In order to really be considered a family, members must support one another during both happy and difficult times.
Since the day they took in their senior rescue dog Spike, these people have been doing precisely that for him ever since they brought him into their life.
The English Springer Spaniel was only 5 years old when Catherine Morris and her family took him up from a rescue organization and gave him a forever home. They had been without a pet for close to a year when they received him; their previous canine companion was another rescue.
“Spike had multiple homes before us, and we can’t understand how anybody could give up on him, but we’re really delighted he found his way to us,” Catherine said.
When the puppy first came, he was a hyperactive bundle of nervous energy. Nobody could stop him from getting what he desired, even if it was something as simple as his preferred location to sleep.
Because he did not want to sleep downstairs alone himself, he climbed over the gate at the top of the stairs every night in order to take what he considered to be his legitimate place to sleep, which was on the bed directly next to his parents.
Initially, the Morris family wasn’t too enthusiastic about the concept, but who could refuse to cuddle with their dog every night?
In the end, Catherine’s parents conceded, and they accepted Spike as a permanent member of their sleeping companion group. This continued to be their routine for almost to a decade, until Spike’s advanced age finally caught up with him.
The dog, who is now 14 years old, has had a variety of health issues throughout its life and is presently recuperating from a second stroke.
Because he was unable to walk or stand on his own for a period of time, Catherine, her parents, and her siblings carried him about the home until he regained the strength to walk independently.
However, he was still unable to make it up the stairs to sleep next to his parents, so the family devised a wonderful plan: every night, they would take turns sleeping on the couch with Spike to make sure he was content.
In addition to this, they installed their stair gate to prevent him from ascending the stairs in any way.
Catherine said that the new routine had begun while she was away at college, which meant that her parents were spending alternating nights in the downstairs with Spike.
“Ever since I moved back in with my parents, I’ve participated in the shift rotation, and as a result, the three of us get a little bit better sleep overall.”
The Morrises do all in their power to look out for Spike’s best interests, and, since, he has a unique connection with the canine, Catherine’s father watches after him and makes sure he is there to provide the senior pet with everything he could want.