RIP Spunky

Our wonderful little Spunky has left us. RIP Spunky 2009-2020

Spunky came to us in August 2009. I'd explored several rescue sites looking for a King Charles Cavalier pup, since they are lap dogs - just what I wanted! There were very few such sites on-line at the time, and only one in Pennsylvania, where we live. They had two pups, a black one and runt of the litter, and a multicolored little girl named "Little Miss Spunkmire" - formally registered because her mom was a pure-bred. She was a "rescue" because mom had escaped confinement and met a nice fellow, probably a terrier, given Little Miss Spunky's personality and size. She was supposed to stay relatively small, weighing no more than 16 pounds. Or so we were told.

Well, she was a lap dog for about 4-5 months. Then she grew even more, to her total weight at full adulthood of 37 pounds. I never did measure how tall she was at the shoulder, but my guess would be about 15-16". She lived up to her name, as she was quite a little Spunky girl.

Spunky loved to play hid-and-seek in the garden when she was small. It was one of her favorite games!

As she grew, her personality for playfulness was quite hilarious. Upon meeting our daughter's Sheltie, Spunky promptly picked up Keagan's leash and began prancing around leading Keagan!

By Christmas, she quickly learned that she had her own Christmas stocking, to be given to her when others took theirs down from the mantle. She proved quite efficient as unpacking the sock and unwrapping each treat and toy hiding within.

By the following spring, she was getting big enough to find it hard to jump up onto our laps, unless we were on the couch.

Spunky loved going to Millbrook March in State College.

While she enjoyed the boardwalk, she much preferred getting OFF the boardwalk...

Christmas 2012, she was already quite an armful!

And then the twins joined our family!

Spunky was a short haired puppy - which lasted only a few years. And in her last 2-3 years, her hair became the longest ever - showing her King Charles Cavalier traits at long last. But the fur was definitely influenced by her daddy because it was never curly and soft like a Cavalier. It was more course and prone to sticking out from her body. By 2014, when the girls were two, her facial hair had grown quite long!

Spunky loved the snow. She liked jumping in it, shoveling it with her snout, and listening for mice beneath the surface!

And she more than tolerated the girls - she loved them in her own way, careful to remain safe from little hands!

Spunky had a favorite spot on our sofa - we called it her "throne" because she would sit there regally expecting every guest to great her with lots of petting upon their arrival.

By 2015, we were in our new home. Spunky was no longer able to run free within an electric fence as she had done in State College. Now she had to be on a leash or fenced on the porch. She was happy to go for walks with the girls. They, of course, generally fought over who got to hold the leash the longest or first or whatever else came to mind.

Spunky was used to being fondled by the grandchildren, too, and any other visitor they brought with them.

Michelle was probably her FAVORITE grandchild since Michelle was the one who trained her to do tricks, to walk on her hind legs across the floor, to roll over, and lots more!

Michael didn't visit quite as often - and when he brought his guitar, Spunky was terrified of this new, frightening shape leaning on the fireplace!

Over her lifetime, Spunky had a number of health issues. Her first was a combination of gall stones and pancreatitis when she was barely two years old. The rest of her life she was on a special died due to chronic pancreatitis. Next, she developed allergies that always worsened in the fall of the year. Then, the onset of arthritis in her legs. In the past two years, she developed glaucoma and eventually she was blinded by the disease.

Spunky had headaches in the last year with us due to the pressure caused by the glaucoma. She would come to me and stare at me, silently asking me for a head-rub to relieve the pain. She developed high blood pressure, possibly due to the glaucoma. But we were surprised when we went to the vet to discus eye removal to help her headaches due to glaucoma and also had him check out a fast growing tumor on her rear leg. We were shocked to learn it was an aggressive form of cancer with no chance of survival. We brought her home for one last night...by then, she was limping after they drained the tumor. But the tumor filled up immediately overnight, leaving us no choice but to let her go.

Spunky was a large part of our lives for 11 years. We will miss her always, and remember her with love and laughter. Sleep well, little Spunky. Until we meet again.