Passing of a Good and Faithful Friend
What appears to have been one of the most sensible and faithful dogs that has lived in the town of Buntingford died last Friday night, at the advanced age of 14 years.
He was known as "Boy Sparkes." He had numerous friends, and was not only known in the town but most of the surrounding villages.
He was a curly retriever and was reared on an Allenbury's feeding bottle, as his master had him at two days' old.
This dog had many singular ways. Here are a few of his tricks:
His master would send him to the Railway Station to meet a friend if he was busy and couldn't go himself, and the dog would bring the person home delighted.
He rescued a dog from the river round Pig's Nose, and would on being informed over night go to collect bones or anything from his many friends in the town and would always bring these home.
One evening his master had been to visit a friend and left his stick on the back of the chair in the room he was sitting. On walking home his master met another friend, and during the little conversation with him realised he was minus his stick, and said "I have left my stick up the street." The dog, on hearing this, went and barked and shook the door where he had been with his master.
When the door was opened he walked through to this room and got the stick off the back of the chair and brought it to where his master was still in conversation. The marvellous thing about this is that the dog was not told to fetch the forgotten stick, but simple [sic] overheard the remark.
"Boy" was a keen football and motorist. He was in a habit of gatherine flowers on his Sunday morning wals. Being so fond of flowers, he is buried in his master's garden near the bridge, and many of his old friends now visit his grave on which is a bunch of wild flowers, as he used to gather, bearing this token:
"In memory of a dear faithful friend, gathered from where he and his master used to walk, from his sorrowing master."
Goodbye, Black Chap.