Sparky the Dog and Devil's Night - Childhood Stories

Grandpa Hill's True Stories

This story isn't really about Devil's night, a night of tricks and pranks. It is a story about an unfortunate—or rather fortunate—course of events that led to Sparky becoming the dog of Grandpa Hill's family, way back when he was a just a boy of 11 years old.

It was 1967 on a foggy Devil’s Night in Rochester Michigan. A prank was played on a most unfortunate family and their dog. The next morning when the fog was still thick, Grandpa discovered there at the end of the driveway the Devil’s Night Dog, a young black and white Smooth Fox Terrier. The sweetest and barkiest dog there ever was... maybe. Nonetheless, the situation needed to be remedied.

Grandpa’s family knew the drill. They needed to find the owner and let them know what had happened to their terrier. They tried and failed. What happened next was a few years of fun love and happy times with Sparky. One day Sparky took off for his normal morning run. He was normally back at the house within an hour.

That day Sparky was brought home dead. He was killed by a neighbor’s dog. Gorf and Marshmallow help the young listener to think through Sparky’s death and how it may have shaped Grandpa Hill’s life and what lessons may have been learned.

CREDITS:

Produced by David Richman,
Executively Produced by Grandpa Hill

Gorf: Grandpa
Marshmallow: David Richman
Music: Michael Steele
Art: David Richman
Grandchildren in the audience: Kyla, Lawrence, Eddy, and Levi