First, thank you again to my Gold Country Trails Council family who were out there the very next morning searching for Sparky. To Holly from H.E.A.R.T. who was there every single day. To Jane Schluter, who made finding Sparky her sole mission in life. Her neighbor, Neil, and his wife, also did the same. And to all the other people, who were also so relentless in the search for Sparky. People were even buying maps at TNF HQ to go look for him. And yes, he was everywhere on social media.
My story begins.
I had heard that fractured ribs are extremely painful and I wouldn’t call my pain extreme. But when I would find myself not able to breathe at times, I decided to go to the ER. Thinking, that if I go now at 1:30 A.M. Sunday, I should be out of there in time to join the search in the morning.
Signs that Sparky is OK.
While at the ER, when they were checking my vitals, there was a poster on the wall with a dog on it and guess what his name is. Yup, Sparky. And guess what the name of the doctor’s dog is who examined me? Yup, Sparky. And as I was walking to my rig, a jack rabbit came very calmly up my driveway and looked at me. My very dear deceased friend Jeanne who was Sparky’s previous owner was born the year of the rabbit.
I was really hoping that we were going to find him on Sunday. But not meant to be, yet. That’s when Steve Kristoff reached out to me with his thermal drone. He was up at Neil’s property that night at 9:30. He concluded just after midnight. No signs of Sparky. It at least gave me peace of mind that he wasn’t caught up in that area. After talking with Neil, he mentioned that over the years the hunters keep telling him that the deer all end up along the NID canal along Camp 19 trail, and maybe that’s where we should of had Steve search. Perhaps, but I do believe that certain things happen for a reason and if we would have found Sparky that night a certain important thing would not have come to be. The one thing that stuck in my head was “Thermal Drone.”
After days of everyone’s efforts and still no Sparky, I still felt he was OK. When H.E.A.R.T. found the blue water bottle on Camp 19 trail and it wasn’t Lori’s, I felt that it sure looks like a horse could have stepped on it. Another sign that Sparky is OK. So finally, later in the day on Wednesday, I literally said out loud to Sparky, “OK. I hear you. I will order the drone in the morning (Thursday).” This is also when I wrote on his picture that said “Lost 6/14”, I wrote on the other side “Found _ “. This is when I finally took a shower. Thursday morning ordered the Drone with express shipping so it could go up Friday night. And when I ordered it the lady informed me that it was non-returnable. The rest is history. Sparky amazingly just happens to appear on someone’s RING camera at 10:30 P.M that night.
So thanks to Sparky, the local celebrity, H.E.A.R.T. now has 24/7 access to a Thermal Drone.
My reunion with Sparky was magical. The second I said his name he looked up at me as if to say, “I know you,” and I said, “Hey Bud, whatcha doing?” and I shook the little tub of carrots. He came calmly walking to me. I put the rope around his neck and put his halter on and just hugged his neck. The best feeling ever.
The End
PS:
Another big shout out to Deputies Sonnier and Morales, Sargent Holdcroft, and Stephanie Geckler of H.E.A.R.T., who always remained confident, positive, and determined that we would find him.
Editor’s note: Sparky had been missing since June 14 and was found on June 21st. The Sheriff’s HEART (Humane Emergency Animal Rescue Team) is a nonprofit animal rescue group.