Sparky / Dexter’s Adventures

I hope Dexter is feeling good. I hope you are doing great to.

Hi Afnan!

Dexter is doing great!  Thanks for asking!  He’s sleeping right now.  He had a long day.  After visiting you and all your classmates at school, we stopped at a bakery in your town for a coffee and snack, then we went to New Haven and picked up some pizza, and then we drove all the way home to Stamford!  Dexter is always a bit tired after visiting all the kids during his school visits, but it’s always a wonderful day for him … and me, too!

Have a great weekend!

Rick (and Dexter, too!)

Hi I’m arrietty one of the kids you saw at the school. I have a pit mix and three cats. It was sooo fun when you were here. I have a question what’s your name again? My dog is named bubblegum. Her  nicknames are buba, bubs and princess banabel bubblegum. Buba’s parents are pit bull and black lab. Another question can you take pics on this website and send them to you? Well bye I’ll check in tomorrow

Hi Arrietty!

Wow!  A dog and three cats!  That’s a lot.  My daughter Kristen has a dog (Lucy) and four cats.  And one of the cats always bothers Lucy!  I’ve also put three of Kristen’s cats in the chapter book I wrote about Dexter (Dexter and the Rescuettes).  Her three cats are a music band called the Kit-Kat Trio!!  As for my name, it’s Rick Arruzza.  And my dog’s name is Dexter.  But you know that already! And it’s so great that you also have a pit mix, just like Dexter is!

As for the pictures, you can’t send them on this Web site, but I can give you my e-mail, and if it’s OK with your parents, you can e-mail the pictures to me.  My e-mail is rarruzza@optonline.net.

Thanks for writing!  And give Bubblegum (buba -Ha!  What a great nickname!) a big hug from me and Dexter!

Rick (and Dexter, too!)

hi it,s me Aubrey how is Dexter

Aubrey!

I didn’t see this until now, Sunday!  But I saw you this morning!  Happy Birthday!  As for Dexter, he had a nice birthday, too.  We sang “Happy Birthday” to him and gave him a birthday cupcake.  He loved it!

Bye for now!

i remeber when u came to my school in the 4th grade

Bella!

Great to hear from you!!  I remember you!  You go to Park City Magnet School, right?  Dexter really liked you!!  I don’t know if we’re visiting Park City this year.  But if we do, maybe I can bring Dexter to see you and your classmates!

Thanks for writing!

Rick (and Dexter, too!)

Dexter came to a school in nyc today it was amazing it was a blessing having him around sparky was great he’s in a better place now all your dogs are very cute and nice❤️i hope you have a amazing day

Hi Leah!

Thank you so much for your kind words!  Dexter and I had so much fun at your school meeting you and all your classmates.  And, yes, Sparky was a great dog.  She lived such a wonderful life.  We all miss her, but we have so many nice memories of her.

And now for some sad news:  Unfortunately, Speedy our tortoise passed away today.  She was hibernating in her cage this winter, just like she did last winter, but sadly when I checked on her this morning she had passed away.  We would have celebrated her 34th birthday in a couple months, May 23, National Tortoise Day.

Speedy was a great pet, and we have lots of wonderful memories of her, especially with her and Sparky and also with her and Dexter.  It was so funny when Speedy would boss Sparky around and push her out of her bed! We’ll miss Speedy just like we miss Sparky.

Thanks for writing!

Rick (and Dexter, too!)

Hi Mr. Arruzza,

Aubrey tells me you’re back from your trip to Florida.  The 3rd grade would like to find out how much it would cost to have you come in with Dexter and do something with the kids about writing. Maybe how to generate ideas, what you use as a story planner, how to incorporate interesting details into your story, etc.

We don’t have much planned for March, if you have any dates you think you might be available, that would be great to send along as well.

Have a great weekend,

Maggie Peterson, Stark School

mpeterson1@stamfordpublicschools.org

Hi Ms. Peterson!

Aubrey’s right!  I’m back, but I was in LA, dogsitting for my son’s 14-year-old dog.  I sure do miss the warm weather!

And I’ll shoot you an e-mail later tonight.  I’m sure we can figure out a date in March to come visit.  Oh, and it’s no charge!  My school visits are always free.

Thanks so much!

Rick

Hi dexter so so sorry I missed mistake on my name

Hi Aubrey!

No problem about making a mistake on your name.  We all make mistakes.  Nobody is perfect!

Anyway, I’m sure Dexter misses you, too!  I know he’s been missing me because I’ve been in Los Angeles for almost a month!  But I’ll be coming home this week, and Dexter has two school visits on Thursday and Friday.

And I guess I’ll be coming home to a lot of snow and cold!  Here in Los Angeles, it’s been warm and sunny!

Bye for now!

Rick

1. Hi  dexter it’s me Aubrey i waned to say hello and i love you so very much dexter

Dear Mr. Rick,

Me and my friends absolutely love it when you and Dexter come to our school!

Thank you so much for coming!    (I did not write this right after you came to our school (I just found out about this website)

Hi Emma (and her friends!),

We loved visiting your school and meeting you and all your classmates!  We always have so much fun.  Dexter loves visiting schools.  It’s probably his favorite thing to do!  Well, maybe he likes laying around in the sun a little more!

If you ever go on Facebook, you might be able to see some pictures from our school visits because Dexter has his own Facebook page, too, Sparky/Dexter’s Adventures.

Happy Holidays and enjoy your vacation!!

Rick (and Dexter, too!)  Woof!

How did sparky die

Hi Justin!

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.  Busy weekend with Christmas coming and then all the snow!

Sparky passed away from cancer, a disease that made her very sick.  Unfortunately, when dogs get older (Sparky lived to be 13 years old – 91 years old in human years), they become more susceptible to diseases like cancer, which means they become more likely to get cancer because their bodies get older and I guess their defenses against diseases like cancer aren’t as strong.

Sparky made her final school visit in June 2011 (at a school in Queens! I can still remember Sparky running down the aisle in the school’s auditorium!), and she passed away a few months later in September 2011.  Yes, it is sad that Sparky’s not with us anymore, but she lived a wonderful life, with many, many friends and lots of good times.  I have so many nice memories of Sparky.  Whenever I think of Sparky, it always puts a smile on my face because I think of all the fun we had together.

Sparky was a wonderful dog that did a lot of good in her life, inspiring kids like you to read and write a little more, especially since she was a dog that nobody wanted, stuck in a dog pound in New York City until she was luckily rescued by Adopt-A-Dog and then we adopted her.  Yes, I have lots of memories of Sparky, but I still miss her!

Thanks for the great question!

Rick