Obituary of Pepe Spacht

Pepe was full of joy and super smart. Everyone he met loved him. We had such good times playing and going to the shore with him where he loved the sidewalks, which we don't have here in the countryside. At home he loved racing around the house looking out the low windows in our old farmhouse, and walks out back. All that changed when he developed degenerative myelopathy, a neurological disease that starts with the hind legs and goes forward up the spine causing paralysis.

He was a brave boy and stayed in high spirits even as he lost the ability to walk. He enjoyed food puzzle toys and rope tug and rides in a garden cart. Cal also walked him using a special harness. He didn't take to the doggy wheelchair.

His high spirit, curiosity and character remained even after much muscle wasting, amazing the vets. More recently he was on a plateau for months.  But we saw an overall decline starting about two weeks before we made the hard decision to let him go onto his next adventure. We are heartbroken and miss him terribly. He was such a very special dog, our best friend as well as teacher.