Faxlandez Family Blog

It’s with a heavy heart that we share this news – Splotchy passed away peacefully on Dec. 12, 2023 after 14 amazing years of life.

He was our best dog, and I’m not just saying that because he’s died. He was a spunky, sweet dog who was obsessed with humans and a friend to all other animals. He’s deeply missed and we’ll remember him forever. Please read on to hear stories about him and see pictures and videos from his full life.

It all started one day back in 2010 when I was working in Quarantine at the local no-kill animal shelter. I looked up and I spotted what looked to be a mini version of our dog Mackey.

According to the staff, he had followed some kids home from school and was not welcome at their home. The details are a bit fuzzy so many years later, but I recall he was physically abused during this encounter. Though upon arrival at the shelter he was happy as can be, wearing a collar with only a tag that said “Splotch”.

Our puppy Mackey needed a friend, and since this puppy looked so similar – we figured it was meant to be! We adopted him straight away and he lived with us for the next 13 wonderful years.

We quickly realized that Splotchy could sleep anywhere.

For real, he could sleep ANYWHERE – even on people’s butts.

One of his favorite places to nap was the kitchen floor. These are pictures from every home he/we lived in – he would pass out right in the middle, making it a bit dangerous to cook!

He was obsessed with toys, often hoarding them on the rug or on our bed. He would steal them from his brothers, no squeaky was safe from him.

When it came to dress-up, he was a good sport and would gladly wear whatever we put him in. He often wore a patriotic sweater on Election Day in the US and humored many silly halloween costumes.

He loved being outside, particularly when it was really hot and sunny out. He would sit and sunbathe for hours if we let him.

Later on in life, his dental situation allowed for some glorious blep-ing as you can see here.

He loved his brothers Mackey, Miguel, and Theodore. He bonded with Mackey immediately after we adopted him, met Theodore shortly after, and then welcomed Miguel with open paws years later. He was pretty jealous of Miguel though. If we gave Miguel attention, we could be sure that Splotchy would insert himself quickly.

He used to get into all sorts of trouble with his brothers. One time he found his way to an unattended dinner table with Thanksgiving leftovers on it – he quickly hopped up there and helped himself, making sure to toss food to the floor where Mackey could eat it.

And before she passed last year, he loved his sister Snuffy, too. They would lay around and groom each other for hours, it got a little weird after a while.

Splotchy was great about socializing foster kittens as well. He never met a cat he didn’t like… nor a cat food! Here’s a video demonstration of his volunteer work:

He loved his human sister, too. From the moment we brought Willa home from the hospital to his final moments - he was bonded to her. They shared snacks (unwillingly on Willa’s part), had dance parties, watched TV together, and enjoyed forts together.

On December 22, 2022 (almost a year ago, now), Splotchy was diagnosed with congestive heart failure after having a heart murmur for a few years. With the help of our vet (and a vet friend!), he was put on medications that worked wonders for him. Still, his heart continued to grow (at one point his vet said it was the largest heart she’d ever seen on a dog his size), and that compromised his airways and caused him to have small coughing fits throughout the day. He still had great quality of life though and could do all of the things he loved to do, which we’re so thankful for.

On the morning of December 12, 2023, it was immediately apparent that his health was deteriorating fast. He was calm, loving, and content but was not able to stand or walk – his breathing was shallow. We took a bit of time for each of us (including the other dogs) to say our goodbyes and I comforted him while Anthony brought Willa to school.

Once Anthony was back home, we loaded up to head to the vet, but first we made a short stop at Starbucks which he perked up for. We ordered him a puppuccino, but understandably did not want to eat it.

He passed away peacefully in our arms with the help of our caring veterinarian.

Words can’t really express the pain we feel over losing him, of course. We had so many amazing years with him in our family, but selfishly we wish that we could have more. We’re so thankful to our family and friends who have reached out to share memories of Splotchy and comfort us.