Meet Sprite, the dog Matthew adopted from the American Human Society.  It was love at first sight.   Many people ask, “Why did he name her Sprite?  She doesn’t look anything like a can of Sprite.  If anything, she looks like a can of Coke.”  The simple answer is, that was her name when Matthew first saw this adorable puppy, who had been born at the Human Society.

Before adopting Sprite, Matthew’s mom, Ann, wanted to see how serious he really was about taking care of this type of dog.  She told him to do some research on the breed, and if he still wanted Sprite, and was ready to be responsible for taking care of her, then he could move forward with the adoption.  He went home and did his research, printing off page after page of information about how to train your dog. The next morning, he said he still wanted to adopt Sprite.

It was a match made in heaven.  He adored her.  They would go everywhere together.  He would take her to the grocery store and just walk her around.  They used to go for walks at the Greenbelt, and rides in his car.  They even used to take naps together.  One day Matthew was asleep on the couch, and wrapped around his arms was a sleeping Sprite!  He had over 300 selfies of the two of them together on his phone.  He loved his dog, and she was very protective of him in return.  They had an extraordinary bond.  Sprite was also known as “Spider Pig!”  Why spider pig?  You’ll have to ask Ann next time you talk to her. 

When Matthew was at the hospital, the doctor allowed Sprite up to his room to say goodbye. Sprite sniffed Matthew’s head, and she snapped right back, pulling her head up and making a funny face.  She knew that something was not right.  To this day, she still looks for him, waiting for him to come home.