Gizmo "Jones" was born on August 24, 1986. I picked him up from the pet store on December 1st, 1986 as a present for my girlfriend. This little guy saw me "evolve" into the migrant programmer I am today. Many nights I sat up late studying and cramming for exams while little Gizmo hung right in there - looking at you with those big bug-eyes and butt-ugly mouth. It was enough to keep you concentrating on the work at hand.

When I got married in 1987, Gizmo was right there with me - well, not at the wedding but he came with us to our new home. In 1990, Gizmo saw us bring our first child home from the hospital. As a first time parent, I was nervous about how he would react to children. He was great. Even when our 1 year old would pull on Gizmo's fur with his sticky little hands, Gizmo would just sit there and take it. And when our son became interested in Gizmo's eyes - trying to poke at them out of curiosity, Gizmo would just move away without even a bark.

Two more children and a cat later, Gizmo was still "da-man". We never really taught him any tricks but in 1997, we found he possessed a strange talent - Gizmo liked to wear shades. And with that, Sparky the S.P.A.M. killer was born. 

Gizmo really ate the SPAM in those photos and he liked it too!

By 1998, Gizmo had slowed down. He lost his hearing and started having problems, which required medication to keep him going. Through it all the "Gizzer" hung in there like a trooper - always calm, cool, and collected. He slept a lot but that was normal for a little dog his age.

This past summer Gizmo began having heart problems. And again, additional medication was necessary to keep him going. the doctors felt that he could live another 6 months or so with medication. Things seemed to get better for a while but then he became very ill over the past week.

We will all miss this little guy and we thank him for his help in supporting the cause. He was truly a "core migrant" and a best friend.