Sparky was adopted from an animal shelter, so I never want him to feel like he’s being dumped off somewhere. He has never said anything to make me think he’s got abandonment issues, but look at him. Have you ever seen a baby seal that is cuter or more pathetic?
Samantha’s wedding was at Cayuga Lake in New York. Sparky wasn’t attending and it was looking to be at least a three day trip. My delightful niece offered to take him. I didn’t want Sparky to think I was dumping him, so I told him that he was going to sleep-away camp.
I took Sparky for a visit a couple of days before. To sell the ruse, I told him it was camp orientation with his new roommates, Archie and Indy.
Sparky can be a salty dog. To establish dominance, he stole Mr. Monkey and took a shit in the dining room.
To be fair, Sparky is a very sweet dog, but he is 9 years old. He doesn’t like to talk about his life before we met, but he does have issues with other dogs. Once he ascertains their character with a thorough butt sniff, he’s cool. If he doesn’t have a chance to sniff, he usually barks to let them know he isn’t screwing around. After he is acquainted with a dog, he remains aloof.
The orientation visit was a good idea. After I dropped Sparky off for summer camp, he tried to ignore what Archie and Indy were doing.
Archie is, I think, 4 years old, and has his own hierarchy in mind. Sparky was in his house, so he wanted to show that he was comfortable in Sparky’s house. Archie and Sparky, both being grown-ups, understood each other and got on fine.
This was part of what I wanted Sparky to get from summer camp. With other dogs, Sparky makes a couple of dramatic gestures, but then doesn’t want the other dogs to get too close to him. I wanted him to form some real relationships and grow as a dog.
Initially, Sparky felt awkward, but was resigned to his situation.
Sparky is charming with people, but that masks his reluctance to get attached. Eventually, he was comfortable and allowed himself to have fun.
Indy is still a puppy, so they didn’t have much in common. Indy kept taking Sparky’s toys, so he went just went along with it.
Eventually, Sparky felt like part of the family.
When I picked him up, Sparky was excited to tell me about summer camp and to be going home. Soon, he got quiet and thoughtful. He told me that, at first, Indy was a pain-in-the-ass. Sparky said that he and Indy became friends, and that really changed his perspective. I don’t know what he means by that.
