Spike was chosen as a “downstairs dog” when he was acquired by Catherine Morris’ family nine years ago. An English springer spaniel named Spike, however, believed otherwise.

Morris mentioned, “The first night we had him, we closed the stair gate and went to bed. He whimpered for a while, then in the dark he jumped over the fence, trotted up into my parents’ room, and jumped right up into the bed! From that point forward, he slept there.”

Spike had a lot of energy all day. He would chase his tennis ball for hours on end. The dog would ascend the stairs at night to join his family in bed. He enjoys cuddling and will often try to wriggle under the covers to get as near as possible, according to Morris.

Spike has significantly slowed down as he reaches the age of 14. After Spike had two strokes, Morris and her parents were worried that they could lose him, but the devoted dog wasn’t quite ready to go.

Spike was unable to stand for days following his second stroke, so Morris and her parents carried him around the home. The older dog, though, was motivated to improve and had to relearn how to walk.

However, Spike’s family had to barricade his favorite space—the bedroom—because he is still unable to climb and descend stairs with consistency.

They were aware that Spike would attempt to climb the stairs so he could cuddle with his family despite having weak legs. They so installed their stair gate and devised a strategy to please the elderly canine.

To prevent Spike from attempting to jump the gate, Spike’s family now alternately sleeps on the pull-out couch with him each night. “My parents alternated nights downstairs with Spike because of this new arrangement, which began while I was away at school,” Morris explained. “We all get a little bit more sleep between the three of us now that I’ve returned home and entered the rotation.”

Spike’s father takes extra care to ensure that his elderly dog is cozy at night.

They are completely inseparable, according to Morris. They are constantly conversing, and my dad refers to him as “old bean.”

In order to make sure Spike takes his medications and maintains his strength, she continued, “My dad will also carry Spike his water and food to the sofa and feed him by hand.

It’s obvious that Spike adores his family above all else, and they will do whatever to make the dog content for the rest of his life.

Morris stated, “We love our old buddy so dearly and are so grateful to have him in our life. Hopefully, by showing him all the love in the world, we have made up for his rocky start in life.”