For the residents of Somerville, Sparkle is a household name. The 11-year-old beagle-corgi mix has lived on Elm Street for years, sitting outside and greeting dozens of visitors who pass by her house each day.
But after a popular Twitter post last week shared the news that Sparkle was recently diagnosed with jaw cancer, messages of support have been pouring in from all over the world.
“A reporter from CNBC contacted me on Facebook Messenger,” owner Melora Rush said. “And so I went hunting [for the post] and I was blown away.”
The tweet has since garnered over 200,000 likes and over 20,000 retweets.
After adopting Sparkle when she was 1 year old, Rush said she has received hundreds of gifts, cards and messages about her dog over the years, most notably during the pandemic.
“I remember this one woman,” Rush said. “We had our phone number on Sparkle’s tag, and she texted me, 'I was having a really, really bad day and I'm feeling so much better now that I'm with Sparkle.’”
Laney Morse, a Hull resident, said she and her boyfriend, a Somerville resident, occasionally stop by to visit Sparkle. They decided to give her some extra attention this past weekend after seeing posts about her on social media.
“I'm always down to pet a dog — when I see a dog anywhere, I'll cross, like four-lane traffic in order to pet the dog,” Morse said. “And when we saw the instructions and that she was here and to just be friendly, it was like one of the happiest things I've ever seen, because somebody is just so willing to let us pet their dog.”
Rush said people are often drawn to Sparkle because of her calm and dependable demeanor, even giving her the nickname the “Mayor of Somerville.”
“She has been like that since we got her,” Rush said. “We introduce her to any kids who are scared of dogs. She's just like the perfect dog. She would have made a perfect therapy dog.”
She added that she is happy to see Sparkle getting more visitors and appreciation in the wake of her diagnosis.
“It means a lot to me that she has been able to bring so much joy to so many people,” she said. “And, you know, when she passes, it's going to be a loss, not just for me and my family, but for the whole neighborhood.”
