, 7 1/2 lb. rat terrier.  Generally when people ask how he lost his leg I tell them that it fractured, didn't heal properly, and had to be amputated, which is true.  I don't tell them the rest of the story, which is that Sparky's owner threw him against the wall. 

Sparky came to live with me a month after the surgery, on his first birthday.  (I don't know when his birthday is, so I just made that last part up.)  I had anticipated having a disabled dog, one that would need to be carried around and lifted onto furniture and so on.  No way.  Kiddo could walk and run as well as any four pawd dog.  I have been running to keep up with him ever since.  Believe me, I get plenty of exercise following this little guy all over town.  (Yes, he pulls on his lead.) 

When Sparky came here, people told me I had made a mistake.  They said he was the noisiest, most annoying, most disruptive and neurotic dog they had ever seen.  I've never seen anybody so scared.  He barked incessantly, pausing only to eat and sleep.  He was a handful, let me tell you.  Four years later, it's hard to tell he's the same dog.  He is calm (usually) quiet (mostly) and only barks when he actually has something to say.  He is fun and playful, enjoys his toys and treats, sleeps under the covers with me, and has loads of human friends.  I think living in a quiet, boring, safe home has made all the difference.  Let me tell you, I did NOT make a mistake.  He's my baby.

If you read his blog, you will find that he has become somtehing of an author, with his own following.  He writes in all caps.  I'm sorry about that, but he's only 5 and he hasn't learned to print neatly yet.  He writes about the world as he sees it, so sometimes you will have to fill in the gaps, like when he heard two cats howling and making all kinds of noise in the back yard.  He doesn't know what they were doing, but I'm sure you do.  I'm not ready to have "the talk" with him and explain it quite yet. 

We live in a small town in Washington, and we'd love to hear from people nearby.  No.  We'd love to hear from anybody.  Thanks for including us here.

Becky and Sparkly the little dog