About Sporty Dog Walker
Four Dogs That Inspired The Creation Of This Site
This website is in memory of our four beloved dogs – Prince, Shadow, Piglet and Lambert – that lived with us together as one family for well over a decade each. They graced our home teaching us one great lesson: IF YOU MAKE YOUR DOG HAPPY, YOU WILL GAIN HAPPINESS YOURSELF.
Every one of our dear dogs was a foundling. When they arrived emaciated, lost, neglected or sick, they had little hope for a future. But they were opportunities sent our way to improve our family's future. Today we miss them like other relatives who have already gone their way beyond this earth.
We wish to open up our story to help you identify with our love for dogs and what they mean to those who care so much for them – those who walk, feed, groom, train and watch after them as owners or hired helpers.
There is much to learn from those who dedicate themselves to the care of dogs as we did for many years. So, you will find useful information in this site both as a dog professional and as an amateur, especially about walking your dogs and even profiting from it, if you wish to walk your neighbors' dogs and start a successful business doing it. This you can extensively and in detail learn to do entirely free of charge at this site.
We hope that your gain in knowledge brings you great satisfaction and success in your dealings with many lovable, furry friends.
We found Prince rummaging through our garbage one morning in June 1999 with two puppies and another sweet dog tagging along. Prince guarded the puppies from us but with such a gentle spirit, not nipping or growling at us, but keeping a steady eye upon our hands, and always trying to get in between us and the puppies.
They were all so hungry. We were able to entice them with food to draw them to our backyard where we fed them, washed them and pondered what to do next with them. After much debate, we decided to keep Prince. We named him after the Italian film character "Principe Guido" from 'La Vita e Bella" (Life is Beautiful) – one of our favorite movies.
We chose to name him Prince because he sat so composed, with such dignity while we washed him. As we scrubbed him, he raised his head high like a regal lord.
Prince was a gentle soul, never biting humans and only getting into a couple of scuffles with other dogs exhibiting poor doggy etiquette. Even when he begged by the table, all he did was approach you and rest his head on your lap, remaining still until you caressed him.
With the parting of Prince came the departing of one of the last connections we had with childhood, youth and early adulthood. So many memories, good and bad, left with Prince. After 16 years, it was so hard to say goodbye to a pet family member and friend of so long.
Prince loved his daily exercise romping from the kitchen to the couch, leaving a trail of golden hair everywhere for us to vacuum off our red carpet. He was our only dog that knew tricks (sit, lay, roll over, shake). He was smart but shy.
Prince grew up in a house full of cousins, who had the opportunity also to say good-bye. It was heartbreaking for them as much as it was for us. They grew up with him too!
We were told that he was less than 2 years old when we found him, which would have made him nearly 18 at his departure to doggy heaven. He lived a good, long life, and a happy one as is discernible from our pictures.
He had a million and one nicknames. Some are almost impossible to spell out because they are so strange. But he knew to respond to them all. Some of them were: Princy-poo, The Poo, Grandpa Puppy, Printh The Pranther, Grandpa (and these came almost exclusively from Mom), plus more.
Our royal friend was slowly dying of old age. It was so hard to force death upon him. But he was slowly deteriorating in anguish. He was gray and weak, barely able to see, hear, stand or eat, and was no longer able to hold his bladder or bowels even during his sleep. It was hard to care for him, and he was just so tired. You could see it in his eyes.
He was the hardest dog to let go. We loved you, Prince, so much. It was painful to see you take your last breath...
Yet what a blessing animals are! God had Adam name all the animals. And to name something is to show relationship to it. Pets have strong relationships with their owners. They become part of a family. Prince knew his place and duty. He protected our home and loved us. We adopted him and loved him.
We’re quite sure that we will see all our pets again in heaven. And we’re thankful for the memories and photos and videos left behind to help rekindle those memories we have still of our dear and faithful Prince.
Shadow wagged her tail for us for 10 years and was adopted into our family in May 2003, rescued off filthy inner-city streets. She came straight from da'hood where she was found with knotted hair, fleas and lots of biological issues. But as my grandmother put it, "Shadow arrived at heaven when brought into your home."
Upon her arrival, she met with siblings that she played and got along with well (except for Piglet, our Chihuahua). Shadow received her name because she was so dark that we couldn’t see her at night when we took her out to do her poht-poht. Only too often did we step or stumble on her, until she and the rest of us figured out how to keep from killing each other.
