Spanky. Not Sparky. Not Stinky. Not Spunky. SPANKY.
Spanky was found at the Humane Society back in March of 2002. He had just been neutered in front of a whole crowd of vet students at the University (how embarrassing!) and was pretty mellow and affectionate. He was the perfect "first dog" for Joe! His name was "Freckles", and his owner had passed away. Workers at the shelter thought he was a Border Collie and Sheltie cross, and was about 1.5 years old at the time. He had never really been housebroken and he was still chewing on inappropriate things, but he quickly learned!
While "Freckles" was a suitable name, Joe decided it didn't quite capture the dog's goofy nature. So, Spanky he became. Most of the time, Spanky likes to impersonate a rug - he's easy going, adapts relatively well to change, and is extremely independent. Compared to his "in your face" step-siblings, he's like a cat. He enjoys quiet afternoons watching football and snoozing on the back of the couch (again, like a cat) and offering his lucky "touchdown paws" when the Vikings really need the puppysupport.
Spanky is a little shy and tentative when it comes to learning new things. He's is very affectionate, however, and loves grownups who give him lots of cuddles and attention. His confidence is growing every day, and he is soon going to be trying his paw at Therapy Dog Work - we'll keep you posted on how that goes! We hope to get him ready for a CGC test in the fall of 2004.
Spanky, wondering.