She enjoyed long hikes and distant journeys, as if she’d never seen nature all her life! We would take her on our yearly excursions to the California coast and to hunt for a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, which had been a family tradition for us for an entire decade before.
She was first at barking when she heard us going to family parties and outings, going to Grandma's house and to eat turkey, and knew to climb the family van the moment the sliding door unclicked and left enough space for a mouse to crawl through. She enjoyed the love from a large family that fed her a good deal more than she truly needed.
Although many people easily pointed out her ugliness and smelly hair, it seems that we loved her all the more for it. She had a mellow temperament and a lot of patience with other animals, never getting into fights with a dog (except with Piglet, our Chihuahua) and never biting her master's hand.
And though her Scottish terrier blood would flare up whenever a stranger would walk up our stairs, she stood her ground only until they stepped into our home, when she would immediately welcome them and approach them to sniff and wag her tail.
She had many names, sweet and mean ones. But she will always remain to us as our Shadow, to which we would sing Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.'s duet chorus, starting with "Me and my Shadow, strolling down the avenue..."
She popped into our lives and then so suddenly popped out. Dear Shadow, we miss your playfulness and gratitude.
Our beloved pink Chihuahua, Piglet, came to us fleeing from an abusive home where little children would grab her by her tail and swing her around and throw her against walls and furniture. She was left outside in the frosty night. Her owners decided to sell her for gain. We had learned of their abusive treatment of her. So, we bought her for a small price. Unbeknownst to us, she had been impregnated before we adopted her.
When she came with us, she was thin, frail and very afraid. But soon she began to pork up and about 3 weeks later she delivered 3 puppies. We were surprised, having thought she had simply displayed great appetite. So, we were not prepared to help her deliver her pups, all of which sadly did not make it. She cried for two days, whining and sniffing around, looking underneath the beds and pillows for them. It was a tragic beginning for Piggy. She had such a rough early life.
The vet told us that she was about 3 to 4 years old when we got her. She had a mean personality with people because she didn't trust anyone. However, once Piglet had come to know you, and if you treated her kindly (meaning you gave her a treat), she would sit on your lap and eat from your hand.
Everyone said she was ugly (to be sure she was at times). But we certainly saw much more than her big watery bubble eyes, squished piggy nose (and yes, she snorted like a pig), smelly breath and nearly-hairless polka-dot appearance. Piggy was so cute, and playful and loved to be frisky just out of the blue.
And yes, she was a prima donna (blame it on Mom who spoiled her). Still, she loved to snuggle in bed and put you to sleep with her warm licks. She enjoyed sitting in the sunlight, wherever it may be found. And for the pre-summer warm months, she would simply love to sit in the sun outside in the backyard for hours. That yearly pattern would always lead us to say, "It's officially Piglet Weather".
Piggy died of congestive heart failure. We ended up having to put her down, a hard decision to have to make. She died in Mom’s arms on April 18 at 1:10 AM. We look forward to seeing her again.
Lambert was a dog that thought himself a lion. We found him sitting at our neighbor’s porch, filthy as a beggar but friendly as all get out. He had no owner and no identification tag. So, we kept him. The vet told us he was probably 5 to 6 years old.
We used to call him “Lamby”, “Lamby Lamb Lamb”, “Dirty Cotton Ball” and “White Trash”. Lambert instantly liked you. He never barked to other dogs. He was the friendliest dog-to-dogs dog we ever had. He walked excitedly toward them, sniffed them and wagged his little stub. He got along most with Prince and Shadow, despite being the youngblood in the house. He also loved the streets.
If Lambert saw us grab the keys, he’d start jumping up and down on his hind legs, whining like a hyena to take him out with us. He looked just like a circus dog. All he needed was the pointy hat!
Lambert had a funny grin. He literally smiled. Whenever we put the leash on him or pet him, he would curl up his lips and literally display his teeth. His eyes would hide under his fur and turn into happy slits. If we hadn’t known any better, we might have thought he’d become possessed by some alien spirit.
He did bite people when afraid and we suspect that explains his missing tooth (or two). We discovered that he was a biter once when he hid under the couch after peeing in the wrong place in the house. We tried to fenagle him from under the furniture. When we grabbed him, we learned fast not to reprimand him, else he’d put his remaining teeth to work!
Lamby had horrible skin and teeth infections that overtook him. He went blind and partially deaf and, lastly, we had to put him to sleep. But this darling furry friend of ours made an indelible mark, completing the family dog quartet of Prince, Shadow, Piglet and Lambert that for so many years made our home so special to us and all visitors who dropped by to say hello.